Pied Piper of Pinot and Sultan of Screw Caps, Randall Grahm is the founder of Bonny Doon Vineyard. A former "permanent Liberal Arts major" at U.C. Santa Cruz, Grahm began crafting wines according to his own muse in the 1980s, mixing a special fascination for Pinot Noir with his conviction that California's climate is perfect for the sun-loving grapes of the Mediterranean. Grahm takes obvious delight in clever names, funny labels and gentle tomfoolery of all sorts, yet he's also a serious-minded innovator who in 1994 was named Wine and Spirits Professional of the Year by the James Beard Foundation. As the century turned, Grahm became a convert to screw cap closures, and as of this year nearly 100% of Bonny Doon wines will be sealed with screw caps.

Wine.com:  You seem to have a passion for lesser-known European varietals, like Teroldego and Roussanne. Do you have a current "favorite grape"?
Randall Grahm:  There is always a cépage du jour that captures my eye, but I must confess that I keep coming back to Riesling and Pinot Noir; I think that I have bonded for life with these grapes.

Wine.com:  Jump forward 25 years. What percentage of all wine bottles do you expect will be sealed with screwcaps, and why?
Randall Grahm:  In 25 years from now, I would venture that virtually 98% of all bottles will be sealed with screwcaps. At this moment, screwcaps are the absolute state of the art for bottle closure and I would expect this paradigm to last for a while. Which is not to say that 25 years from now an even cooler technology might not emerge.

Wine.com:  You meet a lot of people. What's the most frequent comment you hear about screwcaps?
Randall Grahm:  "Thank you, thank you, thank you." Or, alternatively, "You have demonstrated co__ones grandes to have done what you did; may you continue to live long and prosper in your studly ways."

Wine.com:  You've named wines for a penitentiary (Big House Red) and for alien spacecraft (Le Cigare Volant). Are there any objects you would never name a wine for?
Randall Grahm:  I don't think that there are any objects that I would a priori exclude from doonomination on a wine label. It would be great fun to make a wine called Republican Red, but I think that we might run afoul of the ATF, or whoever they're calling themselves these days.

Wine.com:  Fresh summer corn: buttered, salted, or plain?
Randall Grahm:  Fresh corn plain, but with the caveat that it was picked with the water already aboil.

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Interviews from Past Issues:
  Sommelier Mark Mendoza talks about Napa, Portugal and peanut butter
  The legendary Guy Buffet talks about waiters, art, and painting for Perrier Jouët
  Five questions with Oscar-winner Will Vinton

Photo credit: Alex Krause