hile Trader "Vic" Bergeron was world famous for his innovative Island Cuisine and even more so for inventive drinks beginning with his creation of tropical cocktails like the Mai Tai, he was also known as one of the first to promote the benefits of California wines. Taste and quality was everything to Bergeron, so when he found some of his vintner friends selling California wines on the basis of being inexpensive, Bergeron began a quest to support the Golden State's bountiful wine industry by educating

Standing L to R: Karl L. Wente (Wente Brothers), Hanns Kornell (Kornell Champagne), Walter Sullivan (Beaulieu), Louis M. Martini (Loui M. Martini), John Daniel (Inglenook), Fred H. McCrea (Stony Hill), Robert Mondavi (Robert Mondavi Winery), Peter Jurgens (Almaden).

Seated L to R: Dagmar (Mrs. Walter) Sullivan (Bealieu), Trader Vic, Louis Benoist (Almaden), Otto E. Meyer (Paul Masson).

his customers (and vintners alike) on the outstanding tastes available right here at home. The Trader did this by presenting wines that complemented the diversity of dishes he served: meats, poultry, seafood and shellfish, right down to dessert wines. He educated his captains and servers about wines and which ones customers would enjoy with their meals. Bergeron was also one of the first to compile a well rounded California wine list representing a spectrum of taste, quality and value. In fact, Trader Vic's first California wine list is still a part of the wine curriculum taught at the California Culinary Institute.