Heitz

Heitz is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include:

See also

Heitz Wine Cellars

Heitz Wine Cellars is a California wine producer located within Napa Valley east of the town of St. Helena. An early modern era Napa Valley presence and pioneering exponent of French oak, the estate enjoys a historical renown with the success of its Martha's Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, and has also been described as a "master of Grignolino".

History

The origins of the estate was established in 1961 by Joseph (Joe) and Alice Heitz, during a period when the population of Napa Valley wineries had been reduced to the lowest of its decline since the Prohibition of near two dozen, at what is recognized as the turning point of Napa's wine industry.

Joe Heitz

Born in Princeton, Illinois, Heitz moved to California while enlisted in the U.S. Air Force. Following World War II, Heitz began taking classes at UC Davis, achieving a bachelor and eventually a master's degree in viticulture and enology, in 1951 in the first graduating class of seven to do so. Heitz found employment under the wine industry extremes, first at Gallo, and then in 1951 under André Tchelistcheff at Beaulieu Vineyard as an assistant winemaker where he worked for near ten years.