With a Wake Preceding on June 26th
NAPA, Calif. – June 24, 2024 – A public wake and a livestreamed memorial service for renowned Napa Valley vintner and philanthropist, Warren Winiarski, have been announced for this week.
The Winiarski family invites the community to a wake at Mont La Salle Chapel, 4401 Redwood Road, Napa, California on Wednesday, June 26th from 3:30 – 7:30 p.m.
A private memorial service for Winiarski will be livestreamed for public viewing beginning at 11 a.m. on Thursday, June 27th. To join the memorial service virtually, please click here.
Winiarski, co-founder with his wife Barbara of the famed Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars, passed away June 7, 2024, as he was preparing for his 60th harvest in the Napa Valley. He died, peacefully at home, at the age of 95.
The Winiarski family looks forward to a welcoming and joyous celebration of life for Warren and Barbara Winiarski in the coming months. In lieu of flowers, the Winiarski family suggests donations to any of the following organizations:
- Land Trust of Napa County
- Napa Wildlife Rescue
- Napa Emergency Women’s Services
- Olé Health (formerly Clinic Olé)
- Providence Hospice
- Save Napa Valley Foundation
“What we leave behind is not only what is engraved in stone monuments but what is planted in the hearts of others.” Pericles
About Warren Winiarski
Warren Winiarski came to Napa Valley in 1963. He was a grape grower, winemaker and philanthropist, preparing for his 60th harvest upon his death on June 7, 2024. His Arcadia Vineyard in the Coombsville AVA of Napa Valley is planted to Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. He planted his first Cabernet Sauvignon vineyard in 1970 and established Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars with his wife, Barbara, and their three children. A longtime advocate of Napa Valley land preservation, Mr. Winiarski has backed legislation over the past 50 years to protect agricultural and open space for future generations. He has donated six conservation easements to the Land Trust of Napa County, protecting almost 200 acres of wild land and vineyards in perpetuity. His was the first producing vineyard ever donated, protecting the site of the Paris Tasting grapes. He is an avid supporter of the Smithsonian National Museum of American History’s American wine programs and has established funds to support the UC Davis Library’s collections of prominent wine writers’ manuscripts and papers. Also at UC Davis, Mr. Winiarski has funded the research to update the Amerine-Winkler Index to help winegrowers meet the challenges of climate change. Mr. Winiarski is a Napa Valley winemaking icon with a profound legacy which commenced in 1976 when his 1973 Cabernet Sauvignon – his first commercial release – won the “Judgment of Paris” tasting. The triumph helped establish Napa Valley as one of the world’s premier winegrowing regions.
