Barney Rhodes, one of the founding fathers of the Napa Valley wine industry has died aged 88.

Alfredo Vidaurre, who died last Thursday aged 65, was described as the financial brain behind Chile's Viña Montes.

Dennis T Collins, general manager of California's Treana Winery since 2002, has died of cancer aged 60.

In Napa Valley, where formality tends to be reserved for gala auctions and visiting dignitaries, Robert G Mondavi was and probably always will be referred to as ‘Mister'.

RW Apple Jr, the renowned New York Times correspondent whose talents included wine and food writing, has died aged 71.

Ernest Gallo, the sales and marketing wizard behind the curtain of California's giant E&J Gallo Winery, died in his Modesto home on 7 March, eleven days shy of his 98th birthday.

Norman de Leuze, founder of Napa Valley's ZD Wines died last week at the age of 75 following a long battle with cancer.

Erich Salomon, 64, a pioneering white-wine producer in Krems-Stein in the Kremstal region of Lower Austria, died on 2 December following a five-year struggle with cancer.

Trevor Drayton, who died yesterday, would often say, ‘I can't understand what all the fuss is about' when discussing wine industry issues at the many committee meetings he attended.

Jamie Davies, who died on Tuesday at the age of 73, was co-founder of Napa Valley's Schramsberg Vineyards and one of the first generation of true Napa pioneers.