‘You Keep Turning The Switches, and Eventually, You Get Something You Really Love,’ Says Tom Klein, Proprietor, Rodney Strong Wine Estates, American Wine Legend | Wine Enthusiast’s 2024 Wine Star Awards
For Tom Klein, who has helped build a sustainable future, success in the wine industry comes down to good dirt and investing in people. Tom Klein isn’t the sort of guy to brag about his accomplishments. He likes to get his boots dirty. Raised in his family’s agricultural business, Klein harvested produce, drove trucks and did whatever else was needed before heading off to Stanford for college and business school. The Klein family had been farming in California for almost a century when Tom Klein returned to the family business and led the family’s acquisition of Rodney Strong , the historic and well-regarded winery in 1989. Namesake Rod Strong was an innovator in his own right, but Klein brought an unwavering commitment to quality and a keen business sense that allowed him to elevate the profile of Rodney Strong to an international scale that now includes the acclaimed brands Davis Bynum, Rowen Wine Company and Knotty Vines. Almost immediately after assuming control, Klein identifie