Terrence Clancy

Terrence Clancy was a renaissance man. Affable and engaging, he earned a master’s degree in English literature and took two years off mid-career to serve as a Peace Corps director in Palau. But he was also a master marketer who was a key figure in the development of the California wine industry from the 1960s to the 1980s.

Clancy's first wine job was in sales for Gallo, where he rose to vice president. He worked for several large wine and spirits corporations, eventually becoming president of Clos du Bois in 1988. A year later, he became CEO of the Wine Alliance, which included Clos du Bois, Atlas Peak, Callaway Vineyard and William Hill Winery. Focusing on bottled varietal wines at a time when that category was emerging, Clancy engineered dramatic growth for the company. He also pushed to reshape California lobbying group the Wine Institute, making it more responsive to small and mid-sized producers. Clancy died in 1994.