I have been more than fortunate to be literally immersed in a world filled with inspiring people during my whole career. People that lift you and make you reach for ever higher goals. To be called inspirational is obviously an honor, but, in fact, it is far more humbling. To be inspiring you have had to be inspired. You stand on the shoulders of so many.

Needless to say, I was more than flattered and honored to be named to the “Wine’s Most Inspirational People 2021” list in their article:

Craig Camp: Leading the Way for Vineyard Rejuvenation from Conventional to Biodynamic Farming

I have been deeply involved in fine wine, both the business and making of it, for almost four decades. The people that have inspired me are too many to count, but I will name a few anyway.

Mentors like Becky Wasserman, Christopher Cannan, Neil and Maria Empson, Barry and Audrey Sterling, and Angelo Gaja introduced me to the wines of the world. Don Clemens and Scott Larsen first showed me how special a wine could be as they shared their best bottles with me. Then there are those inspirational people I grew alongside, winemakers like Tony Soter, Cathy Corison, Richard Sanford, Josh Jensen, Cecil DeLoach, Fred Fisher, Joy Sterling, Dick Ward, and David Graves, Manuel Marchetti, Andrea Sottimano, Tino Colla, Andrea Constanti and Dominque Lafon. Sharing their voyage, even in a small way, continues to inspire me every day.

Inspiration also comes from younger, energetic people who are making a new future in wine, many of whom I have had the honor to work alongside. Winemakers like Thomas Houseman, Jeff Keene, Tony Rynders, Nate Wall, and James Cahill, viticulturists like Jason Cole, and marketing and salespeople like Kim McLeod, Nadia Kinkade, Meg Ordaz, Nate Winters, and Ashley Wells. Then there is Paul Mabray, the pioneer that takes all the arrows while driving winery marketing technology forward for the entire industry.

Inspiration is a continuum. One cannot inspire without being inspired. It is a debt that can only be repaid by paying it forward. The most inspiring people don't set out to be inspiring. They just show up every day and do the work. That's the most inspiring thing of all.