Who's Who

Our wine-making team,Zelma Long, Sandi Belcher and Bob Long, has been together for 20 years.
Photo:Kate Kline May

Long Vineyards Principals

Bob Long	Zelma Long	Sandi Belcher
	Pat Perini Long

Long Vineyards was created in 1977 by Bob Long and Zelma Long when they were married. As co-owners, they each continue to play a critical role in the winery and vineyard operation. Bob is president and manager. Zelma is architect of the wine-making process, and their spouses play important roles as well. Pat Perini Long heads the public relations and marketing effort.

Bob Long is president and manager of Long Vineyards. Under his active direction, Long Vineyards has grown from an 800-case winery in 1977, making only Chardonnay and Johannisberg Riesling, to a 4000-case winery, also making small, premium quality lots of Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Grigio and Sangiovese. His creative, innovative and personable hands-on approach to winery operations and marketing, combined with thorough research and careful planning, has established Long Vineyards as a very successful ultra-premium quality winery with highly sought-after wines.

Bob's interest in grape growing and wine making began in 1966 when his family purchased 120 acres on Prichard Hill above Lake Hennessey in the Napa Valley. His foresight and participation in the layout and planting of the vineyards led to the establishment of Long Vineyards winery in 1977 with Zelma Long, when they were married.

A dedicated leader in the wine industry, Bob has served as President of the Upper Napa Valley Associates, on the Board of Directors of Napa Valley Vintners Association, was a founding member and President of the Cabernet Society, and also was a founding member and on the Board of Directors of Family Winemakers of California.

Born in San Francisco and raised in Berkeley, California, Bob attended local schools and was graduated in 1962 from the University of California, Berkeley, with a B.S. degree in Business Administration and Anthropology. After a four-year career in real estate banking, he moved to the Napa Valley and went into property management before shifting his full-time career to management of Long Vineyards.

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Zelma Long, the architect of Long Vineyards wine-making process, has a wine career in Napa/Sonoma spanning nearly 30 years. Since Long Vineyards' establishment in 1977, Zelma has designed the wine-making process, guided the finishing and blending of the wines and, with her business partner Robert Long, set the long-range course of Long Vineyards.

Chief Enologist at Robert Mondavi through the decade of the 1970s, Zelma moved on in 1979 to Simi Winery and became Vice President/Winemaker. There she revitalized the 100-year old winery and its wines, became President in 1989, C.E.O. in 1990, and later Executive Vice President of Chandon Estates.

Currently, in addition to Long Vineyards, Zelma and her husband, Phillip Freese, are producing wine in Germany and South Africa under the Zelphi label.

Regarded as one of the early technical leaders in winemaking, Zelma has received national and international awards, including The James Beard Hall of Fame (1996) and The James Beard Wine and Spirits Professional of the Year (1997). Throughout her career she has held leadership positions in wine industry organizations, most recently the American Vineyard Association, and has maintained a consistent and high level of activity on behalf of U.C. Davis.

Born and raised in The Dalles, Oregon, Zelma was graduated from Oregon State University, completed an internship at the U.C. San Francisco, Medical Center, followed by a brief career as a dietician. Her interest in winemaking was stirred by the Long family's 1966 purchase of their Napa hillside vineyard. She subsequently studied enology and viticulture in the Master's Degree program at U.C. Davis.

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Sandi Belcher is responsible for the day-to-day winemaking operation of Long Vineyards, managing the cellar and implementing the wine making under Bob and Zelma's guidance. Since coming to Long in 1979, she has contributed in many and diverse areas in the winery, in customer service and hospitality and, overall, as Bob Long's "right hand."

Sandi came to Napa Valley in the early 1970s from the College of William and Mary to continue her education at U.C. Davis. Before joining Long, she apprenticed at Chateau Montelena, Freemark Abbey and Heitz Cellars. Sandi and her partner, John Arns, produce a highly-regarded Howell Mountain Cabernet under the label Arns Cellars Winery.

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In a 30-year career, Pat Perini Long has produced many award-winning PBS programs on the arts, humanities, public affairs, business and health. Currently Pat balances her time between Long Vineyards marketing & public relations, television & video production, and community service. She sits on the boards of Community Health Clinic Olé, the Napa Valley Opera House Theatre, and Music In The Vineyards. She is producer of Coming of Age: Napa Valley, a 13-minute film for COPIA-The American Center for Wine, Food & the Arts. She holds a B.A from The University of Texas in Austin and a Master's Degree from Johns Hopkins University.

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