A man with a vision Alto Vineyards founder, wine industry pioneer Guy Renzaglia remembered

Thanks to the vision of Guy Renzaglia, several visitors to Alto Pass were able to stop and enjoy a glass of wine last Saturday morning.

The visitors had stopped at the Alto Vineyards winery in the Union County village on a bright and sunny November morning.

They were able to visit a local winery because Mr. Renzaglia's dream came to fruition in the form of Union County's first winery.

Guy Renzaglia died early Wednesday morning, Nov. 4, at this home in Mahomet. He was 92.

Mr. Renzaglia is survived by his wife of 63 years, Betty; his children, Gary (Sandy Hughes and daughter Julia), Adelle (Jim Dubnicek and daughters Lindsay and Lauren and son Ryan), Paul (Katrina and daughters Elissa, Rhiana, Kara and Anna), Karen (Wayne Womac and sons Miguel and Andres), Mark (Sandy Dengate and sons Sam and Paul), Danny (Debbie and daughters Elizabeth and Catherine and son Joey), and Mary Jo (Jim Weir and sons Alec and Jack and daughter Carlee); and one great-grandchild, Rylan.

His family and friends this week are recalling Mr. Renzaglia's legacy – a legacy which "reaches across the region and into the far reaches of the country."

He has been praised as a pioneer and visionary by many people who knew him.

Visitation for Mr. Renzaglia is planned from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday, today, at Crain Pleasant Grove-Murdale Funeral Home on Old Route 13W between Carbondale and Murphysboro.

A funeral Mass is planned at 11 a.m. Friday, Nov. 12, at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Carbondale. A reception will follow at the church.

Mr. Renzaglia was born in 1918 in Minnesota. He earned bachelor's degrees and master's degree in physical education, and then received a Ph.D. in counseling psychology.

During World War II, he served as a commissioned officer in the Army Air Corps. His service in the military took him to North Africa and Italy.

In 1955, he was offered a position in the psychology department at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. Mr. Renzaglia and his young family moved to Carbondale, where he remained for more than 50 years.

His family recalled that "Guy's vision of providing support to underserved persons came to fruition at SIUC." He developed the Rehabilitation Insitute at the university "and helped equip the campus for the disabled, making SIUC one of the few universities in the country to provide services for the blind, deaf and persons using wheelchairs."

After he retired at the age of 60, Mr. Renzaglia pursued a lifelong dream: starting a vineyard and winery, which eventually became known as Alto Vineyards.

A small winery, the first in Southern Illinois, was built in Alto Pass. The winery opened its doors on a cold winter's day. The inventory sold out in two days.

Mr. Renzaglia would turn to his son, Paul, to become the wine maker at Alto Vineyards. Guy maintained the vineyard and acted as chief executive officer in a prosperous relationship.

Under his leadership, the Illinois Grape Growers' Assocation was established, as were the Illinois Wine Council and the Shawnee Hills Wine Trail. Mr. Renzaglia served as the first president of the Illinois Grape Growers' Association.

Guy Renzaglia was honored in July during a "Lunch with the Best" program hosted by Shawnee Community College and Reppert Publications.

Mr. Renzaglia was presented with a lifetime achievement award at the Lunch with the Best. He received a standing ovation from the more than 200 people in attendance at the event.

Tim Waller, the owner of Inheritance Valley Vineyards in Union County, praised Mr. Renzaglia's contributions to both the wine industry and tourism in Southern Illinois.

Early this year, the Illinois Small Business Development Center at Southern Illinois University Carbondale nominated Alto Vineyards Ltd., with Paul A. Renzaglia as winemaker and general manager, for the Jeffrey Butland Family Owned Small Business Award from the Small Business Administration.

The award goes to a family owned business with ownership passing from one generation to another as the company logs at least 15 years of successful operation.

The Illinois SBA presents the Jeffrey Butland Family Owned Small Business award and other small business recognitions during ceremonies each spring in Chicago.

“Alto Vineyards Ltd. is one of the true business jewels of Southern Illinois,” said Lynn Andersen Lindberg, director of the Illinois Small Business Development Center and director of manufacturing enterprise development and business innovation at SIUC at the time the nomination was announced.

“I have had the pleasure of knowing for many years the Renzaglia family, who are the heart of Alto Vineyards, and I’ve had the opportunity to watch the company grow from one man’s dream to the foundation business of a tourism industry that reaches across Southern Illinois and throughout the State of Illinois. The development and success of Alto Vineyards truly exemplifies the importance of family owned businesses in the spirit of former SBA New England regional administrator Jeffrey Butland, to the Illinois and U.S. economies.”

Guy Renzaglia founded the winery in 1984. Working in viticulture is a family tradition tracing its roots to a small seaside village in Italy. Alto Vineyards produced its first wine in 1988.

The company sold out its first 1,200 gallons of wine in just one weekend.

The vineyard now employs 14 with annual sales topping $1 million. It became a third-generation business in 2003 with the addition of Elissa Hopkins-Renzaglia to the management team. Alto Vineyards now bottles about 30,000 gallons of wine each year.

Current general manager, president and winemaker Paul Renzaglia has twice been Illinois Winemaker of the Year.

Alto Vineyards currently produces 21 different types of wine.

Located on a 50-acre plot along Illinois Route 127, the vineyard includes acres of grape vines along with bottling and production facilities, coolers and storage rooms, a retail sales and wine tasting room, company offices and a large, open air locale for special events.

Alto Vineyards has received more than 750 national and international wine competition awards.

In addition, Guy Renzaglia was in 2004 the first recipient of the Guy Renzaglia Industry Achievement Award from the Illinois Grape Grower’s and Vintner’s Association, an award created to recognize longtime service in the industry. Paul Renzaglia won the same award in 2009.

“What makes Alto Vineyards special is not just its success as a small, family owned business. It is the support that they have given to other businesses throughout Southern Illinois,” Andersen Lindberg said.

She noted that the winery has loaned equipment, provided storage, and even sprayed crops for other vineyards while also giving generously to the community and the region’s people and organizations.

“I am hard-pressed to think of another family owned business in Illinois that has become such a vital member of a rural economy and is more deserving of this award than Paul Renzaglia and Alto Vineyards,” SIU president Glenn Poshard said in his letter of recommendation for the award.

(Mr. Renzaglia's complete obituary can be found elsewhere in Section A in this week's paper.)