Dolores Cakebread, who helped turn Napa Valley into a food and wine destination, dies at 90

Dolores Cakebread, the co-founder of Cakebread Cellars and one of the matriarchs of Napa Valley’s modern wine industry, died on Oct. 2 of natural causes. She was 90.
With her husband Jack, Cakebread established one of California’s most recognizable wine brands, which helped define the popularity of American Chardonnay in the 1980s. But Cakebread always believed that wine was best understood in the context of good food and warm hospitality. Through her culinary workshops, masterful gardening and health-focused cookbook, she helped establish Napa Valley as not only a destination for wine tasting but also for experiencing its unique lifestyle.
“She always had a smile on her face and was always full of energy,” said her son Dennis Cakebread. “I know she was grateful for the life she lived.”
Dolores Cakebread grew up in Oakland and met her future husband, Jack, while they were both students at Fremont High School. They