Helen Benziger; Matriarch of Winemaking Family

Helen Williamson Benziger, 73, matriarch of the Sonoma County winemaking family that started the Glen Ellen Winery and the Benziger Family Winery. Benziger moved to California from New York with her husband, Bruno, and other family members in 1981 to start a winery. Bruno Benziger had run Park-Benziger, a respected importer and distributor of spirits founded by his father that was the first U.S. company to import bulk Scotch and blend it here. The elder Benzigers were lured West by their oldest son, Mike, who had bought a 100-acre ranch in Sonoma. and dreamed of opening a winery. Eventually, all seven Benziger children moved to California to join the family venture. By the late 1980s, Glen Ellen had become the largest winery in Sonoma County, with annual revenue of $135 million, by capitalizing on popular tastes for low-cost varietal wines. In 1993, the family sold Glen Ellen to Heublein for $80 million and concentrated on developing a lower-volume business of high quality wines through the Benziger Family Winery. Helen Benziger was manager of VIP services for the winery. On Tuesday of lung cancer.