Robert T. Williams,69, vintner
HEALDSBURG, Calif. (AP) Robert Todd Williams, a Russian River vintner who founded Toad Hollow Vineyards and turned it into one of Sonoma County’s most recognizable wine labels, died Aug. 14. at Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital. He had suffered from a heart condition in recent years. He was 69.
Mr. Williams is the older brother of actor/comedian Robin Williams.
Mr. Williams, also known as “Dr. Toad,” partnered with vintner Rodney Strong to open Toad Hollow Vineyards in 1993 and turned the boutique winery into a major wine producer over the past 14 years. Its labels feature irreverent names and drawings of dapper toads and frogs.
Mr. Williams grew up in rural Versailles, Ky., and mixed drinks at more than a dozen different saloons, taverns, nightclubs and restaurants from Oklahoma to Chicago before getting into the wine business. In the 1980s, he started a marketing company called Hillside Estates to bring exposure to specialty wineries.
His mission was to strip away the mystique and make wine inclusive, said longtime friend Susie Selby, a winemaker and fellow winery owner.
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