André Viktorovich Tchelistcheff (Russian: Андрей Викторович Челищев; December 7, 1901 – April 5, 1994) was America's most influential post-Prohibition winemaker.

Tchelistcheff studied at the military academy at Kiev, but returned to his family when they were forced to flee Moscow due to the Russian Revolution of 1917.

[1] In 1938, Beaulieu Vineyards (BV) founder and owner Georges de Latour visited France in search of a new winemaker who had a cosmopolitan and scientific background.

Tchelistcheff's impact at BV was immediate and profound: he concentrated his efforts on defining a style for high-quality California Cabernet Sauvignon, and created the "Georges de Latour Private Reserve" label.

The shift to using small American oak barrels took place after the US entered WWII, and became an accepted tradition at BV under Tchelistcheff and his successors until 1989.

He also gave winemaking advice to his nephew, Alex Golitzin who went on to found Quilceda Creek Winery in Snohomish, Washington with a singular focus on Cabernet Sauvignon.

A man of diminutive stature (4'11"), his quick wit, sharp intellect, and legendarily refined palate endeared him to three generations of California winemakers, who affectionately referred to him as the "Maestro."