He has been called "The Father of Pinot Grigio" for his early role in bringing the now-ubiquitous varietal to the American market in the late 1970s when it was practically unknown outside Europe.
[1] He has been credited as a key figure in the shift in American wine tastes from "mass-produced, sweet, fortified jug wines ... to the likes of classified-growth Bordeaux, top Italian estates, and the best wineries in California that are enjoyed by many today.
[3] In 1956, Terlato joined his father-in-law’s wine-bottling firm, Pacific Wine Company.
He soon established relationships with Alexis Lichine and Frank Schoonmaker – two pioneer importers.
[7] In the course of his career, Terlato was exposed to and/or befriended many of the wine and food industry’s notable participants and innovators, including winemakers Baron Phillippe de Rothschild and his daughter Baroness Philippine de Rothschild, Christian Moueix, Jean Michel Cazes, Angelo Gaja, Michel Chapoutier, Michael Twelftree and Robert Mondavi and chef/restaurateurs Julia Child, Jean Joho, Charlie Trotter and Lidia Bastianich.