In addition to his award-winning wines, Wagner also established a microbrewery that produced pilsner, lager, ale and stout.
Both his parents and grandparents had been grape farmers, and he grew up in Lodi, New York, only one-half mile from where he established his vineyards.
[1] He became a dairy farmer after completing his military service, but by the mid-1950s he had returned to the family tradition of growing grapes.
[2] In the 1990s, Wagner had worked on a study with researchers from Cornell University measuring the levels of resveratrol in the wine and printed on neck tags to let buyers know about the positives of consuming the wine and its antioxidants, but federal authorities revoked the winery's ability to identify possible health benefits.
[1] Wagner credited his longevity to his consumption of a glass of his own Pinot Noir every night at dinner, continuing to note that "I exercise and eat right, too.