Tinseltown legend turned winemaker Mark Tarlov dies

Hollywood producer and Oregon winery owner Mark Tarlov has died in New York aged 69.

As reported in Wine Spectator, Tarlov died at his home in New York on 31 July following a battle with cancer.

Renowned for producing films for iconic directors like John Carpenter and Sidney Lumet, Tarlov was born in the state of Connecticut, New England, in 1952.

Following his graduation from Columbia Law School, Tarlov cut his legal teeth as a prosecutor in Washington, D.C, before working for the US Department of Justice.

According to Wine Spectator, Tarlov decided to jump into film production in the early 1980s, producing an adaption of a Stephen King horror novel, Christine, for director John Carpenter.

Tarlov developed his passion for wine during his Hollywood days, eventually founding a winery called Evening Land in the state of Oregon.

As reported by Wine Spectator, Tarlov employed the services of Dominique Lafon to aid in crafting his inaugural estate-grown Pinot Noir.

Prior to this venture, the Hollywood producer started his foray into wine by purchasing grapes from Californian vineyards and offering leading restaurateurs custom bottlings, including Thomas Keller, Daniel Boulud and Alain Ducasse.

“He was brilliant and inspiring and a visionary,” Larry Stone, owner of Oregon winery Lingua Franca, told Wine Spectator.

“Mark had an amazing ability to reach out and connect with people of incredibly diverse background to create a unique ‘cast’ within the wine projects he was involved with,” added Isabelle Meunier, Evening Land’s first winemaker.

Following a bust-up with Evening Land’s investors, Tarlov parted company with his first domestic venture in 2012. However, he subsequently founded Oregon brand Chapter 24, hiring Burgundian stalwart Louis-Michel Liger-Belair as consultant. He is survived by his wife Judith.