Ever since I could remember anything in life, Burt Williams was there. He was essentially my second father, especially after my dad, Chris Whitcraft, passed away in 2014. A giant of a man in every way, Burt made wines for Williams Selyem Winery, which he founded in 1979, that set a bar far above anything that’s been achieved since. His fingers were thick as sausages and his shoulders were wide as a truck, but the biggest part about him was his generous heart.
A father to many and a friend to even more, Burt, who died at age 79 from complications related to Parkinson’s disease on December 11, 2019, was the direct but often unknowing mentor to an entire generation of winemakers. Born in San Francisco on October 1, 1940, Burt was raised in that city and attended Sacred Heart Catholic School. He met his first wife, Jan, at just 15 years old; they married at 18 and remained that way for 56 years, until Jan died in 2011.
Before making wine, Burt was a printer for a few small papers and then eventually for the San Francisco Chronicle. Burt and Jim bought a house in Forestville in 1962 but lived in San Francisco until 1968. Their three children, Katie, Margie, and Fred, were all the spitting image of either Burt or Jan. Fred was on his way to becoming a legendary winemaker himself but passed away after a tragic accident in 2003, just 38 years old. So, while Burt did live a charmed life, he also suffered the gut-wrenching losses of his son and wife far too soon. I’m thankful that Katie and Margie, also a winemaker, are great women who will carry on his spirit in their laughter and stories.
