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People love lists; they can be a great source of education and discussion. But making a list such as this is not an easy process. Who are the most influential wine people in the U.S., and how exactly do you define ‘influential?’ Does influential mean people who move markets, impact consumers, inspire winemakers, and create debate? In a word, yes. These 100 people, from winemakers to law makers, bankers to bloggers, and sommeliers to celebrities are definitely people who influence wine; how it is made, marketed, perceived, sold, shipped, purchased and shared.

As this is the first annual IntoWine.com list, we hope that it will help educate you about the wonderful world of wine right here in America. To help assemble this list we asked for suggestions from a lot of people, many of whom are named here, though they did not name themselves (well, OK, one guy did). We are grateful for all the help we received in compiling this. And we chose to release it today, January 29th, as it was on this day in 1919 when the lunatic policy of Prohibition was ratified on a national level. So to honor winemakers, wine drinkers and wine lovers of every conceivable demographic, we hope you use this list, comment on it, share it and learn from it, and continue  to enjoy being into wine!

100-Bill Knight: of The Wine House in Los Angeles opened his doors 35 years ago and has been a destination for savvy wine buyers ever since. Revenues hit $20 million in 2011 and 45% of their wine sales are California wines. Knight competes against the major U.S. retail chains in his market by focusing on service, and he eschews selling private labels or direct imports. To round out the customer experience they started Upstairs 2, a restaurant on the second floor with small plates and 50 wines by the glass. They continue wine classes, wine and food pairings, and winemakers dinners with tremendous success.

If there is one international name associated with Riesling it is Loosen. Ernst Loosen is the owner of Weingut Dr. Loosen, located in the Mosel wine region in Germany, a family winery dating back over 200 years. He has won accolades such as "Riesling of the Year" and “German Winemaker of the Year”, by the German wine press, and he was selected as "Man of the Year" by Decanter Magazine, and Wine & Spirits called him one of the “World’s 50 Most Influential Winemakers. In 1999 he launched a joint Riesling project with Chateau St. Michelle in Washington State, Eroica, which has helped ignite Riesling sales in the U.S.

You actually were heading into the archeology field. What prompted you to pursue winemaking as a career?

Well, I was studying archaeology at the University of Mainz, but I’m not so sure that I would ever have gone into it as a profession. At least, that’s what my brothers and sisters said when our father fell seriously ill and someone needed to take over the family wine estate. I was quite interested in Roman archaeology, especially since there is so much Roman history right here in the Mosel, but someone had to take on the winery or my mother was going to sell off the vineyards. My older siblings were already in careers, and the younger ones too young. So it was me or nobody. I certainly have no regrets, though. They were quite right that I really had no prospects in archaeology as a profession, and it was agreed that I would have full control of how the wine estate was managed. It had always been more of a hobby for my father and I wanted to do a better job with the great vineyards we had.

Wes Hagen assumed control of Clos Pepe Vineyards in Santa Barbara’s Santa Rita Hills in 1998, though it was first planted in 1994. This former English teacher brings an analytical and thoughtful approach to winemaking, specifically Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. He received his viticultural and winemaking training from the University of California at Davis extension program. His small lot production and strict allocation program have helped earn him 90+ point scores from Wine Spectator, Robert Parker and Decanter Magazine.

What prompted you to pursue winemaking as a career? If not winemaking, would you still be teaching English?

I was teaching college in Minnesota and it was very cold. I got a call from California that my Mom and Steve Pepe had purchased a horse ranch near Lompoc. I came back for Christmas, fell in love with the place, and left Minnesota immediately for the Pinot Promised Land.

In 1979 French Champagne house G.H. Mumm began its quest to find the ideal winegrowing area in the U.S. After a four year search the winery opened in 1986 in the Napa Valley. Armed with a thorough understanding of méthode champenoise production, Ludovic Dervin completed his winemaking studies in his native Champagne, France and worked harvests with Champagne houses Charles Heidseick, and G.H. Mumm, as well as California’s Piper Sonoma. Prior to joining Mumm Napa, Dervin polished his non-bubbly winemaking skills at Russian River wineries, Hartford Court, and Gary Farrell.