Born in Virginia, Minnesota, to parents who emigrated from the Marche region of Italy, Robert was greatly influenced by Old World traditions. "My passion for bringing wine into the American culture was motivated by a desire to plant deep into the soil of our young country the same values, traditions and daily pleasures that my mother and father had brought with them from central Italy: good food, good wine and love of family," said Robert. This passion sparked a revolution in the American food and wine experience.
A graduate of Stanford University in 1937 with a degree in economics and business administration, Robert understood that marketing was as critical as winemaking expertise in achieving success in the wine industry. Upon graduation, he joined his father at Sunnyhill Winery in St. Helena and later, after convincing his father to purchase the historic Charles Krug Winery, he upgraded the technology of the family enterprise, determined to raise quality.
Robert was guided by an inherent spirit of discovery, when in 1966 at age 53, he established the first major winery built in Napa Valley following the repeal of Prohibition in 1933. His goal was to combine European craft and tradition with the latest in American technology, management and marketing expertise.
To celebrate the pleasures of wine, food and the arts, Robert Mondavi Winery was built as an enduring landmark with a sense of California history as reflected in its mission-style architecture. In fostering a wine culture in America, tours and wine tastings were initiated to educate the American palate. Throughout more than three decades, Robert Mondavi Winery has provided the creative setting for jazz and classical concerts, art exhibits and culinary programs.
At Robert Mondavi Winery, in the late 1960s, Robert pioneered many fine winemaking techniques in California, including cold fermentation, stainless steel tanks and the use of French oak barrels. A sales and marketing leader, he was responsible for popularizing dry-fermented oak-aged Sauvignon Blanc as Fum� Blanc-a move now acknowledged as the catalyst for the recognition of this grape variety in America. Robert also initiated blind tastings in the Napa Valley, allowing consumers and the trade to evaluate wine quality.
The comprehensive wine and food program founded in the late 1960s has greatly evolved over the years. The Great Chefs program was established in 1976 as the first winery culinary program in the U.S. This program has featured such luminaries as Julia Child, Paul Bocuse, Alice Waters, Thomas Keller, Jean and Pierre Troisgros and Joel Robuchon.
During the latter half of the 1980s, Robert Mondavi launched The Mission Program to counteract the anti-alcohol campaign that was gathering force in America. �At Robert Mondavi Winery, we view wine as an integral part of our culture, heritage and the gracious way of life,� said Robert. The Mission Program educated media, trade and consumers about the health benefits of moderate wine consumption.
Robert has long believed that great wines should be recognized internationally. In the 1970s, Robert Mondavi Winery was among the first to export premium California wine. This international outlook also led to partnerships with prominent wine families of the world embracing the belief that great wines result from the quality of the soil, climate and the people who create them. The framework for these partnerships was initiated in 1979 with Baron Philippe de Rothschild.
�The idea was to take our different cultures and traditions, along with the best materials and know-how from Bordeaux and California, to create a wine with its own style, character and breeding,� said Robert. Opus One was the result of this partnership. More recently, this international outlook has led to alliances with the Frescobaldi family of Italy (Marchesi de� Frescobaldi), the Eduardo Chadwick family of Chile (Vi�a Err�zuriz) and the Oatley family of Australia (Southcorp/Rosemount Estate).
Robert now is immersed in his next great adventure as a major benefactor of cultural and educational institutions. Copia: The American Center for Wine, Food and the Arts, a world- class cultural center celebrating the bounty of the American table, opened in November 2001. Enhancing an already extraordinary contribution to California�s wine industry, Robert and his wife, Margrit, made a substantial personal gift in late 2001 to the University of California, Davis, to establish the Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science and to name the campus� new Center for Performing Arts. The Robert and Margrit Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts opened in October 2002.
An uncompromising perfectionist, Robert has been guided by the belief that, �If you wish to succeed, you must listen to yourself, to your own heart, and have the courage to go your own way.� The Robert Mondavi company continues to reflect this core philosophy of its founder. These and other lessons of his life are the subject of his autobiography, Harvests of Joy: My Passion for Excellence, published in 1998 by Harcourt Brace & Company.