 |
Robert Mondavi |
Robert Mondavi, the great Napa Valley icon, died peacefully at his
home in Yountville in Napa County on Friday at the age of 94.
Robert Mondavi
winery is owned by Constellation Brands, the biggest wine company in
the world in 2004 which bought it from the Mondavis for $1.3 billion,
with rights to all its labels.
Mondavi was always known for his generosity
and philanthropy. 'Robert was always guided by an inherent spirit of
discovery and the pursuit of excellence. In fact, he acted and thought
as if his winery were a university and he was a curious and passionate
professor. Mondavi shared his discoveries with everyone. His goal wasn't
simply to better the bottom line, but to pioneer the California wine-making
techniques that ultimately yielded worldwide recognition,' is how the
UC Davis paid tributes to the departed icon.
In 2001, Mondavi gave
$25 million to help establish the Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and
Food Science, which is scheduled to open in October, and $10 million
to help launch the Robert and Margrit Mondavi Center for the Performing
Arts, which opened in 2002 and is now a regional performing arts landmark.
He
was also a leading force in founding the Napa Valley Wine Auction (now
Auction Napa Valley) in 1981, which has since given back $78 million
to non-profits in Napa Valley and has become the model for charity wine
auctions.
His generosity was a theme throughout his life, not only in
how he shared his fortune, but in his vision, knowledge, optimism
and enthusiasm. He was helpful and generous to his competition also.
Several prominent winemakers got their start at Mondavi. The industry
has been heavily influenced by vineyard practices to marketing techniques
first effectively employed at Robert Mondavi Winery.
He was an enthusiastic
ambassador for wine, especially California wine, and travelled the world
till recently, promoting the health, cultural and social benefits of
its moderate consumption.
"It is hard to imagine anyone having more
of a lasting impact on California's $20 billion-a-year wine industry
than Robert Mondavi," says Gov. Arnold
Schwarzenegger. 'Mondavi was a tireless entrepreneur who transformed how the
world felt about California wine, and an unforgettable personality to everyone who knew him,' added the governor.
The Robert Mondavi Winery in Oakville
will remain closed until Monday to honour the memory of its founder.
Subhash Arora
|