Description
The Robert G. Mondavi Papers document the life and work of California
winemaker and innovator Robert Mondavi (1913-2008). Mondavi was highly influential in redefining the
place of wine in American food culture and promoting California wines throughout the world. The
collection includes extensive correspondence from winemakers, family members, employees of the
Robert
Mondavi Winery
, and contacts worldwide. The collection also includes biographical material, his speeches
and travel files, and information on COPIA: The American Center for Wine, Food, and the Arts.
Background
Robert G. Mondavi (1913-2008) was a winemaker based in Napa Valley, California. He was one of the most
influential figures in the American wine world of the late twentieth century. Robert Mondavi was born in
Minnesota to Cesare and Rosa Mondavi, immigrants from the Marche region of Italy. He was one of four
siblings: two older sisters, Mary and Helen, and a younger brother, Peter. The family later moved to
Lodi, California, where all four Mondavi children attended Lodi High School. After high school, Robert
Mondavi went on to Stanford University, where he graduated in 1936 with a degree in economics and
business administration. After graduation from Stanford, Robert worked for a time at Sunny St. Helena
Winery (now Merryvale Vineyards), which his father Cesare had bought in 1935. In 1940,
Robert
Mondavi
married Marjorie Declusin; their children Robert Michael, Marcia, and Timothy were born in 1943, 1947,
and 1951.
Restrictions
All applicable copyrights for the collection are protected under chapter 17 of the U.S. Copyright Code.
Requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Head of
Special Collections. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the Regents of the University of
California as the owner of the physical items. It is not intended to include or imply permission of the
copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the researcher.