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.

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.

47.6 linear feet.

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Collection is open for research.