I was at the Chelsea Wine Vault in Manhattan at 7pm and I heard that Robert Mondavi just passed away. Got home, googled and alas it is true.

The Man was a legend and the US wine industry owes so much to him. He passed away in his home in Yountville, apparently peacefully. For those who are not aware, he turned the California wine industry from cheap jug wines to the highly prized jewels that we drink today.

I hope everyone takes a minute or two to pay their respects to the man that made the US wine industry. It took quite a while for wine to become popular in the US. The majority of people (40) don't even drink. It's kinda crazy since the majority of the people in the states are of European descent where wine was a very common beverage. When the settlers first came here, they were stoked that they found grape vines growing wild. However , when they tried to make wine it wasn't so good. They went ahead and started bringing in grapes from Europe, this did not work. The grapes produced really bad wine, the majority could not whitstand the diseases of the US, and Europe's wine remained the choice for grape worshippers. 

Spanish religion and the gold rush pushed wine consumption to its maximum and then Europe got in trouble, Phylloxera (a destroyer of vines) struck Europe and California was a player once again in the grape business. As soon as we started flourishing, Phylloxera hit the US and really set California back. 

13 years of prohibition in the early 1900's really hurt the industry. A few wineries survived by making medicinal and sacramental wine (think of Sebastiani who has lasted 104 years). During this time, wine took a step back to spirits such as bathtub gin, which was easier to produce. Thousands of vines were torn and destroyed and by the time we got back to making wines, we were doomed to years of jugs and cheap generic wines. 

It took Mondavi to really change the industry. He had a falling out with his brother (there was even a now famed fist fight) and he broke away from the family business to create a new industry. Mondavi began using techniques like French oak ageing and put his wines up against the best in France. As we say in Latin America, the man had cojones. 

In the late 70's his wines were recognized as better than some of the best French VT's and now people from all over the world come to the US to taste our Zinfandels, Cabernets, Fume (Sauvignon) Blancs and Chardonnays.

In 2003 I visited Mondavi's place in Napa. It was one of the first wineries I got to experience in tis fullness. Our guide, a gorgeous silver haired woman, gave us a tour of the old Spanish Finca and we were lucky enough to get a taste of their private selection fume blanc (aka sauvignon blanc). That wine should be had, preferably when the sunlight glistens through the cracks of old Spanish wooden doors, 9 foot high in the company of Napa Valley. I suddenly understood the spirit that was this land. Thank you Mr. Mondavi.