“We’ve had phylloxera, Prohibition, and the Depression, but we’ve never had a World War coming through our vineyards like our partner families in Europe. But we’ve been spoiled in the United States,” Mondavi acknowledges. ![]() When my grandfather saw that households were permitted to make 200 gallons of wine per year, he moved his family from Minnesota to California to sell grapes and winemaking supplies. “My family got into the wine business during Prohibition. Mondavi feels family values are vital to entrepreneurship, which sometimes arises from adversity. Now my son takes his little boys into the vineyard to teach them the finer points of these beautiful aromas and textures such as the scent of grape juice, which gives them the opportunity to be far better winemakers than my generation.” The Roots of Entrepreneurship “When I was a child, boys played with their Tonka trucks and girls learned about delicate things like fragrance,” Mondavi recalls, “and because of that, I think women develop better palates than men. In his multigenerational family, Mondavi also learns from his children and grandchildren, most recently the importance of traditionally female skills. Don’t always be asking for the order.’ That made me realize the importance of showing respect for your associates,” which seems to happen so rarely that once, on telling a store owner it was Michael Mondavi phoning simply to say thanks, the shopkeeper replied, “Yeah, right!” and hung up, certain it was a prank. “After hearing my accomplishments from a business trip, she said: ‘Michael, you need to make time to tell people thank you. One of Mondavi’s most important business lessons was imparted by his mother decades ago. In our family, the men may have contributed the drive, the experience, the energy,” Mondavi allows, “but the values that we hold sacred, I think those came from the mothers, the grandmothers, the aunts.” “People talk about the father of a company, and once it was almost always a male. The Womenįor Mondavi, the most powerful source of these family values is women. After spending several days with Baron Ricasoli immersed in the vineyards flanking their captivating 11th Century Brolio Castle, the Baron shared thoughts on his legacy: His skills as a winemaker, he felt, were less important than being remembered with respect by future generations. Mondavi sees similar ethics in the newest Folio Italian partner, the Ricasoli family, a noble clan credited with creating the first Chianti Classico, whose regional roots reach back 32 generations. “Not one bottle of wine was produced from that vineyard,” Mondavi declares, “which was our family’s decision.” She can give us an excellent year or she can give us wildfires, which hit our flagship vineyard last year.” While Mondavi feels a less personal company might try to salvage some grapes to maximize profits, he chose to declassify the entire harvest. ![]() “In the wine business,” Mondavi admits, “Mother Nature is the boss. “We want to be proud of every bottle we produce,” Mondavi states, since a family company like Folio represents both its forebears and the generations that come after. Decorative Wine Racks & Modular Systemsįor Michael Mondavi, third generation winemaker and founder of Folio Fine Wine Partners, there’s an ingredient just as crucial as grapes, weather, and a trained palate in creating fine wine: Family Values.
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