Like a fine wine, Mondavi has only gotten better with age. And as the pioneering Napa Valley winery celebrates 50 years, it also looks back on the life and vision of its founder, Robert Mondavi, who passed away in 2008.
As I wrote in my editor’s picks in VITA this month, Mondavi and his wife, Margrit were key figures in the rise of California wine and wine tourism, and formed a passionate link between food, art, travel, music and the pleasures of the vine. Music was especially dear to the duo. In fact, there’s a seminal anecdote about the time Robert Mondavi comissioned a new piece of music to honour the opening of the To Kalon Cellar, and, the evening of the performance, Robert took the occasion one step further and picked up the baton to conduct the orchestra himself.
To celebrate his artistic legacy, and his years conducting his wines to stand amongst California’s finest, Mondavi has a special 50th anniversary playlist up on its site, which takes its listeners through the vast array of artists who have performed at the winery’s annual Summer Music Festival since 1969, from Ella Fitzgerald and Tony Bennett to Blondie and UB40.
It fits perfectly with our theme this month of rock stars, rock star wines and how music often complements the other creative pursuits we so admire. The playlist also naturally pairs well with Mondavi’s newly released 50th Anniversary 2013 Maestro Red Blend ($64, BCLiquorStores.com), a symphony of dark-skinned fruits, berries and warming spices like nutmeg and cardamom, which we’ll be sipping as we listen to "Autumn Leaves" by Pete Fountain and toast the changing seasons. —Kelsey Klassen
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