The House of Mondavi: The Rise and Fall of an American Wine Dynasty by Julia Flynn Siler

Since my local library does not carry Robert Mondavi’s 1998 autobiography Harvests of Joy: How the Good Life Became Great Business, I read The House of Mondavi: The Rise and Fall of an American Wine Dynasty by Julia Flynn Siler (published in 2007) instead.

The story of the Mondavis is quite captivating. The competitiveness of the brothers (Peter and Robert, and then Michael and Timothy) and the resulting heartbreak and destruction of the family businesses felt like a soap opera.

Overall, I was satisfied with the book though I wish Siler had written more about Peter Mondavi after the split with Robert Mondavi. I would have also liked to have learned more about Charles Krug and other vinters -- even the Franzia Brothers and their success with Charles Shaw / "Two Buck Chuck."

Also, I was expecting to learn about wine from this book and while it does teach readers a bit about the process (barreling, pomace, etc.) it really focuses almost exclusively on Robert Mondavi's rise to power and subsequent sale to Constellation Brands.

Still, definitely worth reading for those interested in learning about Napa Valley wine history!

Harvests of Joy by Robert Mondavi

I just read the Associated Press obituary "Winemaker Robert Mondavi Dead at 94" just published in the New York Times. I had heard of Mondavi wine but didn't know the story behind the company and I didn't even know that Mondavi was largely responsible for the success of California wine.

I still don't know much (just what was printed in the article) but I tried to put a hold on Mondavi's 1998 autobiography Harvests of Joy: How the Good Life Became Great Business at my local library.

Anyway, I looked up the New York Times review of Harvests of Joy ("Stomp" by Ted Loos) and it's not exactly a glowing commentary...

Still, Mondavi sounds like an interesting man and I appreciate that (according to the AP obituary) he was aware of and forthcoming about the mistakes (personal and professional) he made during his successful journey as a winemaker.

Click here to read an excerpt of Harvests of Joy from NYTimes.com.

Unfortunately my local library does not carry it so I may have to settle for The House of Mondavi: The Rise and Fall of an American Wine Dynasty by Julia Flynn Siler (published in 2007) or go out and purchase a copy of Harvests of Joy.

At least the New York Times review of The House of Mondavi ("Grapes and Power: A Mondavi Melodrama" by Eric Asimov) sounds more promising -- though perhaps too :)

Click here to read more about The House of Mondavi from the author's website.