(The third installment in a series of interviews with
notable figures in the wine industry)
I interviewed Margrit Mondavi on March 15, 2012 in the
beautiful Vineyard Room at the Robert Mondavi Winery. I was joined by her old friend and colleague,
Harvey Posert. It was a pleasure to
share an excellent lunch with the two of them.
In true Mondavi fashion the lunch was artfully paired with signature
Robert Mondavi wines. Overlooking the
beautiful spring vineyards, I learned a lot about Margrit, with the most
important things being that she is a charming hostess and an engaging person. During lunch Margrit reminisced about her
past, and brought me up to speed on how she ended up where she is today. There are plenty of things published about
Margrit Mondavi and the Mondavi family, but here are her thoughts on how she
found herself in the wine industry and what she learned along the way.
What did you want
to be when you grew up? Growing up in Switzerland when I did [before
and during World War II] there were few options for a woman outside of getting
married or being a teacher. I thought
about becoming a doctor and went to a clinic with a family friend who was a
woman doctor but realized it wasn’t really what I wanted. I knew I wasn’t interested in the prospect of
being a secretary or a nurse, so I was planning to be a teacher. I also took lots of art classes because it
was something I was interested in.
What encouragement
did you get from family, teachers, or others?
I think my family knew we all
had dreams; mine involved drawing and painting.
I immersed myself in art, but there was always the reality that you had
to make a life and find a way to support yourself. When my soon-to-be first husband expressed
his wishes to marry me, my family encouraged it. As he was an American, my mother had visions
of Hollywood. My father had more
worrisome visions, but allowed me to be married.
Margrit married an army officer, and after their wedding
they moved several times for his assignments.
After World War II they moved to the US.
Their first assignment was in South Dakota, quite a shock for
Margrit. Every couple of years the
couple, and soon their young family, would move to a new destination. They lived all over the globe, including
several spots in the US and in Okinawa.
Margrit was busy raising her children but was always very involved in
cultural and community projects wherever she found herself.
What drew you to
the wine industry and your role? When my children were teenagers, they wanted
to stay in the US, and asked us to find a place and stay there. We had friends from South Dakota who had
moved to Napa, so on a spring weekend we visited them. It was such a beautiful place and having
friends there was so nice. Our friends
found us a house to rent and we moved to Napa in 1960. Living in Napa Valley, I got involved with a
young music group through the children’s school and started getting active in
the community. With the wineries all
around, I started learning about wine and just got so passionate about it,
learning all I could about it.
Margrit started working at the Charles Krug winery, and
then later went to work at the new Robert Mondavi Winery. At the new site she took on the marketing and
public relations position. In 1980 she
and Robert Mondavi married, and she continued to be a major contributor to the
winery, to its art and culture programs and to the wine industry.
What helped you
accomplish what you did? My forte was really that I spoke 6
languages. Bob’s mom only talked
Italian, and when I worked at Charles Krug she always came out to talk to
me. It was so nice for her and for me to
be able to talk. I also got to meet some
interesting people because of my language skills since I was the only person
around the winery who could lead them on a tour and understand their questions
and answer them.
What mentors did
you have in your life?
Robert Mondavi: My
biggest mentor was Bob. He supported me
completely. He was also the big love of
my life. He was such a believer in ideas,
and when he would hear of an idea would often say “Don’t talk about it, do it!” Bob supported me 100%. Bob was also very focused--to make the best
wine. He was on a mission. When he met me he realized he was missing out
on some things by being so single-minded.
I took him to his first opera, schlepped him to museums. We found each other at the right time in
life.
Mr Griswold: Mr. Griswold was also a huge supporter;
helping me figure out what I needed to do and helping me accomplish it.
Harvey Posert: Harvey was also a great friend and supporter,
helping get so many ideas off the ground and supporting Bob’s vision for the
winery.
Did you have any
protégés? I learned from all the people that I worked with and maybe they learned
a little bit from me too.
Is there any advice
you would like to have given yourself years ago: That
is very hard to say. When I grew up
everything was so restricted due to the war.
Women had been able to move around before the borders [of Switzerland] closed,
but after they closed, women could not leave.
Women were completely isolated until the borders opened. I took the path of least resistance by marrying
a young US Army officer whom I happened to like.
What changes in
the wine industry have you experienced? Women
are so much better represented in the wine industry than before. I was the first female to give wine tours at
Charles Krug. Early on, women were in
administration and in the lab. Now women
are in positions throughout the wine industry, including some women winemakers
and winery owners, whom I am so proud of.
A change that I am sorry to see is that Robert Mondavi Winery sold, but
the organization became too big. We had
joint ventures in Italy, France, Chile, Australia, etc. and we had to sell. I would have liked the family to retain
ownership of Robert Mondavi Winery.
What was it like
to be a woman in the role? In the wine
industry? In Napa? It
was hard. I was the only woman in
situations often, and I had to be smarter, better, funnier, nicer than everyone
else. I read everything I could get my
hands on and tried to learn everything.
When I took on the PR role I had to overcome a lot of people’s doubts. I worked hard to prove I could do it.
Are there any mistakes
you made or lessons learned that you would like to share? I
wish I had gotten a formal education in public relations. I worked at Robert Mondavi Winery in a
marketing and PR role, but it was something I learned as I went along. It would have been a good idea to get some
education in that area to be more effective.
Bob Mondavi was a great supporter, and when I expressed my doubts in
taking on the role at the winery he said “Who is really qualified?”
How could you have
been more successful? (Laughing) I don’t want to be successful. I don’t feel successful. I am humble about everything that has
happened to me and very thankful.
What advice do you
give your children, grandchildren, and other family members about their
careers? I think you give your
children and family members advice during their development. Some kids have ideas and some flop around for
a while. I want them to know I will
support them in anything they want to do, and that they are also wise enough
not to make irreparable mistakes.
During her legendary life Margrit has been a hostess and
a guest at some wonderful and memorable events.
I posed the following question to her: What event stands out in your memory the most? I think the partnership with Baron Philippe de Rothschild was a great
collaboration. During the end of the
Baron’s life we were involved in Opus One, and put on so many big events. Here were two people, Bob and Philippe, who
came from completely different worlds and shared a great passion for wine. They were truly joint partners in the
project, and got along very well. Toward
the end of the Baron’s life he would mostly only speak in French, and with my
French I was his translator, and sometimes, confidante.
After our interview Margrit was off to host a charity
event in her home. Still going strong
and always supporting the wine industry and good causes, Margrit was a pleasure
to interview. In the Vineyard Room a new
art exhibit was being hung and Margrit took time to discuss the installation
and art with the staff. As I was leaving,
Margrit asked me what kind of wine I liked.
I had to say I really enjoyed the frozen Moscato d’Oro that we had just
had with our gingerbread cake. “Stop by
the tasting room and I’ll have some set aside for you.” What a treat.
This was the wine Robert and Margrit had first tasted frozen with Baron
Rothschild decades earlier, and is still a spectacular present. Thank you for your time, Margrit, your candid
thoughts, and the true hospitality.
Merci beaucoup, danke vielmals, arigato gozaimasu, grazie mille, muchas
gracias, thank you very much.
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