Customer Reviews

Harvests of Joy: How the Good Life Became Great Business

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This overview of Robert Mondavi's life's work was easy to read and educational. His passion for making excellent wine is conveyed throughout, and his perspective on Napa Valley's development provides an interesting snapshot of California history. The book is nicely typeset as well, making it easy to finish during a 4+ hour plane ride. Wine lovers will appreciate Robert Mondavi's continuing love, care, innovation and commitment to quality and continuous improvement of each wine.

Besides being a well written and interesting story to read, the fact that Mr. Mondavi started a new business adventure at the age of 52 is very inspirational to any entrepeneur.
His passion for high quality and his vision for the wine industry brought a new dimension to this activity, not only in the Napa Valley, but also, in far away places as Chile.
I enjoyed very much the reading and the honest advices that Mr. Mondavi gathered in 85 years.

This is a fascinating tell of Mr.Mondavi's first life and his second life.

His first life begins with his growing up on his family's vineyard. His second life, and where the real story begins, is his having to break away from the family, in his 40's, and start all over again from scratch.

Everyone knows Sam Walton's late entreperneurial start, more people should know Mr.Mondavi's story. By all accounts he was the father of the Napa Valley boom and every bit of the story is riveting.

I was thoroughly impressed by this work and learned a prime lesson on individuality. Mr.Mondavi had a dream that was counter to his family and he could do nothing but pursue it. He had to set the trend and he did. Wine lovers around the world should be grateful to him.

Thanks Mr.Mondavi, this book was really a Harvest of Joy.

With the passing of Robert Mondavi I felt compelled to learn more about the man who has done more for the credibility and quality of American wine than probably anyone else;no doubt he will tell you he has in this book. Besides, it was the perfect reading in the evening after a recent visit to Napa and Sonoma. That is another story. Anyway, the book does much more than examine his personal and families contributiuon to winemaking in America, it explains the early days in Napa and the energy that existed between various wineries as they expanded the American market from table wine to fine wine. The book reads like an epic story of one families rise to power and wealth in the wine business, with all the details of struggles and conflicts woven together to create world class wine. Granted Robert Mondavi does at times blow his own horn but he has a right to, he is responsible for creating the Robert Mondavi Winery after a bitter battle( he actully punched his brother) that had him essentially removed from the family businesss in the Charles Krug Winery. Families can be foes and the impetus for new beginnings. It is a remarkable story, how this man, with his old-Italian-roots and charisma, went around the world in praise of wine, specifically wine from the Napa Valley in California. The book explains his vision of world domination, merging talents with the great wine families of the world to create wine outside of California as well. Robert Mondavi's writing style reflects his enthusiasm. He loved wine, he literally ate and breathed every waking moment of life consumed with the wine busibness. Great men are possessed by a singular drive to be the best,in his case he wanted to produce the best wine. Along the way, in order to appease the business end of wine, it meant he had to create wine that was not of the highest quality(Woodridge) but a good "everyday" consumer wine. Than there is Opus One and the reserve wines from his To Kalon vineyard area; the top of the line of the the Mondavi wines. It is an easy to read biography, complete with two sections of photographs that bring the family and assorted characters to life. I for one applaud Mr. Mondavi for what he did in Napa and elsewhere. He was an ambassador for wine until the day he died. RIP Mr. Mondavi, your legacy lives on.

As a winemaker and business/marketing agent, Robert Mondavi reveals great creativity and passion but is not, however, very good at creative writing. Elementary admonitions to "show don't tell" when writing have evidentally missed Mondavi's ears, resulting in a rather flat, repetitive text. Nonetheless, readers who have visited Napa Valley, physically or mentally, and embraced the romanticism and beauty of the winemaking process, will plod through the uninspiring writing for the glimpses it provides of the history of one of the most beautiful places in our country and the secrets to Mondavi's unprecedented success. Mondavi's true passion for winemaking and marketing are more than evident; and he is honest about the negative effects his tunnel vision has had on family and personal life. His worldwide success speaks for itself and would probably not need quite the amount of repetitious acclaim he gives it. One wonders how much the versions of his successes would differ among his peers and competitors... it would seem that such drive and ambition would create animosity. For those of us considering investing in this, or other vineyards, the final chapters written by Robert's two sons, Tim and Mike, who now run the company, offers great insights into the Mondavi wineries' future plans and strategies for taking their family run business still further as an industry leader, as well as the current projects of the tireless founder, Robert Mondavi.

"Wine is Life". With this small but powerful quote from Petronius, Robert Mondavi begins a tale of himself that speaks to many of the virtues of being Italian: hard work, passion, and family. Mr. Mondavi spins for us a tale of his parents origins as poor Italian farm workers who came over to America in search of the Great Dream and how out of this dream he arose to create one of the most well known and respected wineries in the world today. He talks of how he took all of the principles he learned from his humble beginnings and transformed them into a business model, which has driven his passion for excellence and perfection. From the very beginning he had a vision - to make America stand as the best in the realm of fine wines. In this vision he ended succeeding a way he never dreamed. His book reads like a fine glass of Chianti - bit by bit you sip it and savor the flavor of each passing moment. He is an inspiration to all Italians and Italian Americans trying to succeed in the world of business today. A must read!

It takes vision, drive and passion to start a new company from ground zero at the age of 52. Robert Mondavi is inspiring and a visionary, a true asset of our times. One can feel the desire for excellence and the passion of Mondavi pouring out of the covers of this book. I couldn't put the book down, once finished I had to pass it on to other people. Its place is to be read, not on the shelf.

Its colorful, intriguing, and satisfying. I began reading it on a Sunday and I couldn't put it down, finishing it Monday morning. So much of what he says has direct relevance to life in general. Mr. Mondavi takes you through the good and the bad as he tries and succeeds at being "The Best." He's not afraid to admit his mistakes but best of all, he encourages us that its never to late to learn from them.

His upbringing, dedication to family, hard work, love of food, wine and the arts as well as an appreciation for what really "matters" all contribute to this fascinating book. What an inspiration! What a wonderful life!

Robert Mondavi's passion for excellence is the catalist that splits a family apart, builds an empire, and brings California wines the world wide recognition they deserve. He shares the many lessons he has learned about business and life. At 85 years young he continues to pursue his passion and enjoy the "Italian way" of life. Salute to a man who is "as good as gold"!

A must read book for anyone who not only has a "joie de vivre", but wishes to explore the foundation for truly appreciating the best. Mr Mondavi provides such insights in a most enjoyable and readable manner. Baccus himself would be delighted to read this book.