Seasons of the Vineyard: A Year of Celebrations and Recipes from the Robert Mondavi Winery [Hardcover]

Robert Mondavi (Author), Carolyn Dille (Author), Margrit Biever Mondavi (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 17, 1996

Every year, hundreds of thousands of visitors from all over the world visit the Robert Mondavi Winery in California's Napa Valley for tours, tastings, concerts, festivals, and other culinary and cultural events. In "Seasons of the Vineyard." Robert and Margrit Biever Mondavi invite you to share the bounty of their table with more than 100 glorious dishes from the Mondavi family, the Vineyard Room chefs, and the great culinary talents who have cooked at the winery.

The Mondavis live the time-honored traditions that value family and community, with food and wine as partners that contribute to well-being and happiness. Their pleasure and their mission have been to deepen their own understanding of the food arts and to share their knowledge with as many people as possible.

The menus and more than 100 recipes in this book, beautifully illustrated by more than 75 photographs, are arranged according to season and use ingredients at the peak of their flavor. Any of the recipes in the book can be combined to create meals that suit you best, with the best ingredients that are available to you.

Whether you enjoy the lively Seared Sea Scallops with Citrus-Ginger Vinaigrette or homey Apple Tart with Almond Custard in the autumn, deeply flavorful Lamb Shanks with Red Wine and White Beans in the winter, spicy Hot Pineapple Curry and Yellow Rice in the spring, or the elegantly simple Fusilli with Vinegar-Marinated Zucchini in the summer, the food is sophisticated and utterly delicious.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In prose that echoes publicist's copy, Mondavi and Biever, his wife, aided by cookbook writer Dille, plug the Napa Valley and its wineries, particularly the gigantic Robert Mondavi Winery. Each of four sections-Autumn, Winter, Spring and Summer-opens with a third-person, personal, somewhat self-congratulatory essay ("Robert's and Margrit's early lives fostered an inclusive view of the relationships that make family"). Once they get by such flapdoodle, readers will find some tantalizing recipes, many of which-e.g., Moulard Duck Breast with Cabernet Thyme Sauce; Grilled Leg of Lamb with Pinot Noir Sauce; and Pine Nut and Basil-Crusted Salmon with Chardonnay Sauce-call, unsurprisingly, for wine. Scattered throughout are full menus. Classical Concert Lunch includes Dungeness Crab Cakes with Jalape?o Mayonnaise and Filet of Beef with Cabernet Sauvignon Sauce and Arugula Butter. Although tips for matching wines with food are helpful and individual recipes stand out, this volume seems aimed more at promoting a Mondavi-country gestalt than at extolling the foods that go with it. Author tour.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Vintner Mondavi believes in the "the good life," which to him encompasses the arts and literature, good food and wine, and, of course, family and friends. With his wife, Margrit Biever, and coauthor Carolyn Dille, he shares a year at his California winery, starting with the harvest season and the annual Blessing of the Grapes Lunch, moving on to Holiday Baking with the Children and then to an Art Reception at Wappo Hill and Lunch from the Farmer's Market. For each season, there are three complete menus, followed by additional recipes arranged by course: some are elegant, upscale dishes from the winery's chefs and visiting master chefs, others are simpler family dishes, including many from Mondavi's mother, Rosa, a memorable cook. The book is beautifully illustrated with color and black-and-white photographs of the vineyard, the recipes, and the Mondavi family. The good life indeed-but, in this case, hard to resist. Recommended.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster; 1St Edition edition (May 17, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0684807580
• ISBN-13: 978-0684807584
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #888,075 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Spectacular Cookbook with Wonderful Photography, December 20, 2007

By 

Frederick S. Goethel "wildcatcreekbooks" (Central Valley, CA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Seasons of the Vineyard: A Year of Celebrations and Recipes from the Robert Mondavi Winery (Hardcover)

This is not your standard everyday cookbook...in fact it is almost a coffee table book. The material in the book is a mix of recipes, information about wine and about the vineyards, printed on extremely fine paper.

The book is organized into four main sections according to the seasons of the year. Recipes designed for each season are included, and many of the recipes are simply wonderful. In addition to the recipes, spectacular photographs of vineyards, surrounding countryside and, of course of the food are included.

This is a wonderful book and it's a shame that it is out of print. I would recommend it to any chef who wants interesting recipes that include wine, as well as to anyone who is interested in wine. Bon appetite!