| Harvests of Joy: How the Good Life Became Great Business | 
 enlarge | Author: Robert Mondavi
Publisher: Harvest Books
Category: Book
List Price: $15.00
Buy Used: $0.39
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Avg. Customer Rating:  20 reviews
Sales Rank: 280845
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 376
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.7
Dimensions (in): 8.1 x 5.3 x 1.1
ISBN: 0156010569
Dewey Decimal Number: 641.22092
EAN: 9780156010566
ASIN: 0156010569
Publication Date: October 7, 1999
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Amazon.com Review
Wine is Robert Mondavi's business, but it is also his life. The founder of the Robert Mondavi Winery in Napa Valley, now in his mid-80s, tells the story of his business and his life, laying out the lessons he learned in each, with writer Paul Chutkow. Beginning with the legendary fallout in the 1960s with his younger brother and the rest of his family over the direction of the family-owned Charles Krug Winery, Mondavi describes how, at the age of 52, he started the Mondavi Winery, with the vision of making his wines, and those of all California wineries, equal in reputation to France's. The way Mondavi tells it, he almost single-handedly built up not only his business, but also the reputation of Napa Valley as a tourist destination, and of wine as a source of good health. He emphasizes his vision, drive, perfectionism, willingness to innovate, and work ethic, attributing many of his values to his immigrant Italian parents. But Mondavi acknowledges that there were many sour grapes, some of his own sowing: the fallout with his brother that led to a multimillion dollar court settlement, the breakup of his 40-year marriage, the friction between him and his two sons over the winery, and the financial crisis after the company went public in 1993. Now, happily remarried, relations improved with his sons, and the business a successful global corporation, Mondavi sums up his life's lessons: "What you need is common sense, a commitment to hard work and the courage to go your own way." He also highlights 15 basic components of his philosophy of success, such as having confidence in yourself and always staying positive. He writes, "Out of all the rigidities and mistakes of my past, I've learned one final lesson, and I'd like to see it engraved on the desk of every business leader, teacher, and parent in America: The greatest leaders don't rule. They inspire." --Dan Ring
Product Description
In 1965, after a notorious family feud, Robert Mondavi-then fifty-two years old-was thrown out of his family's winery. Far from defeated, Mondavi was dedicated to a vision of creating a superior wine. What has happened since that fateful day is one of the greatest success stories of American business. Today, the Robert Mondavi Winery is one of the most respected in the world, and Mondavi is the man who is most responsible for the worldwide recognition of American wine making, as well as changing America's palate for fine wine and fine food. In Harvests of Joy, Mondavi shares how, through his passion for excellence, he achieved this extraordinary position, one he reached not without pain and sacrifice. With invaluable insider tips on his approach to both wine making and to running a business, Mondavi's inspirational story is "a grand example of the fact that in America you can pretty much be, do, or accomplish, whatever you set out to." (Ventura County Star)
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| Customer Reviews: Read 15 more reviews...
America's wine ambassador June 28, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
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.
A book worth reading! May 29, 2008
If you enjoy wines and want to read about how one man helped to change the perception of American wines, then this is a good book for you to read. I can agree with many other reviews that say the book is often repetitive and the writing in it is very amateur. That being said, take the book for what it is. It gives some great historical background on not only the Napa Valley, but also about what/what not to do when starting your own business. A great author he is not. An entertaining and fun read, the book is.
 Wine, Money, Real Estate, Love and Life...This is it! April 13, 2003
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
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.
Understanding the joie de vivre July 16, 2002
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
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.
 the book's OK June 1, 2002
6 out of 10 found this review helpful
I share some of the criticisms of other contributors on Amazon who have given the book the lowest possible rating. It is wordy, repetitive, and poorly edited. The author himself revealed that he is not a great lover of books and his literary style indicates it. Granted, it is worthwhile to have this book, in spite of its technical faults, for the sake of having access and insight to the history of the man who virtually pioneered the art of making fine wine in Napa. While I found several passages irritating to read, I could not put the book down. The chapter describing the inception of Opus One with the Baron is great stuff. Early on the author stated his intention to make state-of-the-art Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Johannisberg Riesling. As the text progresses the author trumpets the region's many successes in the first three noble varietals, and adds the favourable results obtained with Sauvignon Blanc and Merlot. He talks about his many trips to Bordeaux, Burgundy, Tuscany, Spain, and the Mosel, to learn how the established top estates operate. Inexplicably, he makes no effort to explain what happened in his quest to make fine Riesling. I find that very surprising in light of his comment late in the book that he drinks a lot more Sauvignon/Fume Blanc than Chardonnay. The commentary provided by his sons and his second wife is very well presented, more tightly focused and cohesive than the rest of the book. On a personal note I was glad he mentioned the Bible's approval of wine consumption; however, he should also have emphasized consumption in moderation (see Ecclesiastes 5). The description of the Robert Mondavi Winery in Oakville CA was needless to say entertaining. The author claims half a million visitors a year, and I can assert the reasonableness of this claim based on having seen it very busy during a very rainy Sunday while many of the other wineries in the area had no visitors at all. It's most definitely worth a visit, if you have a designated driver. This book is recommended with reservations for the unique experience it offers.
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