Robert Mondavi quotes:

I always knew that food and wine were vital, with my mother being Italian and a good cook.

My path was simple: Follow your passion. Pour in your heart and soul. Settle for nothing less than excellence. And with enough hard work and faith in yourself, you can realize your dream.

I always knew the importance of it, since I was three or four years old my mother used to feed me wine and water. I grew up with wine as liquid food.

Later, at Stanford University, I thought I'd become a lawyer or businessman, but my father came to me and said he thought there was a big future in the fine-wine business.

If you go back to the Greeks and Romans, they talk about all three - wine, food, and art - as a way of enhancing life.

I want to make wines that harmonize with food - wines that almost hug your tongue with gentleness.

I've always wanted to improve on the idea of living well, In moderation, wine is good for you - mentally, physically, and spiritually.

Even more importantly, it's wine, food and the arts. Incorporating those three enhances the quality of life.

We want to raise the art of living well.

Whether I played marbles, whether I played football or slam anything else, I wanted to excel.

Also, many consumers consider a critic to be like God Almighty.

Critics have done the wine industry a lot of good overall.

Inductee in the Vintner's Hall of Fame

Wine has been with civilized man from the beginning.

Making good wine is a skill; making fine wine is an art.

Wine to me is passion. It's family and friends. It's warmth of heart and generosity of spirit.

There are a lot of people with a lot of money, and I'm amazed they don't understand what a great pleasure it can be to give.

How beautiful it is to excel, and the goodness of giving from your heart.

I say to consumers: instead of relying totally on critics, drink what you like and like what you drink.

My wife taught me the importance of living well.

I am a great believer in research and innovation.

I know that wine is, above all else, a blessing, a gift of nature, a joy as pure and elemental as the soil and vines and sunshine from which it springs.

In both life and work, stay flexible. Whether in a country, a company, or a family, the same holds true: Dictatorship and rigidity rarely work. Freedom and elasticity do.

We definitely need to get the excitement back.

I know of no one who has been more helpful to the industry. His teachings and consultations internationally, without doubt, improved the quality of winemaking in our country. He was a friend to everyone interested in fine wine.

It is giving me a great satisfaction, because I had the notion that we could make great wines equal to the greatest wines in the world, and everybody said it was impossible.

Ever since I was a child, I wanted to excel in everything.

America was built on the can-do spirit and will continue to thrive on the can-do spirit.

As I traveled the world over, I traveled everywhere, and I learned so much.

I feel blessed. So many men and women search and search but never find their passion, their calling, their sense of mission that would ignite their hearts and fill their lives with meaning and joy.

My brother and I had saved $15,000 by working many years nailing fruit crates together.

My mother served me wine and water from the time I was 3 years old.

Once I was able to take care of myself and my children, I then wanted to share.

The greatest leaders don't rule. They inspire

This is what I think is very essential... moderation can be good for you.

Wine always inspires sociability.

Wine has been with us since the beginning of civilization. It is the temperate, civilized, sacred, romantic mealtime beverage recommended in the Bible. Wine has been praised for centuries by statesmen, philosophers, poets, and scholars. Wine in moderation is an integral part of our culture, heritage and gracious way of life.

Wine to me is all about sharing.