Mondavi: Be mindful of climate, Christ-like toward immigrants

In the wine world, the surname Mondavi rings out as Carnegie or Westinghouse would in Western Pennsylvania — that of a titan of industry and invention.

So it was fitting that family scion Tim Mondavi, in his first visit to Pittsburgh in many years hosted a dinner last week in the same halls where Pittsburgh’s historic power brokers roamed — the Duquesne club — where he promoted his family’s premium, limited production wine, Continuum.

He also led a fascinating wine tasting/lecture for food and beverage professionals at Senti in Lawrenceville that was a lesson in history, agriculture and geology.

Q: California wine was slapped with tariffs in China in a recent volley in a developing trade war. What does that mean for the industry?

TIM MONDAVI: There are always these ebbs and flows in time and at any one moment, there’s this thing and there’s that thing. But if you take a look at it from wine-time perspective, which is to say a long perspective, we’ve always had these things and we find our way past them. Asia is important to us as a market but our most important market is here in the

United States. And we have a strengthening market for our product, Continuum. We sell out very, very quickly. From a business perspective that’s not our concern. Our concern is Mother Nature.

Q: What does the specter of climate change portend for the wine industry?

TM: We have been very rude and abusive to Mother Nature, not taking very good care of her. I believe as humans we are interacting and attenuating her harshness and that is what causes me the biggest concerns. What will she throw at us next to get our attention? I would urge that anyone who eats ought to be aware of what Mother Nature is doing and to take care of her because our entire food chain is dependent upon the intricacies that have worked out over the centuries.

All of life is interdependent. You mess one thing and there are surprisingly unintended consequences. That’s the single biggest thing we can do is be mindful about how inefficient we are about our use of energy and just be kinder to this planet that is so fragile.

And those of us that are farmers need to be mindful of it and know this is serious. If you don’t think that Mother Nature counts, think about the food that you eat.

Q: Generations of Americans came to California as immigrants and have worked in vineyards. How does the immigration debate affect wine making?

TM: Think about the people that have touched your food along the way. Think about the people we need to harvest our crops and set up a welcoming attitude for when they do come to help us in our fields.

I think that it is important to protect our borders and protect our people. But to presume that “the other” is wrong is completely naïve. We are “the other” — we have come from “the other” and we should recognize that we should be welcoming. That is America’s history, to be welcoming. To have an attitude that is more Christlike, that is more American. And welcome people carefully and thoughtfully but under the presumption of what most people are, and that is very good and wanting to contribute. And we should be welcoming. As opposed to banning everybody which is completely ludicrous and counter productive to a healthy America.

Q: Better wine movie: “Sideways” or “Bottle Shock”?

TM: “Sideways” was the first of its type and it really got a lot of people excited about pinot noir and I love that. Although I’m sorry it was at the expense of Merlot. … But with “Bottle Shock” — stories of passion about wine are always good. Wine is an emotional beverage and it’s meant to bring health and happiness to people. Wine is a beverage of passion.

Q: If you could have a glass of wine with any historical figure, past or present, who would that be?

TM: I’d love to have a great conversation with my grandfather to understand what drove him.

In a broader sense, I would love to be able to talk to Thomas Jefferson — the first advocate of wine in America, who fell in love with wine when he was the ambassador to France. John Adams. Alexander Hamilton. I went on a kick reading about the founding fathers and their thoughtful establishment of the American way.

And Benjamin Franklin. He lived in Paris, too, and was a true bon vivant. He loved Paris, he loved wine, he loved food, he loved life.

Steph Chambers/Post-Gazette Winemaker Tim Mondavi speaks and leads a tasting of rare vintages with service industry professionals at Senti in Lawrenceville.

Steph Chambers/Post-Gazette “Wine is an emotional beverage and it’s meant to bring health and happiness to people,” says Tim Mondavi. “Wine is a beverage of passion.”