Mondovino is a documentary shot in 2004. It tells us how globalization is continuing at full speed in the wine business. Large wineries have branches in different continents. The New World and Old world are becoming closer to each other. Flying winemakers and consultants are conquering everywhere. Wine critics are well-known universally. Wine lovers are travelling and tasting wines all over the world. All these makes the wine sector richer, and easier to access. It also made us realize how small the wine world became thanks to this easy accessibility.

All these were told from the stories of the famous wine critic Robert Parker, consultant Michel Rolland and wine producer Robert Mondavi.

When I watched Mondovino, it was 2013 and I was studying my Master of Science degree for enology and viticulture in Montpellier. Our economics professor made us watch this documentary to have a broader understanding of the globalization of the wine business.

Effects of globalization were already kicking in for me by then. A Turkish girl studying winemaking in France. After I graduated and made wine in France for a while, I decided to continue the pattern and experience being a flying winemaker.

This decision first took me to Colchagua Valley of Chile. Surprisingly enough the winery that I worked in Chile was founded by Robert Mondavi and Baron Philippe de Rothschild. Following destination was the Napa Valley of California, where Robert Mondavi was one of the most influential people for the creation of the wine scenery here.

The foresight of Robert Mondavi about Napa Valley is worth remembering. In the 1950s the wine business was very limited, it was a small community with no sophistication, with not more than twenty wineries. Moreover, there wasn’t an actual market for wine in the USA at that time. So, let us think. No quality wine production nor wine drinkers who demand that, but Robert Mondavi was dreaming of Napa Valley as one of the greatest wine-growing regions of the world next to Bordeaux or Bourgogne. Everybody thought he was crazy, with his own words, even his friends and his family.

At the end of the story, as we all know, Napa Valley did take its part among the most successful wine-growing regions. Robert Mondavi had a great role in this success. When he moved to Napa Valley, his dream was to make fine wine and spread his passion of California wines to everyone. He believed in himself, he believed in his land, moreover he was a great believer of research and innovations. With all this background, he bought a vineyard in To Kalon and built a winery. As he came from an Italian family, he knew the importance of food and wine which makes a family unite around a table. With this knowledge, he was able to connect with people. He started to talk, educate and share the benefits of drinking fine wine in moderation as a part of daily life. Soon, he was able to produce the high-quality wine that he wanted, and he also created his own market; made people demand his quality wine.

The inspiration I took from Mondovino made me travel around the world. I started my journey as a curious student who wanted to learn more about the global wine business. The flying winemaking experience made me achieve this goal.  As a young winemaker, I feel lucky and blessed to accept the challenge of becoming a part of the global wine sector.

Cheers,

Nesli

All images © 2017 by Wines of Nesli. All rights reserved.

Categories: Wine Stories, Wines