[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 4]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 4842]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     HONORING MRS. MARGRIT MONDAVI

                                  _____
                                 

                           HON. MIKE THOMPSON

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, March 24, 2017

  Mr. THOMPSON of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the 
life of my good friend Margrit Mondavi whom I am posthumously naming 
Woman of the Year. She passed away on September 2, 2016 at the age of 
91, but her legacy will live on as the ``First Lady of Napa Valley.'' 
Margrit's name is synonymous with good food, fine wine and great art. 
She was a major influence in the development of our wine community, a 
supporter of the arts, and a true leader in making our Napa Valley a 
world renowned destination.
  Margrit Mondavi was born in Switzerland in 1925 and immigrated to 
America shortly after World War II. She settled in the Napa Valley in 
1960 and immediately made an impression on the Valley's cultural 
institutions. After volunteering to organize a successful concert at 
the Charles Krug Winery in 1966, Margrit earned a position with the 
winery. Her career blossomed when she was named the public relations 
director for Robert Mondavi Winery in 1967, where she set a new course 
for the institution's events and support of the arts.
  In her decades of work at the Robert Mondavi Winery, Margrit put Napa 
Valley on the map as a cultural destination. The winery hosted many 
prominent artists to showcase their work and founded the Summer Concert 
Series in 1969 to bring legendary artists to the Napa region. Margrit 
also brought new attention to the culinary art by organizing cooking 
classes which paired great Mondavi wines with the finest French and 
American food. In 2003, she published a cookbook with her daughter 
Annie entitled Annie and Margrit: Recipes and Stories from the Robert 
Mondavi Kitchen.
  Margrit and her late husband, Robert Mondavi, were lifelong patrons 
of the arts and education in our community. Margrit was instrumental in 
raising support to preserve and renovate the Napa Valley Opera House. 
The couple also endowed the Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food 
Science and the Mondavi Center for Performing Arts at the University of 
California, Davis. The enology and culinary institute educates the 
future leaders of our wine community, and the performing arts center 
hosts both students and world famous performers.
  Mr. Speaker, Margrit Mondavi was a true pioneer and visionary who 
brought global acclaim to our Napa Valley wine community. She taught us 
to love life a bit more and to embrace the richness of our culture, and 
generations to come will benefit from her contributions. Therefore, it 
is fitting and proper that we honor her life and legacy here today.

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