On Wine: Charles Krug and the Mondavis
On Wine: Charles Krug and the Mondavis
Nov 24, 2011 6
(Mercurynews) - When Cesare Mondavi bought the Charles Krug Winery in 1943, he was acquiring a piece of history that dates back to 1861. Mondavi had been in the grape business in Lodi and was a partner in Sunny St. Helena (now Merryvale) in St. Helena. The Charles Krug Winery, founded by German immigrant Charles Krug, had fallen on hard times, starting with Prohibition. The plan was for Cesare's sons, Robert and Peter, to run the business together once Peter got out of the military.
At first, things ran fairly smoothly. Peter made the wine, and Robert sold it. But tensions finally escalated, culminating in the infamous fight between the brothers that resulted in Robert being ejected from the business and starting the Robert Mondavi Winery. (A timeline in the Charles Krug tasting room says simply: "1965: Peter Sr. and his brother Robert parted ways.")
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