Why You Should Drink Fumé Blanc This Summer

(Forbes) - Perhaps no American has had as big an impact on the wine industry as the late Robert Mondavi, who would be turning 100 on June 18th. In honor of his centennial birthday, Napa Valley’s iconic Robert Mondavi Winery will host a birthday celebration at the winery for the public on June 18, and to keep things rolling all summer long, the winery’s Summer Concert Series kicks off on June 29 with country singer/songwriter Martina McBride. A July 12th concert with Huey Lewis and the News will specifically honor Mondavi’s most famous wine, Fumé Blanc.

One of the highlights of the birthday event will be a memorial toast to Mr. Mondavi with a glass of Fumé Blanc, the wine he famously “invented.” In the late 1960s, California’s Sauvignon Blanc wines were far from distinguished, perceived as sweet and ordinary, with little market cache. Mondavi wanted to make high quality sauvignon blanc in the French-style, but with the name’s negative connotation, he instead created and quickly popularized Fumé Blanc, a name he coined for his dry-fermented, barrel-aged sauvignon blanc. Mondavi had a long history of involvement with food and the pairing of food and wine, and among his many, many achievements, he co-founded the American Institute of Wine and Food with Julia Child.