Angelina Mondavi: Co-Proprietor + Winemaker For Aloft Wine, Dark Matter Wines + Consultant

Angelina Mondavi is at the forefront of a new generation of winemakers in Napa Valley, and she has a rich history and lineage in California wine. Her great-grandparents purchased the Charles Krug Winery shortly after the end of prohibition. With determination and vision, Angelina’s ancestors shaped Napa Valley as one of California’s premium wine regions. So Angelina literally began her career at age 10, assisting the lab manager at Charles Krug. Growing up with her three sisters, summers spent learning the family business and a tradition of summer winery jobs alongside her father and grandfather led her to love the wine industry. After studying chemistry and business in college, Angelina headed to Australia not only to work in wine, but to earn a degree in wine. “Paying respect to the generations before them” is why the Mondavi Sisters launched Dark Matter Wines in 2005, and purchased Aloft Wines in 2017. But Angelina also consults as a winemaker, and her portfolio includes 12---yes 12---wine labels. She also has the honor of serving as a director on the Mondavi family company board; her goal to continue the family legacy is strong. And so is her family philosophy of helping neighbors and giving back to the community where their roots...and vines...have long been planted. On this podcast we talk about Angelina’s specific family traditions in food and of course, wine. We talk about how California’s wildfires affected the region and how she ploughed through. We discuss growing up on a vineyard and how her family both nurtured her creativity and shared their spirit of entrepreneurship. We talk about her grandfather's revolutionary invention of cold fermentation, a process that every modern day winemaker uses today. Angelina explains how she works with labels as a consultant, and being the first to do virtual tastings in California. We get into finding herself as a winemaker, the influence of oak, working with her three sisters, making wines more approachable, and about women being the boss. We wrap with getting the scoop on how she personally chooses to enjoy wine and, and so much more, some of which you can discover and shop here:1. Dark Matter Wineshttps://www.darkmatterwines.com/wines2. Aloft Wineshttps://www.aloftwine.com/product/2016-Aloft-Cabernet-Sauvignon-3-Pack3. Truffle Shuffle Live Virtual Cooking Classeshttps://www.truffleshufflesf.com/collections/live-experiences4. Watching Discovery Of Witcheshttps://rstyle.me/+CfUkoo644KWivqDeInmdnAfollow @storyandraintalks on instagram for our very latest drops + more pod content HERE | follow @storyandrain magazine on instagram HERE | follow our host + founder @tamarararappa HERE | discover, read, shop: fashion, beauty, wellness, tv + film, food, travel, interviews, + more on storyandrain.com