Cheers to Mondavi

Wine, that ancient brew, has the power to soothe, warm and unite, as any drinker or winemaker can tell you.

I had the rare opportunity to sit down with a glass of red -- OK, a couple of glasses -- and speak with Peter Mondavi Jr., current proprietor of Charles Krug Winery, the oldest Napa Valley winery and one of the few that has remained in the hands of the same family since the Prohibition era.

Charles Krug, a Prussian immigrant and novice winemaker, originally established the St. Helena, Calif., winery in 1861. James Moffitt bought the winery in 1893 after Krug's death, and he wanted to pass ownership onto someone who could continue the prestigious Krug tradition.

Moffit sold the winery to his close friends Rosa and Cesare Mondavi in 1943 for $75,000. The Mondavis were a natural choice -- they were already involved in the world of viniculture, with their business distributing California wine grapes to other Italian emigres in the area.

One of their sons, Peter Mondavi Sr., inherited the vineyard in 1966 and became a trendsetter in production techniques, introducing the use of glass-lined tanks and cold fermentation, which preserves the fruit character of the wine.

Peter Mondavi Jr., 49, now heads up Charles Krug Winery. ...