Visionary Statement

Robert Mondavi

COPIA: The American Center for Wine, Food & the Arts was created to educate adults and children to the joys of living well. At COPIA we expose the positive roles that wine, food and the arts have played in our lives, from the most primitive civilization to the present and into the future. We have something for every interested person—wine and food lovers to professionals—and offer a full spectrum of programs from art exhibitions and outdoor performances to food tastings and accredited courses on winemaking.

Margrit and I had a vision of a place that would celebrate and explore the abundance and diversity of this country's fine food and wine. I have been involved in these concepts for years, first as a vintner and businessman, and more recently as co-founder of the American Institute of Wine & Food. COPIA represents a leap forward for all who care about these central elements of the quality of life. As Northern California's wine country has come to be synonymous with culinary and viticultural excellence, it is only fitting that Napa is the location for this extraordinary venture.

There is no other place in the world offering the range and depth of educational and cultural opportunities that COPIA provides. The organization has attracted a talented professional staff, an elite group of honorary and active trustees committed to excellence, and a host of leading professionals who are partnering with us to investigate and interpret wine, food and the arts. COPIA offers an original approach to understanding these relationships, and in doing so, attracts visitors from all over the world.