Robert Mondavi died today at home, after a long life of making wine and shaping California wine’s image. He was 94.

His was an eight-decade career. In 1966 he opened the winery that bore his name, which was the most famous winery in California until it was sold in 2004.

Besides helping to bring cold fermentation, stainless steel and French oak into the mainstream, Mondavi was one of the early champions of the health benefits of moderate wine drinking.

He helped foster a positive image of wine in the culture through educational programs and tastings at his Napa winery, which was also a place where people could enjoy good food and art. He and his wife, Margrit Mondavi, helped “promote the marriage of food and wine” with the ‘Great Chefs’ programs at their Oakville winery in the 1970s,” according to Wine Spectator.

When Mondavi made Opus One in conjunction with Baron Philippe de Rothschild of Bordeaux, this “validated the quality of California wine and ushered in a new era of foreign investment in California. By the end the 1980s, dozens of international firms had bought land and built or bought wineries in the state,” according to WS.