Wente Vineyards is a winery in

Livermore, California Livermore (formerly Livermorès, Livermore Ranch, and Nottingham) is a city in Alameda County, California. With a 2020 population of 87,955, Livermore is the most populous city in the Tri-Valley. It is located on the eastern edge of Californi ...

, that is "the oldest continuously operating, family-owned winery in the United States." The Wente Estate is registered as a California Historical Landmark #957.

History

The winery was established by C.H. Wente in 1883 on 47 acres of land. Having received training in wines while working for Charles Krug of Napa Valley, Wente purchased a few vineyards and land of excellent soil. In 1934 his sons, Ernest and Herman, introduced California's first varietal wine label,

Sauvignon Blanc is a green-skinned grape variety that originates from the Bordeaux region of France. The grape most likely gets its name from the French words ''sauvage'' ("wild") and ''blanc'' ("white") due to its early origins as an indigenous grape in ...

. In 1936, they introduced the first varietally labeled Chardonnay. The efforts of the Wente family, including pioneering night-time mechanical harvesting and being a leader in sustainable winegrowing practices, have helped establish the Livermore Valley as one of the premier wine-growing areas of California. Since then, it has expanded to over 2,000 acres (8 km²), plus an additional 700 acres (3 km²) in Arroyo Seco.

Wente Clone

The Wente clone is budwood that is used to plant

Chardonnay Chardonnay (, , ) is a green-skinned grape variety used in the production of white wine. The variety originated in the Burgundy wine region of eastern France, but is now grown wherever wine is produced, from England to New Zealand. For new ...

at many California vineyards. In 1912, 2nd Generation Winegrower Ernest Wente took cuttings from the

University of Montpellier The University of Montpellier (french: Université de Montpellier) is a public research university located in Montpellier, in south-east of France. Established in 1220, the University of Montpellier is one of the oldest universities in the wor ...

viticultural nursery in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. Cuttings from the Wente vineyard then spread to a number of other wineries before eventually being certified by the

Foundation Plant Materials Service Foundation may refer to: * Foundation (nonprofit), a type of charitable organization ** Foundation (United States law), a type of charitable organization in the U.S. ** Private foundation, a charitable organization that, while serving a good cause ...

of the

University of California, Davis The University of California, Davis (UC Davis, UCD, or Davis) is a public land-grant research university near Davis, California. Named a Public Ivy, it is the northernmost of the ten campuses of the University of California system. The inst ...

. Clones taken from the certified vines are known as "Wente" or "heat-treated Wente," and clones taken from vines before certification are known as "Old Wente."

Estate

Wente Vineyards also offers a golf course, tasting room and private events all nestled in the heart of the vineyards.

References

* ;Footnotes

External links

Wente Vineyards official siteWente Country Championship Golf
{{Livermore, California 1883 establishments in California California Historical Landmarks Wineries in Livermore Valley Companies based in Livermore, California Family-owned companies of the United States