Wente Vineyards celebrates Harvest as part of the 30th Annual Harvest Wine Celebration This Labor Day Weekend

Livermore Valley, CA – August 31, 2011 – Wente Vineyards is pleased to announce that they will be part of the 30^th Annual Harvest Wine Celebration over Labor Day weekend on September 4-5, 2011.  The annual fundraising event for the Livermore Valley Winegrowers Association, which features over 40 wineries from this historic region, was co-founded by Fourth Generation Winegrower Carolyn Wente and the former general manager of Concannon Vineyard Donna Wilcox in 1981.

During the event, guests at Wente Vineyards (5565 Tesla Road) can enjoy a selection of Fifth Generation Winemaker Karl Wente’s Estate grown wines, excellent food, as well as revel in warm wine country hospitality during the peak of harvest season. Wente Vineyards will be open from 12:00 – 5:00 p.m. on Sunday and Monday exclusively for Harvest Wine Celebration ticket holders. Special tastings and activities include:

Wine Tasting
Many of Wente Vineyard’s award-winning wines, including new vintages of the 2009 Riva Ranch Chardonnay, 2009 Southern Hills Cabernet Sauvignon, 2010 Morning Fog Chardonnay, 2009 Riverbank Riesling and 2009 Sandstone Merlot, will be available for tasting.

The Nth Degree and Barrel Tastings
Taste Fifth Generation Winemaker Karl Wente’s handcrafted, small production Nth Degree Merlot and future vintages from Wente Family Estates straight out of the barrel. Barrel tastings will include wines from the Wente Vineyards and TAMÁS Estates portfolios for a small fee of $5. Select Murrieta’s Well wines will also be available for barrel tasting at a separate fee of $5.

Mustard Tasting
Sample a selection of Wente Vineyards gourmet mustards.

Local Art
Peruse afine art display by printmaker and graphic artist Edmee Keele, along with hand-painted ceramics presented by painter Eugenia Zobel.

Live Music
Georgie and the Rough Week will perform blues-tinged rock-n-roll all day on Sunday, and alt-country band Lisa Marie and the Lust Triggers will perform all day on Monday, September 5.

Food
In addition to gourmet picnic fare from Wente Vineyards Catering, Strizzi’s Italian Restaurant will offer their renowned Rigatoni Bolognese; Scotty’s Catering will offer BBQ tri-tip & lemon grilled chicken sandwiches; and Pleasanton’s Cold Stone Creamery will cool everyone off with an offering of refreshing ice cream.

Two-day passes are $55 and include entrance fees to all participating wineries, wine tasting, glass, winery activities and special event only wine discounts. Tickets can be purchased via phone at 925-447-WINE or online at www.lvwine.org/events. On Sunday, complimentary bus service will run ticket holders between the different wineries.  Wente Vineyards will offer complimentary parking both days.

About Wente Vineyards
The country’s oldest continuously operated family-owned winery; Wente Vineyards is led today by the fourth and fifth generations of the Wente family. More than 125 years of committed stewardship to the land has led to the development of Wente Vineyards’ Farming for the Future, a system of sustainable viticulture practices designed to produce the best quality wines with the least environmental impact. This philosophy extends to all aspects of winery operations, where energy efficiency, waste reduction, recycling and social responsibility are all integral to the culture.

All of the wines within the Wente Vineyards portfolio are Estate Grown, crafted by 5th generation winemaker, Karl Wente from estate vineyards in Livermore Valley and Arroyo Seco. Located just east of San Francisco in the historic Livermore Valley, Wente Vineyards is recognized as one of California’s premier wine country destinations, featuring wine tasting, fine dining and championship golf. For more information, visit www.wentevineyards.com.   For more background on Karl Wente’s interest in wine, music, yoga and food please visit his blog at http://www.wentevineyards.com/blog/.

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