Wente Vineyards Blends Music and Wine at SXSW

Austin, TX, March 11, 2010 -- Wente Vineyards continues its successful emerging artist program, ‘Discover the Wine, Discover the Music’ (DWDM) with their participation in South by Southwest (SXSW) for a third year.  SXSW is a hub for discovery and innovation in music and technology and Wente Vineyards’ significant presence at this year’s SXSW underscores the winery and winemaker Karl Wente’s commitment to bringing great music and wine to the appreciative audiences outside of traditional avenues.  It is only fitting that DWDM has a place at this convergence of original music, independent films, and emerging technologies.

Each year or vintage, Wente Vineyards seeks out the best new emerging artists and pairs them with different Wente Vineyard wines. Currently, fifth-generation winemaker Karl Wente is scouting for his fourth “vintage,” as he likes to call his line up of artists. He will be spotlighting six wines from vintage three of emerging artists/wine pairings over the course of the conference starting Wednesday, March 17th through Sunday, March 21st.  Shurman, Jesse Dayton and Hopewell from DWDMs’ first two vintages will be spread across the eighty stages that take over Austin.

A new paradigm will be established with respect to wine/music/technology/lifestyle converging when Wente Vineyards participates in ViewTopia: SXSW – a Whole Foods Market (WFM) livestream initiative and the first live event stream for any major food & beverage retailer.  The livestream will be broadcast across the digital universe with homepage positioning on Justin.tv, as well as Blip.fm, and on a large format plasma screen in front of WFM in Lincoln Park, Ill.  Not possible in any other medium, this precedent-setting platform will deliver real time event coverage of SXSW and enable users to actively participate from anywhere in the world.  The New Mastersounds, a band from DWDM’s current vintage, will be streaming through on Blip.fm during the livestream.

BAMM, Viewtopia’s broadcast partner on Justin.tv/SXSW coverage, will broadcast from the Convention Center and will be pouring Wente Vineyard wines from 12:00-6:00 pm, Wednesday through Friday.  Expect to taste the RiverBank Riesling, Nth Degree Syrah, Small Lot Pinot Blanc, Riva Ranch Chardonnay, Southern Hills Cabernet and Crane Ridge Merlot. Karl Wente will drop in on Wednesday, March 17th from 2-3. Wente Vineyards wines will also be featured across the Rockstar Weekend @ Jimmy Thrill Quills Ranch at Red Horse Studios on March 20th and 21st.  To finish off the SXSW week, Wente Vineyards wines will be included in the cooking segments, Music on the Menu.

Back by popular demand is the DWDM Wine Bus Thursday, March 18th and Friday March 19th from noon-3 pm. On Thursday, this party on wheels segues from the Convention Center to the Whole Foods Market Gateway (WFM) located at 9607 Research Blvd with live performances by The Ferocious Few, Glenn Yoder and Todd Thibaud at noon. At 3 pm the wine bus will stop midway at Cork & Co (308 Congress Ave) for live performances by Fierce Bad Rabbit, Family of the Year, Ian Hopkinson and an interview with Erin Davis/Vince Wilburn.  Friday at noon, the bus will feature live performances at WFM by Gemma Ray, The Orion Experience and Susan Hyatt’s Rockstar Workout.  The bus then moves to the Sweet Relief Benefit at Jovita’s (1619 S. 1st Ave) with live performances by Steve Poltz, Mumiy Troll, Bluebonnets, Victoria Williams and Michael Des Barres.  Wente Vineyards will highlight four wines for this portion of SXSW: The Riva Ranch Chardonnay, Riverbank Riesling, Southern Hills Cabernet and Crane Ridge Merlot.

Enjoying recent success in a second year with Noise Pop indie music festival out of San Francisco, Discover the Wine, Discover the Music originated three years ago when fifth-generation winemaker Karl Wente decided to blend his love for fine wines with good original music. The DWDM fourth vintage of emerging artists will go live in September 2010 to coincide with Day of Discovery at Wente Vineyards on Labor Day. On April 11 Karl Wente will be the featured winemaker on Viewtopia: In Vino, streaming live from In Vino in New York City, with buzz band The Antlers. An artist himself, Karl Wente and Wente Vineyards are committed to providing opportunities for these artists to be heard while representing the essence of Wente Vineyards with their exclusive pairings.

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.