Wente Family Estates in Livermore Valley hosted the preview of
The Winemakers Studio on May 17. The new
wine
lovers experience will open to the public on May 23 to the public. The
Winemakers Studio is a series of educational experiences that enable
you to experience what is involved in the making of fine wines.
This all takes place at the
Wente Vineyards
at 5565 Tesla Road in Livermore at the site of the first winery in
Livermore where Carl H. Wente, a first-generation immigrant from
Germany, first planted grapes in 1883. Now 130 years later the Wente
Family Estates is America’s oldest family owned and operated winery
currently run by the fourth and fifth generation of the Wente family.
The family estate is now the most popular stop in Livermore offering
fine cuisine at the Restaurant at Wente Vineyards, Concert Series
attracting top entertainers, the Greg Norman designed golf course, and a
winery that produces fine quality wines from Livermore Valley and
Arroyo Seco in Monterey County.
The Winemakers Studio is next door to the Wente Tasting Room. As you
enter the studio you will be greeted by your host and invited to check
out the educational displays around the room. Start with the map of the
3000 acres of Wente vineyards in both Livermore Valley and Arroyo Seco
and admire the display of a typical winegrape vine on the wall showing
you the structure from the roots to the grapes. On tables in the middle
of the room are IPads where you can learn more about the history of
Wente, Grape growing and winemaking information, news on other Wente
events and trivia games to test your knowledge of wines. Here you can
also choose your own wine adventure for the day, choosing between the
Winemakers Blending Experience, Wine Aroma Seminar or Wine & Cheese
Pairing.
Next to each IPad is a flask where you can sample the various aromas
you will find in wines such as apple, cherry, citrus, chocolate, oak and
more. Samples of cloth next to the flask will enable you to experience
the textures you might experience in wine.
Want to discover the perfect delicious wine and cheese pairing? Then join the
Wine and Cheese Pairing
class where you can sample a selection of gourmet cheeses with the four
Winemakers Studio wines, Artisan White, Pinot Noir Clones, Artisan Red
and Azul-Verde. Your host will be glad to set your group up for a Wine
and Cheese Pairing experience.
Everyone knows that a component of the enjoyment of wine is the
aromas. Some wines offer intense aromas of fruits or oak or earth or
more. Do you need help in distinguishing between the various aromas
reaching your nose when you taste wine? Then take the
Wine Aroma Seminar
offered as part of the Winemakers Studio. This class will teach you
how to pick out the specific aromas in wine and be able to describe them
to your friends with ease (without sneaking a peek at the tasting
notes)! This is a fun interactive class and you will be amazed how much
you learn. And you will learn that everyone has the same confusion
when trying to determine just what are the aromas coming from that fine
Cabernet Sauvignon.
And then there is the
Winemakers Blending Experience,
truly a highlight of the Winemakers Studio and something that you do
not want to miss. Sure you have tasted everything from Two-buck chuck
to $100 bottle of great Cabernet so don’t you feel that you can also
make a fine quality wine? Well this is your chance under the guidance
of one of the Wente Wine Educators. In the Blending Experience you will
taste, evaluate, and blend estate blocks of wine to create your very
own bottle of wine with your special blend not found anywhere else.
Here you have fine wines produced using the finest barrels and overseen
by the Wente team of experience winemakers. Now all you have to do is
blend them in the right proportions to deliver the aromas and taste that
is your special wine. One of the wines might have firm tannins but not
the right fruit balance. Another wine delivers that blueberry quality
you love but misses out on the minerality and depth you desire. And a
third wine pops with the dark red fruits but is a little weak in
structure. Now you will learn how to blend the right proportions of
each of the seven wines available to achieve the correct balance of
fruit, structure, tannins and color to satisfy your palate. And you
will get to bottle and label that wine and take it home to serve to your
friends, or enjoy on your own.
The Winemakers Studio will be open Thursday through Saturday, 11:00
a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The Winemakers Studio is also available for special
events. It is located at 5565 Tesla Road in Livermore. The phone
number is 925-456-2885. Appointments are recommended for the three
Winemaker Studios adventures so call ahead.
• Wine Aroma Seminar
- Objective: To understand and identify the most common sensory descriptors of wine varietals.
- Session Duration: 60-90 minutes
- Session Size: Up to 12 guests
• Wine & Cheese Pairing
- Objective: To understand how certain wines interact with food.
- Session Duration: 60-90 minutes
- Session Size: Up to 12 guests
• Winemakers Blending Experience
- Objective: To let guests taste and blend their own bottle of wine.
- Session Duration: 90-120 minutes
- Session Size: Up to 12 guests
For more information:
The rains held back and provided a great weekend of wine
tasting on March 29-30 for the Livermore Valley Barrel Tasting Weekend.
The Livermore Valley winemakers provided wine lovers with the
opportunity to check out some soon-to-be-released wines and to learn
more about how a wine matures in the barrel.
Caddis Wines
is a new winery in Livermore. Winemaker/owner Chris Sorensen is a
native of Livermore and has over 15 years of experience in the wine
industry and has made that decision to start his own winery. For the
Barrel Tasting Weekend he shared his 2012 Tempranillo. The 2011 vintage
won Double Gold at the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition and the
2012 was heading in the same direction with great dark fruit aromas and
flavors.
