Wente Family Estates Named American Winery of the Year by Wine Enthusiast

LIVERMORE, Calif., Feb. 1, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Carolyn Wente, CEO and Fourth Generation Winegrower of America's oldest continuously owned and operated winery, is pleased to announce that her family business received the 2011 American Winery of the Year award from Wine Enthusiast yesterday evening. Wente Family Estates' portfolio of wines is comprised of Wente Vineyards, Murrieta's Well, TAMAS Estates, Hayes Ranch and entwine wines, a new line crafted in partnership by Food Network and Wente Vineyards. Known as the Wine Star Awards for the last 11 years, the magazine honors international wine personalities who have had great influence on the world of wine.

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Wente Family Estates joins an esteemed group of winners this year including Restaurateur of the Year Michael Mina, Winemaker of the Year Bob Cabral of Williams Selyem, and Generations of Innovation awardees Georg and Maximillian Riedel. Upon learning of the news, Fourth Generation Winegrower and CEO Carolyn Wente stated:

"This really is such a wonderful acknowledgement and recognition for the five generations of my family who have remained committed to the wine business. We all love what we do- my two brothers, Eric and Phil, and my niece and nephew, Christine and Karl, are individually helping to build our company into a strong, relevant and quality-driven winery in the 21st century.  We have built on the foundation laid by my great grandfather, Carl Wente, who came to this country as an immigrant in the late 19th century, to the Livermore Valley in 1883."

This award comes at an auspicious time for the winery as 2012 marks the 100th anniversary of the Wente clone of Chardonnay coming to California. Wente Vineyards' plantings and experimentation with the Chardonnay clone began a chapter in California wine history that continues today.  Post Prohibition, Chardonnay plantings encompassed roughly 100 acres in California. In the last year, nearly 100,000 acres were planted to Chardonnay; it is also the top selling varietal in the country. Today, a large majority of Chardonnay planted in California is derived from the Wente clone, making the Wente family integral in the development of wine culture for Americans.

As one of the top 30 wine companies in America for several years running, Wente Family Estates has established itself as a unique company given its five generation heritage as a family-owned business.  Due to Carolyn Wente's vision, the winery was also among the first to develop a full wine country destination, when it launched an onsite fine dining restaurant, The Restaurant at Wente Vineyards, as well as the renowned Concerts at Wente Vineyards in 1986. In 1998, the winery added to its offerings when they opened the Course at Wente Vineyards on property, an 18-hole championship course designed by Greg Norman, and a Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary. Blazing a trail that many would follow, Wente Family Estates made wine country more than just a casual stop by a tasting room to an entire experience.

The award follows a host of acknowledgements that the family has received in the past couple of years. In 2008, on the occasion of their 125th anniversary, the Culinary Institute of America inducted founder Carl Heinrich Wente into the "Vintners Hall of Fame" as a "Pioneer." In 2010, the winery was named Winery of the Year by the California Travel Industry Association and received the Lifetime Achievement award at the California State Fair. Several generations of sustainability efforts were also recognized in 2010 when Wente Family Estates became one of the first wineries to attain Certified California Sustainable Winegrowing status, as well as one of only a few wineries to certify every aspect of their business.

With the American Winery of the Year Award, Wente Family Estates is recognized in good company with previous recipients J. Lohr Vineyard and Wines, Trinchero Family Estates and Concannon Vineyard. 

About Wente Family Estates
Wente Family Estates, comprised of Wente Vineyards, Tamas Estates, Murrieta's Well, Hayes Ranch and entwine wines, is owned and operated by the fourth and fifth generations of the Wente family.  Wente Family Estates' wines are sold in all 50 states and in over 70 countries worldwide. In 2010, the company received certification for its sustainability efforts with the Certified California Sustainable Winegrowing designation. In 2011, Wente Family Estates was awarded American Winery of the Year by Wine Enthusiast. All of the wines within the Wente Family Estates portfolio are handcrafted by Fifth Generation Winemaker Karl D. Wente.

Located just east of San Francisco in the historic Livermore Valley, Wente Family Estates is home to one of California's premier wine country destinations, featuring wine tasting, world class concerts, award-winning fine dining and championship golf. For more information, visit www.wentefamilyestates.com.

Contact: Kimberly Charles
415-701-9463
[email protected]

SOURCE Wente Family Estates