Wente Vineyards is the country’s longest, continuously operated family-owned winery in the United States, founded in 1883. Today, the winery is owned and managed by the fourth and fifth generations of the Wente family. Blending traditional and innovative winemaking practices, the winery draws from nearly 3,000 acres of sustainably farmed estate vineyards. Located just East of San Francisco in the historic Livermore Valley, Wente Vineyards is recognized as one of California’s premier wine country destinations.
Wente Vineyards has many female leaders across the company, working in management, wine tasting rooms, hospitality, winemaking and more. Carolyn Wente is currently the CEO and a 4th generation leader of the Wente family. Her nieces, Christine, Jordan, Niki and Aly Wente are all 5th generation of winegrowers and serve in leadership roles throughout the company. Finally, Amy Hoopes serves as the current president of Wente Family Estates.
Your family history in the U.S. dates back to 1883 when Carl H. Wente, a German immigrant, arrived in Livermore, purchased 48 acres of land and established the Wente winery. How much do you know about Carl Wente? Where was he from and was he a winemaker back in Germany before he purchased the vineyard? Carl arrived in the United States in 1881, from a village called Emren in Lower Saxony where the Wente family raised livestock and were no vintners . He was the second son of his father’s second marriage. Carl had two half-brothers from his father’s first marriage who immigrated to the U.S. in the late 1850’s when he was still young. Carl came to the U.S. looking for his two half-brothers when he was 30, only to discover they had passed away years before. He decided to continue his journey and ended up in California. Carl moved to Livermore in 1883, taking a job as resident manager and became a 50% owner of the vineyard.
Is your family still connected to their German roots? Do you have any family recipes or celebrate any traditions?
My Uncle Eric is still in touch with the Wente’s in the same region who are descendants of Carl’s brothers. We have very simple traditions which are focused on family gatherings and wine, but it is the strong sense of family that Carl passed down, allowing us all to share equitably which I believe is the reason we’re still here. The work ethic of the family is similar throughout. We all are quite disciplined and have very long full days in our industry which is at its core, agricultural.
The Wente family is known for its significant work with Chardonnay and all your vineyards are “Certified California Sustainable”. Can you explain what that means and why this is important for you? Being certified sustainable is so important to us because we have been raised with the ideals of building a business and community, that will not only be here for the next generation but will be better for the next generation. We want to create an environment where continuous improvement is encouraged and we want to protect the land at the same time. These are the principles that the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance follows. The certification for vineyards and wineries was formalized in 2010 and our winery was one of the pilot wineries credited for helping get the program codified.
You grew up in the vineyards and knew you wanted to be in the family business when you were about 13 years old. Can you tell us about the moment when you knew you wanted to be in the wine industry? Did you have an epiphany? I have always idolized my father; he has been such an incredible role model for me since I was a little girl. Watching him work the land and hearing his passion for the vineyards and our business could make anyone passionate about this line of work – his enthusiasm is seriously infectious! When I understood that in this line of work I would be able to be outdoors most of the time, that’s when it really clicked together for me. I had my first internship when I was 14 years old, shadowing our viticultural manager, and I absolutely loved every part of it! From that point forward Iknew this is what I wanted to do, and since then my love for this industry and for farming has only gotten stronger! Seeing the quality come from the soil to the fruit and eventually in the wine is something so special to me.
Wente Vineyards is the country's oldest, continuously operated family-owned winery and has a strong female leadership. Have the women in your family always been involved in the business? I am sure that my great-grandma Barbara helped out in the early days as it was only she and her husband Carl who ran things. She then had nine children, of whom seven survived, and that alone is a big job. When Ernest and Herman took over, both their wives Bess and Edith had college degrees, in chemistry and biology respectively, and worked prior to marriage. After the prohibition, Bess, who had been a chemistry teacher, did all the lab analysis for the winery, and Edith did most of the hospitality and PR for the winery. My grandmother Jean was also involved in hospitality as well as serving on the Board of Directors for a number of years. My aunt Carolyn started in hospitality, marketing and sales and is now the CEO!
Do you feel like there are more women entering the business these days? If not, what could be done to get more young women interested in winemaking? Absolutely! I studied wine and viticulture at the California Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo and more than 1/3 of the students in my class were female. I think that publications focusing on female leaders in the wine industry have certainly helped to normalize the position, opening the door for increased interest and opportunity among women across the U.S.
Wente Vineyards also runs tasting rooms and restaurants and is famous for its concerts. Is it important for a vineyard today to offer experiences as well as outstanding products for lasting success? Absolutely! Consumers are looking for a way to bond with brands and the easiest way for a brand to create that bond is through a memorable experience paired with a delicious product.
On your website, it says “In addition to Niki’s role as viticulturist, you will also find her rescuing animals from the vineyards.” Can you tell us more about this? What do you like to do when you are not working? I think they are talking me up a bit more than I deserve on that one! I love animals and have been known to rescue dogs and rehome them within my family. Currently, my cousin has two dogs, my parents have one dog and my husband and I have one dog that I rescued from various shelters and, in my cousin’s case, on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere. I also rescued two adolescent kestrels from the vineyard and rehomed them with a local falconer that trains the birds to aid in pest abatement. Oftentimes, female kestrels will push their male siblings out of the nest before they can fly, causing death in most cases. I found these birds in the middle of the road in our vineyard and I was able to get them rehomed. In general, I spend most of my time off being active with my friends, family and of course my dog. I love to hike, bike, ski, horseback ride – anything outdoors.
Also, what exactly is the difference between a viticulturist and a winemaker? A viticulturist has the task of cultivating the soil, managing growth in the vineyards, and enhancing the quality of the crop. A winemaker has the task of taking that crop and crafting it into wine. It’s a symbiotic partnership, and the two roles often work together to create the highest quality products (and in some cases one person is responsible for both roles!).
Can you tell us more about your cooperation with AmaWaterways Wine Cruises? When did you become a wine host and what do you like about it? This is my first year as a host with AmaWaterways! I am incredibly honored to have the opportunity and am very excited for my first trip to Bordeaux. Through testing for the Certified Specialist of Wine with the Society of Wine Educators, I have studied almost all the major wine regions of the world, but I have not yet had the opportunity to visit most regions! Wente Family Estates has worked with the cruise company in the past, but I was not involved in that relationship.
As this is your first time as a wine host on AmaWaterways, what are you looking forward to? I am very much looking forward to all the planned excursions as well as the sessions I will be leading on board the ship to show off some of my favorite wines from the Wente Vineyards’ portfolio.
Thank you, Niki, for taking the time to talk to us.
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