Wente Vineyards
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Wente Vineyards is a winery in Livermore, California and holds the distinction of being "the oldest continuously operating, family-owned winery in California." The Wente Estate is registered as California Historical Landmark #957.
The winery was established by C.H. Wente in 1883 on 47 acres of land. In 1935 his sons, Ernest and Herman, introduced California's first varietal wine label, Sauvignon Blanc. The efforts of the Wente family, including pioneering night-time mechanical harvesting, have helped establish the Livermore Valley as one of the premier wine-growing areas of California. Since then, it has expanded to over 2,000 acres (8 km²), plus an additional 700 acres (3 km²) in Arroyo Seco.
[edit] Wente Clone
The Wente clone is budwood that is used to plant chardonnay at many California winemakers. In 1912, a member of the Wente family took cuttings from the University of Montpellier viticultural nursery in France. Cuttings from the Wente vineyard then spread to a number of other wineries before eventually being certified by the Foundation Plant Materials Service of the University of California, Davis. Clones taken from the certified vines are known as "Wente" or "heat-treated Wente," and clones taken from vines before certification are known as "Old Wente."
[edit] References
- Alameda. California Historical Landmarks. Office of Historical Preservation. Retrieved on 2005-08-25.
- Old Wente: A Brief Convoluted History. Adastra Wines. Retrieved on January 24, 2006.
