Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/359372
august 2014 / the tasting panel / 87 PHOTO: COURTESY OF WENTE FAMILY ESTATES Carrying the Torch At its 80th Annual Meeting of Members, the Wine Institute elected new board officers to represent and advocate for the over 1,000 wineries in California. These members selected none other than Carolyn Wente, CEO of Wente Family Estates, as its 2014-2015 Board Chairman. With this position, Carolyn follows closely in her family's footsteps—she marks the fifth Wente member to serve as a Wine Institute chairman. After interning on Capitol Hill and working as a financial analyst, Carolyn joined the winery in the early 1980s and was the major force behind building the lifestyle business, including The Concerts, The Course and The Restaurant at Wente Vineyards—all of which have turned the winery into a destination and retreat for visitors. She now leads the com- pany as CEO, with hopes to continue to grow both business and the brand of Wente Family Estates. creation of California's Wine Institute. Fast forward a couple decades to when Third Generation Winegrower Karl L. Wente became a key advocate for California wine and helped other local growers and vintners get started in the 1960s and 1970s. Under his son Eric Wente's leadership in the 1980s, Wente Vineyards focused on exporting to countries unfamil- iar with California wines, including Russia, Vietnam, Kenya, Cuba and China, opening many new international markets for California. Today, the fourth and fifth generation family members own and operate Wente Vineyards, "the oldest continuously-oper- ating, family-owned winery in California." CEO and Fourth Generation Winegrower Carolyn Wente reflects on her family's rich history: "My great grandfather wanted a family legacy where everyone could share equally and be treated fairly. We are committed to passing on what we inherited to the next generation and with every decade that passes, the next generation of Wente leaders continues to move the business forward through innovation." As part of this initiative to stay modern and as a way to celebrate its 130th vintage release, Wente Vineyards has redesigned its packaging. The redesign features a contempo- rary and differentiated design, identifying the wine by Single Vineyard or Estate Grown designations to support each wine's unique sense of place. Additionally, the Estate Grown label depicts a watermark of the family's historical Cresta Blanca winery, while the Single Vineyard label now provides a signature from Fifth Generation Winemaker Karl Wente to reinforce the brand's positioning. For Carolyn, the redesign is "our chance to celebrate what we have achieved and look forward to where we are going." We will certainly be raising our glasses and toasting to another 130 vintages of California greatness! PHOTO: COURTESY OF WENTE FAMILY ESTATES The fourth and fifth generation Wente family members (left to right): Eric Wente, Karl Wente, Carolyn Wente, Christine Wente and Phil Wente. Carolyn Wente.