Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/6221
january–february 2010 / the tasting panel / 49 coVer Story Carolyn Wente Vice-Chairman, Wente Vineyards, Livermore Valley as vice Chairman of Wente vineyards, Carolyn Wente heads up worldwide sales and marketing for California's oldest continually operating family winery—with "family" being the operative word. Carolyn is a fourth-generation winegrower who works closely with her brother s eric and Phil, along with fifth-generation members of the Wente family, nephew Karl and niece Christine, to bring the Wente brand to the world. While Carolyn's favorite wines include Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot n oir, her current Wente vineyards favorite is morning Fog Char- donnay. "Wente was the originator of Chardonnay in California and this beautifully balanced wine hails from our livermore valley estate vineyards." morning Fog Chardonnay is a stylish blend of 65 percent barrel-fermented and 35 percent stainless steel–finished Char- donnay, 65 percent of which undergoes malolactic fermentation. " morning Fog is not overly oaked or high in alcohol; its ripe apple and citrus flavors are balanced with bright acidity." as the cookbook author in the family, Carolyn considers this wine "a great foil for many different foods." The Wente family is synonymous with fine wine and the thriving ar ts community of livermore, where Carolyn grew up in the family business. Since the 1970s, she has driven global sales of the brand to an industry high and used her perspective to differentiate Wente vineyards with lifestyle businesses like their restaurant, golf course and a concert series, all of which have become touch points for consumers that help create the impression of a complete lifestyle. "it's been exciting for me to build cachet for the Wente vineyards brand with new audiences based on family history and the tradition of our estate-grown wines," says the exec. "These authentic values and our sustainability are particu- l arly meaningful to the millennial audience that is now gravitating to our brand." Flagship wine: a s the cookbook author in the family, Carolyn considers her current Wente fa- vorite—morning Fog Chardonnay—to be a great foil for many different foods. "morning Fog is not overly oaked or high in alcohol; its ripe apple and citrus flavors are balanced with bright acidity that makes it ideal at the table." — D.P.W. Gretchen Roddick General Manager, Hope Family Wines, Paso Robles Straight out of college, gretchen roddick was hired by the hope family when Treana was just a start-up brand and Paso robles was a mere blip on the world wine map. it's twelve years later, and gretchen, 38, oversees five wine brands—Treana, liberty School, Candor, austin hope and Westside, each with a different price point and label to fit the mar- ket—and 40 employees, from administration to sales and marketing, through to the bottling and production line. " my office is a revolving door," she notes; "who am i going to see and what am i going to do next? There's never a dull moment!" her day-to-day may change from hour to hour but she still has time to serve on the Board of directors of the Wine institute, promoting California wines on a global scale, as well as on the Board of the horticultural and Crop Science department at Cal Poly, San luis Obispo. "education is one of my driving forces," she tells The TaSTing Panel, and it's that kind of philosophy that keeps the interaction with her staff so important. "i want people who are not only interested in what they are doing, but really like what we do here; part of my job is to make sure the working atmosphere at hope Family Wines is fun." Flagship wine: With a total case production of 350,000 for the five wine brands, gretchen still points to Treana red. The Cabernet-Syrah blend is grown from eight vineyard sources in Paso robles. —Meridith May Carolyn Wente. PHOTO: CATHY TWIGG-BLUMEL Gretchen Roddick. PHOTO: CATHY TWIGG-BLUMEL