Wente Vineyards Vineyard Tasting Room

My husband and I came here on our 2 year wedding anniversary and it was one of the best wine tasting experiences we have had. John was very knowledgeable about the wines and winery itself. He explained everything very well and was so nice! My husband is a hard man to please and he walked out of there very happy. Thanks John!

I’ve been to the tasting room twice. Good thing my boyfriend is entertaining because both times we’ve had pretty underwhelming wine stewards. Neither of them told us much about any of the wines unless we asked lots of questions, and neither of them were overly welcoming or friendly. Both times though they have let me do all white flights since I don’t drink reds, which I appreciated. The tasting room itself and surrounding outside area is great.

Came here today to do some tastings and take home a few bottles of wine.
Dennis was absolutely wonderful and so helpful, I cannot recommend him more!
Thank you for a wonderful experience!

I took my cousin and his fiancée here and this place is certainly lovely.
+ Pretty grounds
+ Ample parking
+ Really an institution (hello golf course, concert area, wedding venues, etc)
+ Friendly workers (Ben — you’re awesome! Jesuit universities rock.)
+ Eric’s Chardonnay and Serenity were my favorites of the tasting
+ Affordable tastings ($ 10 for legacy; $ 15 for winemaker’s)
Overall, such a fun time even on a hot summer’s day. Thank you, Wente & Ben!

The terrific customer service started with my phone call inquiring about Mother’s Day wine tasting. I honestly thought they would be booked, because I waited until the last minute. To my surprise they still had some reservations left.
Lee was very helpful over the phone. I explained my mother was in a wheelchair so we needed an area that would be easily accessible. She was great. She said she wouldn’t be working on Sunday, but assured me she would let Matt know and we would be taken care of. You would think this should be the norm, but I can tell you that it is not. Once you mention a wheelchair, many times people freak out about where to put you and usually it’s in the back where you are least likely to be seen.
My husband arrived early to make sure everything was set up and it was. When I arrived, we went inside to pay for our wine tasting. As we were being helped, I overheard Matt ask another employee if Cheryl had checked in yet. I waved saying here I am. He came right over and said he had set up a great area for us and if there was anything else we needed, to let him know.
It’s so nice when people actually do what they say they will and be so nice about it. It was a great day! We enjoyed music, wine, cheese, salami and crackers.

Visited this place on a Saturday afternoon. The tasting room is located in a secluded area with a beautiful scenery. There are lots of trees and the grounds are big. You can bring a picnic basket and hang out on the grass. The tasting room is a little small, but there are a few goodies to choose from. They sell cheese, meats and other goodies. Now to the wine. We chose to do the $ 10 flight that offers 3 whites and 2 reds. I really enjoyed the Eric’s Chardonnay as well as the Riva Ranch Chard. Both were very different, but equally good. The cab and Pinot Noir were also yummy! I can’t wait to go back and try the other flight!

We recently went to Wente because we’d previously had such a great time and wanted to visit again. However, our memories failed us, which we realized when we arrived. We’d been to the Tasting Room and Restaurant, about five miles away. However, we still had a great afternoon.
We got a little bit of food, a couple of bottles of wine, and read the afternoon away at a picnic bench. Families and large groups sat on blankets on the grass, people played bocce ball, and small kids ran around. There were even a few dogs.
The staff was really helpful in finding us an umbrella, and stopped by a few times to make sure we were having a great time.
The good: great wine and lots of it. Plenty of seating, too!
The bad: the food selection is limited, but at least it’s there!

This was our second stop on the wine tour last weekend. Really beautiful place out on a little back country road. The wine tasting was great here always grab a bottle of there Chardonnay. Will have to do another tour with friend & family again and will stop here.

Valentine’s Day weekend, hubby and I decided to discover Livermore. Did you know Livermore has craft breweries? Did you know Livermore has wineries?
WHO KNEW?!
So we started our adventure with Wente. It. Was. Packed! I think the staff was overwhelmed. We were overwhelmed. So instead of doing a tasting, we escaped the crowds and ordered 2 glasses of wine (the sauvignon blanc and the riesling) and walked the property. It was HUGE. Very mission-​style. Unfortunately, the white wine was served warm (ick) and was either bland (the sauv blanc) or syrupy sweet (the riesling).
We left uninspired…
Onward!

So we were told that their last tasting was at 6 pm. We weren’t told that they had 2 locations! We showed up at the wrong wente tasting room on tesla road which stopped tastings at 5 ish & we were informed we were looking for the other wente tasting room which she said was 10 minutes away, we got there at 6:05 & was told by the gentleman working that basically we were SOL. Really. 5 minutes after 6, that was very disappointing! 2 stars because the place looks nice.

The wine was pretty good, but not inexpensive… we did the $ 15 tasting flight which was good, but the wines are $ 40−60/bottle. The grounds are nice, and they have a restaurant, but I was disappointed to find that they don’t allow any outside food or drinks. We had brought kids with us, along with snacks. I like more laid back wineries… this is pretty commercial.

We spent the day wine tasting and Joe at Wente blew every experience out of the water! Whether he was giving us funny stories or sharing his vast knowledge of wine– he made our experience so much more enjoyable then we could have imaged. If you have the means, spend the extra money on the «winemaker flight» (I might be wrong on the name) but it is the wine that they only sell on sight! It is truly phenomenal! My fiancé is in the wine business and he really took the extra effort to share his knowledge and expertise on Wente wine! It helped that the wines were some of the best that I have had but what stood out the most was Joe’s customer service! When we come back, we hope to see our friend Joe there! Great job Wente on hiring tasting employees that are not only professional and knowledgable but are entertainers and story tellers to help make your experience one of kind. Thanks Joe!!!

This should be closer to four or five because the phenomenal customer service pairings with the wine and exuberant dishes as appetizers blew my mind.
The scallops were out of this world the wine selection was unparalleled, however my steak tasted like a cheap piece of a random cut from Safeway should not of paid what I did for it other than that they experience was great would go back again go to be high so highly selective in my ordering choice

Great winery! This was our first time visiting, and we will definitely be back again! It was my boyfriend’s birthday and we had so much fun! Our server was awesome (Darrell?) and he gave us a tour afterwards of their aroma class, and told us about all the other classes that they offer! The grounds were really nice too! There are several different tasting rooms, which we didn’t realize when we first got there, so look around before you begin! We tried both areas and liked them both! They also had live music playing outside and the guy was great! Very impressed with this winery!

Ok this is my second time here. Place looks amazing. Service was excellent! However the steak is just ok very dry, and the wine is not very good and expensive. The pork was amazing so I guess it counter balance. Overall nice place to come grab food, but wine tasting not recommended in my opinion.

Gorgeous setting for this restaurant. We met some friends for lunch. Be warned, It is VERY expensive. $ 28 for 1– glass of wine. We had a variety of dishes. Starting with the cheese, apple, jam, fruit plate appetizer. Soft bread rolls with olive oil were delicious. The fish sandwich got high marks. Side salad of baby kale greens had too much dressing on it. The hamburger was juicy, cooked just right and flavorful. The pasta dish and chicken dishes were all highly rated. The waitress seemed disappointed that we didn’t order more wine or dessert. Plenty of food but again very pricey.

Stopped in with family on a Monday early afternoon. There were a few people in the tasting room but they left soon after we arrived for a tour. I was the only one of our group of four tasting which made me a bit nervous at our reception. But the wonderful lady never made me feel out of place.
I went through the basic tasting for ten dollars. They added another Chard when I mentioned I was looking for some white even though personally I’m more of a red fan.
I ended up buying a bottle of the Chard (such a buttery flavor!) and the Cab/​Sav. They even waived the tasting fee!
All the wine is high quality — and taste is so personal I’ll let you judge your own favorites. They earned 5 stars due to the great service.

Arrived at the vineyard on a Sunday roughly around noon. There was barely any people, but more and more people showed up around 1−2pm. This vineyard is a beauty!!! The property is huge. They have golf course, restaurant and a fantastic view. The winery is located at the very end closer to the mountains which is nice.
As soon as we arrived, we chose 2 different flights: $ 10 flight (Harvest flight) a taste of 5 different wines which are sold at your local grocery stores; $ 15 flight (Wine maker’s flight) only sold at the Wente Vineyard. **The flights are per person.
There is live music and great seating to enjoy a nice weather. They also have wine tasting inside the tasting room along with gift shops: (clothing, olive oil, etc).
I would say my experience here overall was great. I would definitely come here again. The drive here is not too bad especially if you are coming from the San Jose area.

Charming restaurant in the heart of picturesque Livermore’s wine region!
I was in charge of organizing a reunion luncheon for some old coworkers in Livermore. A friend who lives in the area suggested the Restaurant at Wente Vineyards. After a scenic drive through the vineyards, you are welcomed into the beautiful Wente compound which includes the restaurant, event center, tasting room and golf course.
The restaurant is a sprawling Spanish style building with high vaulted ceilings to give it a bright, airy feeling. There were a couple of private parties going on when we arrived for our noon reservation so the place was hopping. Our party of 6 was seated in a large corner table that overlooked the entire restaurant.
As we chatted and caught up with each others’ lives, the server suggested a starter of cheese and charcuterie platters. Both were a fabulous way to start our meals as we waited for the last member of our party to arrive.
We got two appetizers to share: the roasted beet salad and hamachi crudo. Since it was a warm Livermore afternoon, both dishes were a refreshing start to our luncheon. For entrees, our group ordered the crispy duck leg pasta, tagliatelle pasta, estate beef sandwich and the sirloin bavette. Everyone seemed to be enjoying their meal. Personally, I was a little underwhelmed by my estate beef sandwich. It was similar to a BBQ beef sandwich with the amount of meat a little lacking for an $ 18 entrée.
The stars of the meal were definitely the desserts. We splurged and ordered all the items on the dessert menu. This included the pineapple spice cake, chocolate ganache tart, pumpkin cheesecake, strawberry funnel cake, apple bread pudding and seasonal sorbets. The group fave was the punpkin cheesecake hands down.
All in all the experience was great. Service was pretty consistent throughout the meal. The venue was magnificent and a great time was had by all.

Sooo… bring your A game because anything less and you will be judged. Had some folks with me who were casual at best as far as clothing and thrown out. Not to mention you better not get caught eating your own sandwich at the million provided picnic tables. Apparently there is a sign that reads, no picnicking.
Just not for me…
Zero stars if it was an option…

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We came here for a concert and we did the wines tasting before the concert and dinner series.
Founded 130 years ago, Wente Vineyards is the country’s oldest, continuously operated family-​owned winery. Today, the winery maintains its leadership role in California winegrowing under ownership and management by the Fourth and Fifth Generations of the Wente family.
They have about 3,000 acres of sustainability farmed Estate vineyards and they are certified sustainable. Wente Vineyards is about 45 minutes drive from San Francisco and 40 minutes drive from San Jose, in the historic Livermore Valley. They offer wine tastings, a fine dining restaurant with the newly acclaimed chef Mike Ward (formerly at Tyler Florence’s El Paseo in Mill Valley), and championship golf.
I got lucky to check our the 1 acre garden in the back. It was amazing to see everything they grow here fresh and organic. Master Gardener Diane Dovholuk has been with Wente Vineyards for almost 20 years. You can see their garden tips on their website here:
They offer Estate & Vineyards tasting, here you can try some of the wines that only offer at the vineyards. Price range from $ 10-​$ 25, very reasonable.
A few wines that we got to try and were our favorite:
— 2012 Small Lot Serenity — Syrah, Grenache, Counoise, and Graciano blend.
— 2013 Small Lot Eric’s Chardonnay
— 2012 Small Lot GSM — The Syrah was harvested from the Hayes ranch at our estate vineyard in the Livermore Valley. The Grenache was harvested from the Marina ranch The Mourvedre was harvested from the Raboli ranch.
— 2010 Small Lot Duetto — 50% of this blend comes from our Cabernet Sauvignon block in the Napa Valley, and 50% was grown in our Smith block in the Livermore Valley.
We also got lucky to meet the handsomely tall 5^th generation winemaker Karl Wente. He’s such a charming character. I personally have met other winemakers before Brad Buehler and Claude Bubba as well as vineyards manager Julio Covarrubias. Everyone was kind, shared their stories, and truly love what they do here and have been working for Wente for decades.
Did you know Wente Vineyards was the first family brought the Chardonnay grape to the U.S. Their clone is now widely planted in California by other wineries.
They also planted just about every single varietal out there such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Malbec, Tempranillo, Touriga Nacional, Touriga Francesa, Zinfandel, Pinot Grigio, Pinot Noir, Grenache, Counoise, Petite Sirah, Syrah, Viognier, Barbera, Sangiovese, Nebbiolo, Riesling, Orange Muscat, Muscat Canelli, and a few more. I have not tried some of this varietal before. However, that gives them the ability to blend the wines and be creative of what they do.
Another interesting point is that the winemaker Karl Wente doesn’t use just 1 type of oak barrel. He used French, American, Hungarian, and sometimes Romania, Bulgaria, Russia, the Czech Republic and Poland too.
The staff was knowledgeable and wonderful. Wente Vineyards is a must stop by if you visit Livermore Wine Country. Their wines are good, reasonable price point, and the vineyards are beautiful.

Had a great server, thanks Matt! Tasted 8 different wines and it was my first time. I was with my date and she being knowledgeable about wines was very delighted with the variety. I loved the Orange Muscat, very sweet and smooth (yup that’s what limited knowledge about wines can result in, short and not so tasteful compliment haha)
I enjoyed the place a lot.

Loving our visit! The wine is truly amazing, warm environment in the tasting room, and Kim and Rich are great! Thanks for making our visit amazing!

Not sure what was going on at this establishment, quite honestly I should have listened to the many honest reviews about this place. Unlike any other winery and tasting room, the service here was absolutely horrible. Upon arriving, no one was available to serve. In fact, there was not a moment of acknowledgment that we were present.
While I understand that a small tasting room would have less staff, it is absolutely ludicrous to think they were unable to acknowledge and welcome other customers. Once we walked in, we noticed another couple waking out looking disappointed. In the tasting room, we noticed another party waiting to be served without actually receiving any service at all.
At the least we would have expected the staff to let us know they would be with us after a short wait. This was not the case.
If you want to visit a place with poor service, visit Wente. We decided not to purchase anything and just left to another winery in the area. With the amount of local winery options to choose from, try your luck else where.

Why can’t I like this place? We visit here almost every time we come to the Livermore area for a wine tour. Every time I tell myself I will find a wine I like and not be put off by them charging $ 10 to taste.
This is the review for the location by the golf course BTW. There is a larger tasting room closer to town. Go to the larger one unless you want to walk around the lovely grounds here. The larger one has a nice selection of mustards and condiments to buy. I always buy a bottle or two of that stuff. The mustards are great!
I plopped down $ 10 and got tiny little tastes of 4 or 5 wines that I never like. I get that they like to serve you «flights» of what they think goes together. But I don’t always want to try the selections they put together and they will let you switch them for another you do want to try. The tasting area is TINY. If you get more than 5 or 6 people in there it is pretty crowded and you may get slow service if only one host is on duty. Another reason I like the larger tasting room.
As tasting rooms go, this one lacks personal charm and feels a little like a closet. I have never found a wine of theirs I like and it is a bit of a drive off the beaten wine path. Come here if you want to wander the grounds… it is beautiful. But if you want a personal experience with your wine tasting… like a good explanation of each varietal… try another place. This one gets busy and you lose that wonderful touch.

Many times, I’ve seen the Wente wine bottles in store shelves or heard of Wente on commercials advertising the outdoor concerts there. I never actually tried any of their wines, so I wanted to check it out since gf and I were in Livermore. When we drove up to the winery, it was definitely one of the larger ones out there. The venue was beautiful… something you can imagine as a perfect place for a wedding. The grounds were beautifully landscaped and the tasting room was just as appealing.
When we walked inside the tasting room, there were still a small amount of patrons at the octagon bar. My gf and I waited a few minutes and didn’t get noticed by any of the bartenders until we actually walked up to one. The lady that served us was cordial but spent most of her time chatting up with a friend nearby. That was fine with us bc she refilled our glasses each time we were ready.
We ordered the Legacy Flight for $ 5 which included tastings of Louis Mel Sauvignon Blanc, Morning Fog Chardonnay, Reliz Creek Pinot Noir, Sandstone Merlot and Charles Wetmore Cabernet. I liked the pinot noir and merlot the most out of the five tastings. These retailed from $ 13-​$ 25 per bottle. However, gf and I agreed that the wines that we had tried at Bent Creek earlier were better in general. After our tastings, we sat in the garden facing the lawn and enjoyed a little chit chat on the rocking chairs. I like the outdoor patio and spaciousness of the Wente estate. I’d return for wine tasting but feel more interested in attending a concert there in the future just bc it’s such a wonderful venue.

I came here with friends who are getting married at Murrietta’s Well in October, with free tasting vouchers in hand to sample the wines that they had to choose from to be served at the wedding. It was a lot of fun! The tasting room is elegant and cozy, and the staff took very good care of us without anything feeling snooty or pretentious.
We did their full tasting, and were especially blown away by the Morning Fog Chardonnay and the Southern Hills Cabernet Sauvignon. Tasty and refined!
I didn’t get much of a chance to explore the property, but the tasting room alone was a great experience. Definitely include Wente on your wine tasting tour!