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Mon-Sun. 11:00 a.m. - 6:30 p.m.
It's beautiful and scenic at Wente Vineyards. I always imagined it being near 580 on the hills, but it is nestled further back through downtown Livermore.
We had Mike give us a tour of the barrels and the cave! It was really cool that they have a cave where you can make special appointments and taste their really premium wines. It's a bit chilly inside, so dress appropriately. They have a restaurant off to the side with its own valet parking. We had a sampling of four appetizers with each of our wines. The chardonnay, pinot noir, zinfandel and cabernet sauvignon.
We sat on the patio outside the special events area overlooking the lawn, where I imagine a lot of people get married.
Of course we drank Wente wines during lunch. Like their Chardonnay. I had their beef dish, which was a tad bit too salty for me. Everyone else LOVED their salmon. We also got 30% off the wines, which was awesome!!! Can't wait to crack open a bottle later!!!
Despite its customers' snootiness and its big-business, big-winery feel, Wente's staff are quite friendly and helpful. I can't say that the wine nor the setting swept me off my feet, but I was pleasantly surprised when the staff member serving us showed much generosity and charm -- she even let us taste a couple wines that weren't on the "flight" list (one of which we ended up purchasing). She was also genuinely interested in our experiences at other wineries in the area.
Wente is worth going to for the customer service, buy don't expect privacy and tranquility in this "country club crowd" (credit to Jaii F.). The wine is above par, but there are better wineries in Livermore.
The Ambience at Wente is second to none. It feels like you are dining in a European mountainside chalet. The food is nearly always flawless. Wente wines are generally quite good, but rarely awe inspiring. The staff is quite friendly and accommodating. Wente has gotten a bit pricey over the years, so come prepared.
I had a similar experience to a common thread in other reviews for Wente. My family recently surprised me with a birthday brunch. I'd been there with my wife a few times before and we loved the food and atmosphere. This time however we were made to feel second class in every respect, exemplified by the waiter. Now i'm normally an extremely placid guy and it takes a lot to rattle me, but this guy wound me up from our first interaction. He made us feel like EVERYTHING was a huge inconvenience to him. At one point he walked from the table shaking his head! Then he seemed to enjoy telling us he had no diet coke or tea. Then he came back and told us another item on the menu wasn't available. Should this guy know that info BEFORE coming to our table? To top it off the food was extremely average. We won't be going back for a long time!
This review is just for the wine and tasting room. Some friends and I rode around Livermore on our bikes checking out the wineries yesterday - and I have to say this place wasn't very impressive. We decided to try the Harvest and Estate flights and the wines just fell flat. My friends did say that they had tried the Winemaker flight on a previous visit and liked it better.
The other thing that was really lacking was the service. We were eventually helped by a nice woman named Julie. However, that was only after some other guy had started our tasting then moved the the other end of the bar and eventually just completely disappeared from the tasting room. After about 10 minuted Julie finally came to the rescue.
My unedited impression of Wente is that this is one of those wineries for the country club crowd. People who like to think they're wealthy come here to be seen by other people like them that run in the same isolated circle.
My least favorite.
I did not care for any of the wines they poured on this particular day and felt like the staff looked down at me for not being of "wine stock".
I'm learning people so fucking back up and be nice, OK?
Loved the lady behind the counter with the fake lashes and the Urban Decay glitter - she gave me a second sample of wine that was not red so that certainly made me smile but when the manager came up (after my second pour - out of five) and was like "did you want to buy anything?????" And, I said "no, thank you" I could have done without the wine-attude.
It's certainly beautiful here - as were all of the places we visited- and, I'd consider a re-visit but it would be last on my list.
In all fairness, my friends love this winery so maybe I'm just not a good wine reviewer. Yet.
Great staff and very knowledgeable. Good price on wine. Best to go on a weekday to beat the crowd.
The prices for tasting have gone down considerably in the last year, and they have big sales if you buy your wine in the tasting room. You can go on and get five tries for $5. It's not a bad deal in the area, especially considering the name of this winery. If you really make friends with your pourer, sometimes they'll, uh, "zone out" and tip the spout a little too far so you get a little sumfin extra. And if you're really batting those eyelashes hard, they'll even let you have an extra try of something that's not in your flight. Little things like this will keep me coming back to Wente even though I can't keep my glass like at other wineries! Try the BRUT - it'll make you reconsider Moet's White Star.
So this gorgeous venue is where the lovely Janette W. got married this past weekend and it was absolutely perfect! On a lush carpet of green with rose petals sprinkled everywhere and looking stunningly gorgeous in the evening sunlight, Janette was married and made into Mrs. C.
I loved the intimate feel here. After the wedding ceremony, we went into the reception hall, which is completely separate from the restaurant, and had an appetizer buffet of steamed & roasted vegetables, cheeses, and bread. Inside had the open bar and the buffet set up as well as the dj in the first section of the area.
The reception hall was cozy, lit up with candles and wall sconces. In one a nook, Janette had an adorable candy bar with their favorite candies laid out. So ingenious!
The food, set up as a buffet, was delicious! I had eaten at the restaurant before and enjoyed my meal there. This time was no different. Lots of delicious food and great service. The waitstaff was extremely polite and friendly. All smiles and graciousness.
I had a fabulous time here. It's an amazing place to have a wedding! Congratulations again to Mr. & Mrs. C!
My cousin had her College Graduation party here. Very cute, Tuscany feel. I liked how there was a separate dance floor area which was away from the dinning area all under this one roof and the beautiful scenery outside. You kind of forget your in Livermore for a second.
It's nice. I would consider it for a wedding reception area.
I promised Wente I would update my review.
After sending them an email about the cashier who wouldn't return change on a giftcard, I received a reply with an offer to send me a bottle of wine in lieu of the 53 cents along with an apology. I received the bottle of Syrah today.
Very nicely done! Hurray, Wente!
I stopped by Wente Vineyards this past weekend to spend a gift card I'd been given. I found a mitt… Read more »
My husband and I were married here in October 2008.
Wente was the first venue we went to look at while engaged, and it was the last. We had originally considered Muriettas Well, which is also gorgeous, but it turned out it was going to be just a hair too small for our wedding.
We worked with Candi Boatwright during our planning and she was really awesome. Was usually pretty quick to reply and quite helpful during our personal meetings.
I was a little bummed that we didn't get to have a food tasting. They told us "If you want to taste the food, go to the restaurant." A little disheartening to pay X thousand of dollars for a wedding to only have to pay more for the tasting. Luckily the food was absolutely amazing, so no issues there. We did have a cake tasting that was fantastic and a bit sinful ;)
The actual wedding day went off pretty much without a hitch. Unfortunately your coordinator through your planning process will probably NOT be your day of coordinator. It did aggravate me a little bit that we had spent all this time explaining our wishes to Candi, only to passed on to another person at the last minute. Luckily, the lady we had was quite capable.
I was a little bummed that we saw them throwing away our cake at the end of the night. Uhh we would've taken that s*** home and eaten it for breakfast!!
All in all, VERY good experience and I would recommend it highly to a bride looking for a beautiful and relatively cost effective venue.
Great wine and prices are reasonable. The service was okay, but there was a bus load of people that got dropped off. Got some bottles of reds. I will be back.
I live in Walnut Creek and work parttime in Napa at a winery- I am no Somelier and I recognize I have a lot to learn re: wine. However my experience at this winery was so UNPLEASANT that I had to share this.
Living in the east bay and working in the industry made me want to discover what was in my backyard. I had heard decent reviews regarding Livermore wineries so I wanted to give it a shot. I went on President's day winetasting to Livermore with my last stop being Wente. In the tasting room the manager proceeded to help me. I accepted the Nth degree flight, specifically for their Syrah. During her whole presentation she was very arrogant and did not really offer any information re: the wines. I don't even think I saw her smile once! In addition the wines were not that good- i've had better and cheaper wines from Trader Joes.
I came out of there feeling like I had bothered them the whole time with my presence NOT like a customer.
I am a very forgiving person though so I am keeping the door open to going back someday. Thus the reason why I gave it 2 stars instead of 1.
I have had both brunch and dinner at the Club House and attended movie night a few summers ago. The place is a bit far out to get to but is worth the drive if you are planning to be wine tasting in Livermore.
I am deducting one star because I had considered getting married here but was a bit put off by the fact that they have two weddings on the site per day. If it is your special day you should be able to enjoy the facility and not be rushed out when the next bridal party arrives and that is why I decided to get married at Garre winery instead.
Besides that all the food I have had is mouthwateringly delicious and deserves five stars. It is close to impossible to have a bad meal here and is a wonderful choice if you want to go somewhere special.
The second stop on my livermore wine tasting trip was at the wente vineyard estate and I was really disappointed. I was with a group of about 20 and even though I hadn't called ahead for arrangements, I assumed we could split into groups and do our tastings that way.
The place was busy, which was to be expected, but the guy pouring for our group was not pleasant. I don't need to be lectured about calling ahead. If I wanted to be on a strict schedule, I would've gone to Napa. I thought his job was to sell me wine. He started serving a group of about 6 of us and completely ignored another part of our group. They decided to go next door after 20 minutes. When one of my friends asked what his favorites were, he had no answer. As my friend said, he loved all his children the same, which was not really helpful.
The only wine I liked was the Riesling so I would skip the vineyard and maybe try the restaurant if I decided to go to Livermore again.
Great for a watering hole stop...try the Small Lot and Nth Degree wines...will make you appreciate how spoiled we are to live in this area. Up the road my friend Joaquin Murrietta hung out in times past. Come and feel the Spirits!
Z
The restaurant and concerts are very expensive, but in retrospect you get what you pay for. The food is delicious, the grounds are beautiful and the concerts are wonderful. The fact that you get all this so close to home is an added plus.
I don't golf, but I would enjoy getting in a golf cart and drive up those beautiful hills to see the view!
Did you know that Wente predates the Napa Valley in terms of California wine making? I had a "team building" exercise that meant a trip to Wente for a full tour, tasting and lunch. I had been before for tasting so I looked forward to this full on experience.
If you haven't been on a full tour - DO IT. If you like wine and want to learn more it is worth the time. I'm not sure what the cost is, but I'd pay to do it again. So much history in this winery. They explain everything and take you into all aspects of the winery. Fun tidbits oh history are offered up frequently which is like being in a History channel documentary.
During prohibition the winery survived. They switched to making vinegar and had a small export business to Europe. The original building that started the winery is still standing and very much in use. The French oak barrels that they use are $800/ea!
How's the wine? Guess that's an important part of this review.. The wine is damn good. They have some great reds. I'm not much of a white drinker so I really can't comment because none of them left an impression.
The location itself is quite lovely. They have a great restaurant. They do the summer concert series which I don't attend because I'm a bit young for the target audience so there isn't much appeal. If you're into the music that happens - go. My parents and their friends love the concerts. Go to the gift shop. Purchase their Smokey Garlic Mustard. My lord is that stuff yummy. So is their Jalapeno. You can taste them all while you're there to see what I mean. I need to pick up some more soon.
Livermore Valley is an area that people don't really associate with wine, but is slowly getting more and more attention. This is a great afternoon excursion without the drive to Napa for excellent wines. There are several other wineries along Tesla so make a day of things and explore Livermore's offerings!
Great wine, Great People, and Great service.
We were treated like kings!
Thank you Mike and Joe for making our trip to livermore so special!
Both me and my boyfriend are not anywhere near being considered wine connoisseurs, we are however, extremely interested in learning and drinking wine!
We went out to the Wente tasting room on Sunday night, being open until 6:30pm was a great perk, since a lot of the other tasting rooms close earlier. This gave us plenty of time to drink up!
There were chocolates that complement a variety of wines, other wine accessories and amazing mustards and sauces for sale! (They had 2 out for tasting.) That's one thing I love about going wine tasting, its kinda like going shopping too!
The tasting room was quite full when we arrived around 5pm, after a little bit of waiting we chose our flight out of the 3 available. The wine glasses were large, however the servings were small (disappointing, but I guess we are there just to "taste") All the wines were pretty good, nothing too special, but definitely enjoyable. I recommend the flight that includes the Cabernet Sauvignon, that was our fave.
I was looking for a wine tasting place with cheese or chocolate samples too, but this was a good start for Livermore. Next time we're starting earlier!
So, I've been waiting for a celebration to go here. Finally, we made reservations and went!!
1-the drive is nice, the restaurant is really pretty and looks just lovly! I was super excited to go there!!
2-the free valet is great! adds to the ambiance
3-food selection is alright...kind of a small menu. I ordered the winter squash soup, which was really yummy and the hubby started off with one of their salads which he thought was perfectly dressed with the vinagrette. We both ordered the pork chop, mainly becuase of the awesome reviews of it..although mine wasn't so juicy. there was a sauce you could dip it in, which I think you had to becuase although the outside was seared perfectly it lacked some flavor in my opinion. A little on the chewy side too. I liked the side it came with, but wasn't a big fan of the cabbage side it had. Then for desert my hubby and I ordered one banana crepe thing that was really good, and the pumpkin cheesecake (don't order this, not very good, it ws very bland, and made you want lots of water in order to swallow it).
4- Out waiter was great...always checkin in on us.
5-if you end up sitting next to one of their side doors in the evening, as I did, you may want to switch seats becuase it gets really cold along the edge of the door.
Overall rating 3 stars, the food was not good enough for the price. I feel like everything else is spot on for paying those prices except the actual food.
we may go back for lunch sometime, but not ever again for dinner..
Yay! I'm a fan.
I found the staff here to be rude, distant, and lacking basic knowledge and excitement about their wine. I would easily skip this winery over on my next visit to this area. I did not learn anything about what differentiates this winery from the others in the area. For those who rarely frequent wine country, this winery does offer a free tour which is a nice perk. The overall ambiance within the tasting room was nice (circular serving area and the well selected artwork on the wall).
Food. Concerts. Fun. Very. Nice.
My fiance and I came here to tour the facility for our wedding. The staff was excellent and attentive especially Darlene from special events. After our tour, we had lunch at the restaurant and were completely sold. The double cut pork chop was delicious, smoked perfectly with creamy polenta and greens. We chose a Riesling with our lunch and it was sweet and light, perfect! We enjoyed a fantastic port reduction over cheesecake that just topped the afternoon off. The staff was fantastic and I can't wait to have my wedding here
I'm a bit of a wine freak, but somehow hadn't gone tasting in livermore yet. Went for the first time last week, and we started our day at Wente. We usually would have avoided the big guy, but none of the other wineries were open as early as we got there. The employees were super nice and helpful. My friend got a tiny bit of wine on her jacket and they actually opened a new bottle of wine away to help her get rid of it. The wines were all pretty good, I didn't not like any of them. We each did one of the three tasting options, for a total of $20 for three of us. Not a bad deal, really, but when we went to buy, they let us know they don't refund it even if you buy a bottle. I have never tasted somewhere where they don't refund your tasting if you buy. I can kind of understand in some cases - my tasting was a nicer one at $10 for five tastes. If I bought a $15 bottle of wine, that wouldn't really be worth it for them. But I was buying a $50 bottle of wine AND chocolates. Hmm. When I mentioned the policy, the employee did give me a $5 discount, to her credit. She was awesome. I probably won't, however, go back to this particular winery. It's a little too commercial for me. A big fish in a little pond thinks he's bigger than he is.
A great meal to be had here and the setting is GORGEOUS! Very friendly service, tasty food and honest recommendations from the staff. Very impressive.
A very pretty place, and is excellent for weddings and such. But its wine? furgeddaboutit. Not terribly offensive, but not terribly interesting either. At the exorbitant prices charged for some bottles, I'd go for the social event, but not a destination to enjoy wine.
Revised 10/2/07 After a few great experiences, and a few not-so-great experiences here, I've had to revise my post. This is not really a 3-star restaurant, so much as sometimes 5 and sometimes 2. For me, it seems hit or miss, and I'm not sure it is worth a over a $100 gamble.
OK, I've never planned a wedding here, but it is worth eating at the restaurant. They are pretty pricey, and for serving their own wine, have an obscene markup on it, but the food is good, and I've had good service there. Last time, they actually seated us in our own room, then completely forgot about us. When they realized their mistake, they felt terrible, and were extremely polite the rest of the meal, and comp'd a good portion of it. The pork chop is great (rumor from meat-eaters, although it smelled so good I was about to eat it myself) and the desserts are excellent. They have also been very accomodating of item modifications that I've requested. On a nice day, the outdoor seating is probably the best in town.
I attended a wedding at Wente last summer. It was small outdoor wedding with less than 150 guests- nice, intimate affaire. The scenery was perfect for the wedding, and the staff was great.
Wente's wines are awesome, but the wine club service is not really worth the money.
This winery is so pretty! I came her as part of a bachelorette party and they were very kind to us, despite the amount of wine we had already consumed! I love the Chardonnay here...it's buttery!
wente vineyards is so pretty , i love going to dinner here or even a concert . i got to see smokey robinson there , what a treat . and i hear Anthony Feliciano is one of the chef's and he is wonderful. I cant wait to go there again.
Oh Wente, Wente, Wente. Do you I describe thee? Wente is probably the biggest winery in Livermore. The offer a great tasting room and a tour of the winery. Make sure to check their schedule of concerts. I you plan to go to Livermore, you must make Wente one of your stops. Cabs and Zens are must trys.
This is not the venue for concerts and weddings - most others seem to be confused. This is the tasting room on Tesla Road. This is a working winery and the tour is great. Wente's wines are fabulous and are much better value than comparable Napa or Sonoma wines. My current favourite is the Grenache. They always have a great Reserve Cab, Riva Ranch Chardonnay and grab the Brut while it's still available (they no longer make it).
Dating back to the 19th century, Wente is one of the oldest California wineries.
Try the Nth Degree Merlot (only available for purchase by Wine Club members though)
this really is a beautiful east bay winery! i came here for a wedding once and it really is perfect for that with the surrounding scenery and peacefulness. i believe they do concerts here too... if you come for a tasting, they actually have a decent cab, not bad at all.
Livermore, CA
Category: Wineries
Livermore, CA
Category: Performing Arts
Livermore, CA
Category: Restaurants
Livermore, CA
Category: Restaurants
Livermore, CA
Category: Venues & Event Spaces
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