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Discover the Wine Discover the Music at SXSW

15 March, 2012

Livermore Valley, CA – On the heels of supporting Noise Pop, San Francisco’s city-wide music and arts festival, for the third year, Wente Vineyards continues its successful emerging artist program, ‘Discover the Wine, Discover the Music’ (DWDM) through participation in South by Southwest (SXSW) from Tuesday, March 13th to Sunday, March 18th this year.

DWDM launched five years ago when Fifth Generation Winemaker Karl D. Wente decided to blend his love for fine wines with independent original music. Every year Karl pairs six up-and-coming artists’ singles with six of his Estate grown wines to create a new “vintage”. Karl Wente strongly believes that great wine and good food should be paired with music, and has a knack for finding unique parallels between music and wine.

This year Wente Vineyards is tapping into SXSW in a unique way. Wente Vineyards and Noise Pop have teamed up to host several music and wine pairing events. The first was held on Wednesday, March 14, where 16 bands performed at Red Eyed Fly including Three Oh Sees, Pillowfight and Y La Bamba. The second event is this Friday, March 16 from 12pm-6pm and will feature14 bands performing at the Iota/ Noisepop/Wente SXSW Day Party. Both events are free.

Noise Pop and Wente Vineyards also held sold out “The Cover Dinners” on Tuesday, March 13 and Wednesday March 14. The exclusive events, held at secret locations in Austin, were hosted by Karl Wente and featured the pairing of great wine with new music.

In addition, Karl Wente will be hosting acoustic performances and a Wente Vineyards wine tasting at Cork and Co., 308 Congress Company located at 308 Congress Ave Austin, TX 78701, from 12pm-3pm March 15th, 16th and 17th. Some of the bands performing include: The Front Porch, Loquat, The Pierces, the Soft White Sixties, The Kin and more.  This event is free to the public.

Tickets to SXSW can be purchased online at Ticketfly.com.

About Wente Vineyards
Founded in 1883, Wente Vineyards is the oldest continuously-operated, family-owned winery in the country; owned and managed by the fourth and fifth generations of the Wente family. The winery draws from nearly 3,000 acres of Estate vineyards in the Livermore Valley, San Francisco Bay and Arroyo Seco, Monterey appellations to create an outstanding portfolio of fine wines. Wente Vineyards is distributed in all 50 states and in over 70 countries worldwide.  In 2010, Wente Vineyards was among the first wineries to receive the Certified California Sustainable Winegrowing designation, and one of the only wineries to certify every aspect of its business. In 2011, Wente Family Estates was named American Winery of the Year by Wine Enthusiast and a top 30 wine company by Wine Business Monthly. 2012 marks the 100th anniversary of the Wente family bringing Chardonnay cuttings to California. Today, nearly 80% of all California Chardonnays derive from the Wente clone.

Located just east of San Francisco in the historic Livermore Valley, Wente Vineyards is recognized as one of California’s premier wine country destinations, featuring wine tasting, world class concerts, fine dining at the award-winning Restaurant at Wente Vineyards, and championship golf at the Greg Norman designed Course at Wente Vineyards. For more information, visit www.wentevineyards.com.

About Noise Pop
Noise Pop sprang to life in 1993. It was originally a single night in a small club showcasing the best of the burgeoning underground San Francisco music scene. It has since developed into one of the country’s leading independent music festivals. The event has achieved grassroots and critical success, as well as international recognition. Many of the most important artists of our time—including The White Stripes, Death Cab For Cutie, Modest Mouse, Jimmy Eat World, The Flaming Lips, The Shins, Bright Eyes, and Jeff Tweedy of Wilco have played on Noise Pop stages.

Over the course of five days, Noise Pop presents dozens of unique and important music shows in the city’s best-loved venues. It has grown to include a film festival, an educational series, art openings and dining experiences. It is a music-lover’s celebration and a celebration of San Francisco—the shows sell out, people have fun, and every year the event grows in size and scope.

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