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Wente Vineyards Launches Homegrown on the Estate Lawn Independent Music Series for the Summer First Concert July 15, 2011

5 July, 2011

Livermore, CA – As part of its ongoing commitment to the spirit of independent music, and following up on what is now the 5th year of supporting emerging musical artists, Karl Wente, fifth generation winemaker at Wente Vineyards, announces the first in a series of three concerts that will run this summer, entitled Homegrown on the Estate Lawn wente.eventbrite.com.  A musician himself, Karl weaves music into his life with his own band, The Front Porch, and has music as a constant in his life whether he is making wine, driving through vineyards, flying around the country selling his family’s wines or just relaxing at home with friends in his studio.  Wanting to bring this joy of discovering new artists in the ever-evolving and creative world of music, there will be three concerts this summer, July 15, July 30 and August 12, featuring local Bay Area emerging talent on the Estate Lawn at Wente Vineyards. Together with leading rock station Live 105 San Francisco http://live105.radio.com/, the slate includes:

July 15th 6 PM The Mumlers and Young Digerati

July 30th 6 PM The Holdup and Quicksand Marching Band

August 12th 6 PM     A B and The Sea and The Soft White Sixties

(All shows are $15 and tickets can be purchased here http://wente.eventbrite.com/)

All evenings will feature a special performance by Karl Wente’s band, The Front Porch.   Held on the lawn at the Estate Tasting Room at 5565 Tesla Road in Livermore, CA, the summer evenings will be back-dropped by the vineyards, dramatic golden hills and the estate winery where guests can try a variety of Wente Family Estate wines, crafted by Karl, along with gourmet picnic fare to enjoy on the lawn under the stars.   On September 10th, the summer series will culminate with an all day music fest at the Estate Lawn called Bottlerockit, also sponsored by Live 105 with guest DJ & Music Director Aaron Axelsen, featuring 20 bands.  Considering that most concerts of this caliber costs minimally $50 a ticket, this is an amazing opportunity to sample great wine and music in a beautiful setting.   “I’m really psyched to be working with Karl Wente and Wente Vineyards on the Homegrown Series and the BottleRockit Festival.  I grew up in Livermore around the vineyards and have always wanted to do something like this in my hometown with bands I play on my radio shows.   It’s a great time for up and coming talent in the Bay Area,” states Aaron Axelsen, DJ, Music Director, Live 105 San Francisco.

Synergy of wine and music
Wine and music share many parallels, both are a sensory experience that benefit from word of mouth referrals, represent a broad range of styles, can be taken either very seriously or very casually depending on one’s mood or inclination and both have a global appeal transcending cultural and language barriers.   Much like wine, music has a structure and architecture with certain elements playing either supporting or main roles.    Karl Wente realized this early on in his life, having been raised in a family which has been focused on wine for five generations and is today the oldest continuously owned and operated family winery in the United States.  Through this program that he conceived of five years ago, he has been able to break down barriers to wine and music, as well as bring to the public some of the most exciting artists of our time.   The Bay Area has been credited of late with having some of the most original and stimulating independent music scenes and Homegrown on the Estate Lawn serves to showcase that talent.   Karl states, “The Homegrown Series at Wente Vineyards is a great way to introduce new wines and new music to aficionados.   What better way to experience wine and music together when all your senses can take both in…the series is a great way to experience live music at my family vineyard in the beautiful Livermore Valley, California.”

In addition to the Homegrown series, Wente Vineyards has supported several independent music festivals over the years including NoisePop, Lilith Fair, SXSW, MusEXPO, among many others.    The winery and family have a separate concert series celebrating its 25th anniversary this year titled The Concerts at Wente Vineyards http://www.wentevineyards.com/concerts/lineup/ every summer featuring renowned artists such as Chris Isaak, Lyle Lovett, The Fray, Earth Wind & Fire and many others.

About Wente Vineyards
The country’s oldest continuously operated family-owned winery; Wente Vineyards is led today by the fourth and fifth generations of the Wente family. More than 125 years of committed stewardship to the land has led to the development of Wente Vineyards’ Farming for the Future, a system of sustainable viticulture practices designed to produce the best quality wines with the least environmental impact. This philosophy extends to all aspects of winery operations, where energy efficiency, waste reduction, recycling and social responsibility are all integral to the culture.

All of the wines within the Wente Vineyards portfolio are Estate Grown, crafted by 5th generation winemaker, Karl Wente from estate vineyards in Livermore Valley and Arroyo Seco. 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, fine dining and championship golf. For more information, visit www.wentevineyards.com.   For more background on Karl Wente’s interest in wine, music, yoga and food please visit his blog at http://www.wentevineyards.com/blog/

About Live 105
LIVE105.com provides users with a unique music format, playing modern alternative rock with an evolving fresh, hip playlist. You’ll hear artists like Red Hot Chili Peppers, Green Day, Foo Fighters, The White Stripes, Nirvana, Sublime, Nine Inch Nails and Weezer. Comprised of an audience of bold and progressive consumers, LIVE105.com delivers 90,000+ monthly unique visitors who view over one million pages. LIVE105.com’s individualistic users lead an active lifestyle, want to be entertained while challenging the norm, and respond well to new consumer products and services.

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