COVER STORY:

THE YOUNG AND THE TESTED
NFL Icon John Madden, now
grapegrowing in Livermore

With more than a century of award-winning history, Livermore Valley seeks revitalization from a group of energetic grape growers and winemakers

BY DEBORAH GROSSMAN

The Livermore Valley is a growing wine district sprinting toward its 156th harvest with historic momentum and youthful verve.

There’s no better embodiment of this movement than Karl Wente. On weekends, this 27-year-old grabs his guitar and jams with local rock bands. During the week, he oversees production of 350,000 cases of wine at Livermore Valley’s largest winery, Wente Vineyards, founded by his great-great-grandfather in 1883.

Then there’s Adam Richardson, 38, at the second-largest area winery. He ignores the disco ring of his cell phone and hustles between cellars and vineyards, managing the expansion of Concannon Vineyard, also established in 1883.

While these young vintners produce award-winning wines, new wineries and wine
country diversions blossom in Livermore Valley. Only an hour’s drive from San Francisco in the East Bay, the area is an easy weekend destination for travelers. Visitors experience concerts, independent film festival events, eight championship golf courses and world-class restaurants. At harvest and holiday-time, grape-crushing fun reigns at wine and food festivals.

Plus, there’s a plethora of wines to discover at 28 tasting rooms, with several more on the way in 2005.

“ This valley reminds me of what Napa was like 40 years ago,” says Jim Concannon, whose immigrant grandfather, James, founded Concannon Vineyard. “You can easily travel around here from winery to winery with little traffic and few crowds — and you get a generous pour without a $10 tasting fee. The tasting rooms are unpretentious and fun.”

From rustic barns and historic barrel rooms to Tuscan villas and mansions, you’ll
encounter elegant Cabernet Sauvignon, fruit-forward Chardonnay and bold Petite Sirah, often poured by the personable and diverse winemakers themselves.

Livermore’s winegrowers are an interesting group, too. John Madden joined the Livermore Valley team five years ago. The ABC-TV Monday Night Football commentator and former Oakland Raiders coach caught the winegrowing bug after driving around the vine-laden Livermore hills with Karl’s uncle, Phil Wente.

“Wine has been made in this valley for a long time,” Madden says. “As people get more interested in wine in general, they will see that Livermore can compete. But when I first heard that some of the grapes on our land were Petite Sirah, I didn’t want anything to do with those vines. I’ve never had — or done — anything ‘petite’ in my whole life. Later I learned that only the size of the grapes is small, and the wine is bold and full of flavor.”

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