Music plays an important role in my life. I often think of it as a thread that connects some of the most important elements of my life like winemaking and good times with family and friends. Music influences the atmosphere of a room, emotions and even the way a wine tastes.

My family’s held concerts at our historic property every summer for the past 25 years. I have a ton of great memories hanging out with world-class musicians and friends enjoying good food, wine and music. Five years ago, as I was developing my own musical skills later in life playing the guitar, I was inspired by the great plethora of independent music we have in this country and began a program that was called Discover the Wine, Discover the Music. Every harvest, we have profiled up and coming artists from all genres of the indie music scene, and have paired their musical style with one of the 32 grape varieties that I grow for Wente Vineyards. Recently, we kicked off what is called the Homegrown Series on the Estate Lawn at Wente Vineyards to showcase emerging local Bay Area talent as well as the connectivity between music, wine and family.

This Friday, August 12th is the third show in the series and I’m pleased to introduce to you two brilliant local bands: A B & The Sea and The Soft White Sixties. I’ll be opening with my band, The Front Porch. I hope you’ll be able to join us for a summer evening of sound. If you can’t make this event, on September 10th, we will feature 20 bands for $20 with our BottleRockIt festival at the Wente Vineyards Estate, which is sure to be a killer show.