Winemakers Tackle Winemaking History in the Tri-Valley

More than one hundred years ago, a long tradition of acclaimed wine making began sprouting up in the Amador-Livermore Valley. 

On Aug. 17,  EdKinney Lecture Series welcomed winemakers from local wineries to the Valley Winemakers Speakeasy at the . 

Speakers from participating wineries included: Jim Ryan, Estate Manager of Concannon Vineyard; Donna Flavetta, President  & CEO of Elliston Vineyards; and Philip Wente, fourth-generation winegrower from Wente Vineyards.

Ryan noted the strength of California wines.

“If California were a country, it would rank fourth behind France, Italy and Spain in wine production.” 

Fellow winemakers discussed stories of failed young gold seekers who settled in the region and later turned to winemaking as a profession. 

And looking into the future, Wente stated, “There are thousands of acres throughout the valley which are deemed suitable for winemaking.”

The lecture series will host two more events this season at the Firehouse Theatre: California Women's Suffrage - Dr. Jessica Weiss, Associate Professor of History at CSU East Bay, provides insights to the history of women’s rights in California and the suffragist movement of the early 1900s. This will be on Wednesday, Sept. 21.

And second will be the following event: Edgar Allan Poe: Man of Mystery - Edgar Allan Poe rises from the scene of his mysterious death to tell his life story. Poe will be portrayed by dynamic Broadway and film actor Duffy Hudsonand who earlier in the year as part of the lecture series potrayed Albert Einstein to the Firehouse's first sold-out standing room only crowd. This will be on Wednesday, Oct. 19th.