Bent Creek Winery

Livermore Valley Winery and Tasting Room

Down a long, paved lane, and cradled where the creek bends, the charming little Bent Creek tasting room nestles in vineyards, surrounded by rolling hills.

A patio, a small pavilion, or a distant gazebo are perfect picnic spots in this Tuscany atmosphere.

Some call Bent Creek the educators’ winery because two couples, the Heinemans and the Howells—teachers, principals and a physicist—own the winery. Not surprising, when the foursome decided to make wine for public consumption, they dove into classes at U.C. and state colleges.

“Since day one,” Rich Howell says, “we remain dedicated to crafting small lots of complex wine, primarily from grapes grown in our own vineyard and nearby Livermore Valley vineyards.” Rich says they make wine the old-fashioned way, beginning with open-top fermentation in half-ton bins. “We ‘punch it down’ by hand twice a day, and treat the wine gently during its two-year oak barrel aging process. Once the wine has been blended and bottled, we prefer to age it for another year before release.”

This practice has Bent Creek regularly winning gold and silver awards in local, state and international competitions.

Fascinating Fact:

The 100-plus-year-old oak tree in back has its own—also very old but not at all annoying—beehive.

Amenities: First Call wine club, weddings/events, jazz and wine on the patio.
Founded: 2002
Signature Wines: Syrah, Petite Sirah
Wine Tasting: Fri-Sun 12-4:30, Mon-Fri by appointment

Bent Creek Winery
5455 Greenville Road
Livermore, CA, 94550
925-455-6320

winery@bentcreekwinery.com
www.bentcreekwinery.com

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Sandy Sims, an award winning journalist, newspaper editor, and travel writer, also writes fiction.
Thomas C. Wilmer is an award-winning author and travel writer. His latest book; Wine Seeker's Guide to Livermore Valley is available from White Cloud Press or Amazon.com.

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