Wood Family Vineyards

Livermore Valley Family Winery and Tasting Room

Surrounded by vineyards and rolling hills, this winery is one of the beautiful, Tuscan places off Greenville Road. To taste here, you need to call for an appointment.

Rhonda and Michael Wood’s venture into winemaking began at their home in Fremont, when they started growing grapes. They planned to open a winery “someday when they retired.” But when they discovered the outstanding terroir in Livermore and found a Merlot vineyard for sale, they decided to keep their jobs and jump in. Rhonda says they didn’t even drink Merlot at the time, but discovered they really like it.

After 9/11, Rhonda took a leave of absence from her job and eventually retired to focus fulltime on her family and vineyard. Michael still commutes daily to Sunnyvale.

In addition to their estate-grown grapes, Rhonda and Michael Wood source fruit from nearby growers. Rhonda keeps a close eye on their vineyards as well as vineyards they source from. Gentle processing of all grapes begins with hand harvesting in early morning hours, keeping them cool until crush. The Woods produce small berries, which gives their Merlot lots of intensity, great tannin structure and fruit concentration, ending in a big, style Merlot.

Fascinating Fact:

Rhonda Wood, a licensed private pilot by age 17, later made her career as commercial pilot for U.S. Airways.

Amenities: Become an Extended Family Member!
Founded: 2000
Signature Wines: Merlot, Chardonnay, Zinfandel
Wine Tasting: By appointment only

Wood Family Vineyards
770 Cedar Mountain Drive
Livermore, CA, 94550
925-606-7411

rhonda@woodfamilyvineyards.com
www.woodfamilyvineyards.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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