Wente Vineyards CEO Carolyn Wente receives Grande Dame Award from Les Dames d’Escoffier

Les Dames d’Escoffier International’s (LDEI) prestigious Grande Dame Award is being presented this year to Carolyn Wente, CEO of Wente Family Estates, America’s longest continuously operated family-owned winery.

LDEI is an organization of women leaders in the food, beverage and hospitality industries. Its Grande Dame Award honors a lifetime of outstanding professional achievement, excellence, and charitable/community contributions within the culinary industry and is bestowed annually. Wente, the sixteenth recipient of this international honor, receives the award at LDEI’s first virtual conference this year.

Joining the family business in the early 1980s, Wente’s culinary career in wine spans over 40 years and she is a part of the fourth generation of Wente’s family-owned vineyards, sustainably cultivating over 3,000 acres. “There are very few family businesses that survive past the third generation,” shares Wente. “I am proud to be a member of the fourth generation in a successful and growing family business in a very competitive global environment.”

Under Wente’s leadership, the company has become a world-renowned destination located in the idyllic settings of the Livermore Valley and Monterey County, California. The first step to realizing the family’s dream for a new appreciation of wine as part of America culture was the opening of the Wente Vineyards Visitors Center and Restaurant in 1986. In that same year, The Concerts at Wente Vineyards was launched featuring musical artists including James Taylor and Sheryl Crow. In 1998, an 18-hole championship golf course designed by Australian golfing great Greg Norman was developed. And in 2010, the course was awarded with the esteemed “Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary” status.

Wente has guided the expansion and growth of the Wente Family Estate’s portfolio of wines and the development of the Wente family’s lifestyle businesses for four decades. A co-founder of LDEI’s San Francisco Chapter, Wente has been a member of Les Dames d’Escoffier for 31 years and has served on the national Board of Directors as well as in San Francisco.

Wente has authored two books. In 2003, “The Casual Vineyard Table” was published, sharing wine and food pairing along with everyday meal planning. Prior to its publication, she co-authored “Sharing the Vineyard Table: A Celebration of Wine and Food from the Wente Vineyard Restaurant” with Kimball Jones.

Over the last several years, Wente has been awarded numerous honors, perhaps most notably the Leading Women Entrepreneurs of the World in 2002 sponsored by J.P. Morgan, Baccarat and Hermes. Additionally, she was awarded Winery CEO of the Year 2019 by North Bay Business Journal; the “20 Most Admired People in the North America Wine Industry” in 2013 from Vineyard & Winery Management; the Women Leadership Award in 2012 from Girl Scouts of America; and the American Winery of the Year Award in 2011 from Wine Enthusiast — among many others.

Wente is well-known for her generosity of time and community outreach as seen through her board service with the Stanford Athletic Advisory, the U.S. Department of State’s Fine Arts Committee, and more. She also has the distinction of being the fifth member of the Wente family to serve as Board Chair of the California Wine Institute (2014-2015).

Currently, Wente is heading efforts to meet her family’s goals for Wente Family Estates: continued business growth, strengthening the brand promise, and developing a high performing organization — each integral to ensuring transition where the fifth and future generations take over a healthy profitable business to include both family and non-family members. Wente says, “As a family, we are always pushing the quality envelope for our wines. With our lifestyle businesses, the same holds true, providing a quality experience that exceeds our guests’ expectations.”

Les Dames d’Escoffier International (LDEI) is a worldwide philanthropic organization of professional women leaders in the fields of food, fine beverage and hospitality. The invitation-only membership, composed of over 2,400 women in 44 chapters across the US, Canada, France, the United Kingdom and Mexico, is highly diversified and reflects the multifaceted fields of contemporary gastronomy and hospitality. For more information, visit visit ldei.org

About Wente Family Estates

Founded in 1883, Wente Vineyards has been resoundingly celebrated for its industry-wide contributions to innovation as the longest continuously-operated, family-owned winery in the country, now owned and managed by the fourth and fifth generations of the Wente family.  The company portfolio is comprised of Wente Vineyards, Murrieta’s Well, Hayes Ranch, Ravel & Stitch, entwine and Angel’s Ink brands. The winery draws from certified sustainable estate vineyards in the Livermore Valley, San Francisco Bay and Arroyo Seco, Monterey appellations to create an outstanding array of fine wines that are distributed in all 50 states and in over 70 countries worldwide.  In 2010, it joined the top 4 percent of  California wineries who meet all three tiers within the Certified California Sustainable Winegrowing codes & designation. In 2011, Wente Family Estates was named American Winery of the Year by Wine Enthusiast and is among the top 30 wineries in the United States according to Wine Business Monthly, (February 2020). 2012 marked the 100th anniversary of the Wente family bringing Chardonnay cuttings to California from France. Today, the Wente clones of Chardonnay are the most widely planted in California.

Located just east of San Francisco in the historic Livermore Valley, Wente Vineyards is recognized as one of California’s premier wine country destinations. In 2018, the winery took a leadership role in its longstanding mission to inspire employees and guests to make time for what really matters, as realized through Wente Vineyards’ best practices, outstanding wines and wine country experiences. The property features wine tasting, world-class concerts, award-winning fine dining and championship golf. Wente Vineyards is also proud to have 100% estate grown wines and have the Certified Sustainable designations across their vineyards and winery through California Certified Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance.

For more information, visit www.wentevineyards.com.

Digital Parish Fashion Week: Dior’s 2020-2021 Haute Couture Collection

Paris Fashion Week continues even without the large events this year, and a large part of it is being presented digitally. Watch here the Dior’s Autumn-Winter 2020-2021 Haute Couture Collection

 

Digital Parish Fashion Week: Viktor & Rolf’s 2020 Collection

Paris Fashion Week continues even without the large events this year, and a large part of it is being presented digitally. Take a look at Viktor & Rolf’s 2020 “CHANGE” Collection

Cat-Inspired Catstooth Clothing has Huge Betabrand Fanbase

Betabrand has the fun business model of crowdsourcing its designs by vote. Recently, a cool cat pattern won by a huge margin, and is a hot seller.

Betabrand, a San Francisco-based online clothing company, has received an incredible response to its feline-based designs. “We all know that cats basically power the Internet,” says founder and CEO Chris Lindland, “but damn …”

According to Lindland, not only have Betabrand’s new Catstooth Dress Pant Yoga Pants and matching blazer shattered crowdfunding records, the company cat (see below) has topped Reddit’s homepage, been posted by the likes of Ellen DeGeneris and Kirsten Bell, and is surely on track to surpass total Grumpy Cat and Lime Cat memes any day now.  Still, Lindland says, “we didn’t anticipate that this product would tap into a cat-news-hungry network of millions.”

One of the top sellers is this frisky edition of Dress Pant Yoga Pants.

After any product becomes a hit, Betabrand quickly polls its fanbase on related design ideas. So only a week after its Catstooth pants debuted, the company launched a Catstooth blazer.

As this print’s popularity grows, the company will continue to crowdsource new Catstooth prototypes, with concept scarves, skirts and shirts now queueing up in the pipeline. Says Lindland, “If companies are seeking a revenue catalyst during the quarantine, look no further than felines.”

Betabrand has open-sourced Mr. Fred for meme developers.

About Betabrand:

San Francisco-based Betabrand gives consumers a voice in design, inviting them directly into clothing’s creative process. From a product’s first sketch to the last pixel, Betabrand’s fans decide what’s next.

#catsuitnation

The Stealth Portable Workout Device includes Video Games

We’re all looking for ways to keep our fitness game up to par, especially in the home. Stealth has a new portable fitness system that “gamifies” your workout.

Using the Stealth device, your body becomes the game controller. Simply slip your phone into the slot, choose one of its paired games, and start building a stronger core and leaner physique as you twist, turn, pivot, and hold steady to reach the high score.

Created by billionaire entrepreneur Howard Panes, Stealth combines his passion for modern tech with his 25+ years of experience as a personal trainer. Howard Panes founded LOGIC ECig

“The plank is one of the most dynamic and rewarding moves you can do for your body,” explained Panes. “The problem isn’t that it’s too challenging, it’s that it’s too boring.”

Stealth benefits:

  • Pairs fitness with strategically designed video games you can play on your phone
  • Uses your body as the game controller so you can build a strong core while going for the high score
  • Targets 29 muscles from head to toe, including abs, glutes, legs, arms, shoulders, and more!
  • Helps you develop a stronger, longer plank without even realizing it
  • Provides an effective workout in as little as 3 minutes!
  • Compatible with any size phone
  • Stealth App is FREE and offers several games to choose from
  • Use the app to track your progress, measure your results on the worldwide leaderboard, and start private challenges with friends and family

 

 

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You can also join the free Stealth private Facebook group with thousands of Stealth users, fitness experts and coaches at www.StealthNation.com.

Find out more at https://trystealth.com

RECIPE: Make Them “Blush” with Martinelli’s Blush 75 Mocktail

As many people spend more time at home, there are plenty of creative ways to make sure the persons in your life feel appreciated and extra loved every day, even if you can’t celebrate in person.

Bring a smile to their faces by sending a recipe package that includes a card, fresh flowers and all the fixings for Martinelli’s Blush 75 Mocktail.

Martinelli’s Sparkling Blush is made from U.S.-grown fresh apples with a hint of raspberry juice, and has a festive pink tint.

Try this tasty mocktail recipe from blogger Meghan Yager at Cake N Knife that uses ingredients that may already be in your house or can easily be found at the local store (or online).

Serves 4

Ingredients

  • 16 oz Martinelli’s Sparkling Blush
  • 3 oz fresh lemon juice
  • 1 oz simple syrup
  • Fresh lemon rind, for garnish

Instructions

Build each mocktail in a champagne flute or any other pretty glass. Start by adding ¾ oz fresh lemon juice and ¼ oz simple syrup to each glass. Stir to combine.

Top each with 4 oz Martinelli’s Sparkling Blush. Garnish with lemon rind and serve.

For more delicious recipes visit the Martinelli’s website.

About S. Martinelli & Company

Family-owned and operated, S. Martinelli & Company has been producing Gold Medal premium quality sparkling cider and apple juice for over 150 years in Watsonville, Calif. Martinelli’s products are 100% juice, made from U.S. grown fresh apples and contain no added sweeteners or chemical preservatives. Its apple-shaped glass and champagne style bottles are iconic hallmarks of the brand. The company is led by fourth generation family member and Chairman, John Martinelli.

For more information visit martinellis.com.