rhonda woodOWNER & WINEMAKER OF WOOD FAMILY VINEYARDS

What prompted you to pursue winemaking as a career?

What is one of the hardest things about wine making year

in and year out?

Who has influenced you the most as a winemaker?

I dreamed of one day retiring as an airline pilot, buying a vineyard and making wine.  After making beer in my garage for many years I wondered why I was not making wine. So I planted 18 grapevines in my backyard with the intent of learning how to make wine from those vines.  One day as I was tasting wine in the Livermore Valley, I saw a sign for a vineyard for sale and thought, “why not buy now?”  We don’t have to wait till we retire as we would still be in the Bay Area so we could commute to our day jobs. We ended up purchasing 18 acres of grapes in 1996 and built a home in the vineyard to raise our children and I started home wine making. In 2001 I became a bonded winery on a very small scale production. I joked “If I can’t sell it, I can drink it”. On September 1st, 2001 I decided to take a 30 day leave of absence to pursue wine making as a career in order to stay home with my family. I was very senior and was offered a five year leave of absence in lieu of furlough, which I accepted. I had five years to decide if wine making is what I wanted to do or go back to flying. At the end of five years I resigned as an airline pilot and have enjoyed, prospered and grown our family winery. I am currently enjoying having one of my sons work by my side.

One of the hardest things about wine making year in and year out is the vintage differences and what Mother Nature sometimes challenges us with.  We continue to learn and grow with these challenges. I strive for continued growth and continued improvement in our wines and for people to appreciate the vintage differences while always enjoying our wine.

"Livermore Valley is a special place as most

of the winemakers know each other,

share and join in the comradery of wine

making. We all support each other

and congratulate each other in our

celebrations."

- Rhonda Wood

PROUD MEMBER OF THE LIVERMORE VALLEY

WINEGROWERS ASSOCIATION

The winemakers who most influenced me are both Helen Turley and Tim Sauer. Helen was known for her Zinfandels and was not afraid to step out of the box, making huge amazing Zinfandels, which I loved. One year I purchased used barrels from her winery and had the opportunity to meet her when I was loading the barrels.  She was, as her wine is, amazing. My first hands on experience was with Tim Sauer, Livermore Valley Cellars, learning wine making from the ground up and absolutely enjoying and loving every aspect. Thank you to two wonderful winemakers who I applaud.

What would a world populated by clones of you be like?A world of Rhondas would be an adventurous fun world indeed!  We would all have Jetson packs on our backs and fly off to all sorts of fun places.  We would share wines, dance and explore and after the appropriate amount of time we would fly off to the next location!

Wood family vineyardsIT'S ALL GOOD AT WOOD

PROUD MEMBER OF THE LIVERMORE VALLEY

WINEGROWERS ASSOCIATION

The Woody on our label personifies quality, family, friends, and fun. Rhonda and Michael Wood, owners of Wood Family Vineyards, believe life should be approached with this in mind. Together, their passion for wine and belief that winemaking begins in the vineyards led them to

Livermore Valley, where they produce handcrafted wines made exclusively from the local grapes in the region.

HistorySparks flew in Yosemite during the spring of 1984. Michael’s eyes captured Rhonda’s across a crowded room at the Lodge. Over glasses of wine, conversations were shared, addresses exchanged, and a relationship ensued. Their first home in Fremont overlooked Weibel Vineyards where they dreamed of one day owning their own vineyard. At their second home, also in Fremont, they planted 18 vines. Before these vines reached maturity, they discovered Crane Ridge Vineyards in Livermore Valley. They purchased property with 8037 vines and built their dream home. Wood Family Vineyards winery shortly followed. Rhonda took a leave from her career as an airline pilot to handle the winemaking. Michael, a CFO, helps out where he can and enjoys the fruit of their labor, especially the award winning Chardonnay, his favorite.The winery operations have been moved to their current location and the tasting room opened in June 2017. Their oldest son, Harrison, has taken on the role of Executive VP. They have a strong commitment to each other and to the celebration of life, family and friends. This same commitment carries over into making luscious handcrafted wines. Many visitors have said that they also feel like “Extended Family” when visiting the winery and Tasting Room which is an attest to the wonderful atmosphere at Wood Family Vineyards.

Wines & Vines

tasting room

2407 Research Drive

Livermore, CA 94550

925.606.7411

rhonda@woodfamilyvineyards.com

www.woodfamilyvineyards.com

Open Thursday - Saturday

12:00 - 7:00

Sunday - 12:00-6:00

Happy Hour Thursday from 4-7

Rhonda and Michael planted 18 grape vines in their backyard in Fremont with the intention of learning how to make wine. Before harvesting their backyard crop they discovered Livermore Valley during the Harvest Festival in 1995. They saw a property on Crane Ridge Vineyards for sale and determined they could purchase this property in the Bay Area while still working/commuting to their day jobs in San Francisco and Sunnyvale. They purchased property with 8,037 vines and built their dream home. Wood Family Vineyards winery shortly followed. Wood Family Vineyards specializes in red wines, with their Zinfandel often in the spotlight.