As we've seen in several cases, investing in tasting rooms or hospitality can be a good move for wineries looking to improve profitability by driving direct-to-consumer sales. Wente has a gorgeous tasting room and outdoor picnic area, making it a perfect event venue. So it's not surprising that when the Bay Area Costumers' Guild wanted to host a Regency-era picnic and wine tasting, Wente made the shortlist of potential locations (despite not being quite old enough to fit into the Regency period -- but then again, neither is the state of California!). We had a wonderful time chatting, tasting wine, and playing Jane Austen-themed games, and an awful lot of visitors to the winery ended up taking photographs with us. I can also confirm that we were good for Wente's business, as we purchased plenty of wine in addition to our tastings!
