Carolyn Wente is one of the driving forces behind the expansion and growth of Wente Family Estates’ portfolio of wines. She was instrumental in the development of the Wente family's lifestyle business, which has brought Wente Vineyards worldwide renown and attracted visitors from around the globe. Today Carolyn works with fourth and fifth generation family members and company executives to continue the growth of Wente Family Estates. She was chosen as one of the honorees for the Leading Women Entrepreneurs of the World in 2002, in an event sponsored by J.P. Morgan Private Banking, Baccarat and Hermès, among other leading luxury brands. She held the role of president of the California Wine Institute in June of 2014 – the fifth member of her family to lead the organization that her grandfather helped establish eighty years ago.

“There are very few family businesses that survive past the third generation. I am proud to be a member of the fourth generation in a successful and growing family business in a very competitive global environment. Through my nearly

thirty years in the business, I have built relationships with employees, customers and consumers. We are still a relationship-based business, so having visible family leaders who are in it for the long run is extremely important,” says Carolyn.

As CEO, Carolyn is now heading the effort to meet the family's goals for Wente Family Estates: growing the business, strengthening the company's brand promise and developing a high- performing organization. An important part of this effort is to secure an efficient transition, where the fifth and future generations take over a healthy and profitable business with seasoned, trained and passionate leaders – both family and non-family members.

When Carolyn joined the business in the early 1980s, the family was recognized for its leadership in viticulture, enology and the world of wine business. That reputation served as a challenge to Carolyn and her brothers. There was more to accomplish.

“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.”

The opening of the new Wente Vineyards Visitors Center in 1986 was the first step in the realization of their dream for a new appreciation of wine as a part of culture in America. In the summer of 1986, The Concerts at Wente Vineyards followed, featuring world-renowned artists such as James Taylor, Elvis Costello, Sheryl Crow and Diana Krall.

In 1998, the Wente family created an 18-hole championship golf course designed by Australian golfing great Greg Norman, which is beautifully located in the midst of the vineyards and offers exciting challenges to golfers; a destination to enjoy wine country. The course was awarded the “Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary” status in 2010.

Carolyn co-authored Sharing the Vineyard Table: A Celebration of Wine and Food from the Wente Vineyards Restaurant, with Kimball Jones in 1999. Through her direction of The Restaurant and this book, Carolyn expresses her wide-ranging culinary knowledge. A second book, The Casual Vineyard Table, a less formal take on meal preparation and wine and food pairing, was published in May 2003.

Carolyn was born and raised in the Livermore Valley, California. She earned a degree in history at Stanford University. She also studied in Europe and was a student intern on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. To broaden her experience in the business world, Carolyn spent three years working for Crocker Bank as a financial analyst before returning to the family winery. Carolyn makes her home in the scenic Livermore Valley with her husband, Buck Layton. Their son, Buck IV now works in the wine business in distribution in Texas.

Dina Opici is President of the Opici Family Distributing, a family-owned wine and spirits wholesale distribution company based in Glen Rock, NJ.  Opici Family Distributing was formed in NJ in 1934 by Joseph and Esther Opici, Ms. Opici’s great-grandparents.  Hubert Opici, her grandfather, took over responsibility for the NJ wholesale business in 1944.  Through the years, the family has established a national import company and expanded its distribution business into New York, Connecticut, Florida, Washington DC, Delaware, Maryland and Virginia. 

Ms. Opici’s start in the wholesale business began in 1998 after she completed law school at Benjamin Cardozo School of Law.  At a time when the industry was consumed by consolidation, Ms. Opici saw the opportunity for a family-owned business to succeed independently, and left the law profession to work with her family.  In an environment where corporate consolidation has eliminated many family-owned businesses, Ms. Opici feels that their long-standing business relationships and corporate integrity have allowed their business to survive and prosper. 

Over the past 20 years, Ms. Opici has held various positions within the organization, including Sales Administration, Human Resource Director, and General Counsel.  Ms. Opici was asked to be the first Chairwoman of the WSWA Women’s Leadership Counsel and led the Advisory Board for three years as they established their mission as well as looked to bring women leaders in the industry together through events including the 1^st Annual WLC Conference which took place in September 2017.  Ms. Opici is married and lives in Purchase, NY with her husband and two children.