This party precedes the one-day sporting event held on March 31. The impressive, oversized bottle is the trophy that Arion Wine Company’s Govert van der Hout won last year for being the distributor with the most successful growth of Wente Vineyards wines. The award was presented in Livermore, California, where the Wente family has its vineyards, stables, golf course and upscale restaurant. ``We like to pay tribute to the people who have helped make our company continue its success,’’ said Carolyn Wente during the award ceremony of the 128-year old Wente success story.

The unusually large bottle is a Charles Wetmore Cabernet Sauvignon 2008. It bears aromas and flavors of black cherry, chocolate, green olives and hints of tobacco and cloves. Its varietals have been aged for 16 months in American, French, Eastern European and neutral oak barrels. From their origins in Margaux in the 1880’s to the present, only the best vines have been selected for each new generation planted. The vines are prized for making wines with intensity, depth of flavor and rich body.

Karl Wente is the wine maker of the Charles Wetmore Cabernet Sauvignon. Wente Vineyards subscribes to the Farming for the Future Program, a system of sustainable viticultural practices designed to produce the best quality wines with the least environmental impact.