Rhonda Wood gets it.
From the first time we tasted her wine out of the garage at her house to recently when we enjoyed her wine at the Wood Family Vineyards tasting room just off South Vasco Road, it’s been all about having fun.
“We’re dog friendly and kid friendly,” said Wood the last time we visited. “The vibe here is very friendly. People come back because they love the wine and the experience.”
The retired commercial airline pilot for USAirways opened Wood Family back in 2000, then finally moved into their tasting room in June of 2017.
The tasting room is open seven days a week and on five of the days they are open from 12-noon to 7 p.m. Friday’s they are open until 8 p.m. and Sunday’s until 6 p.m.
Wednesday features acoustic music from 4-7 p.m., with Friday’s featuring live music from 5-8 p.m.
On Tuesday’s they offer Line Dancing classes at 6:30 p.m.
Music is a central theme for Wood. On the random Saturday we were there, classic rock was playing from the speakers.
“It is important for us to support local musicians and small businesses, and we have done so since we opened for tastings in 2001 at our home and were able to increase our experiences at the warehouse with regular hours in 2017,” said Wood, who still regularly flies with her own private plane out of the Livermore airport. “We have a lot of Friday night regulars plus fans who follow specific bands. We also love to see new people who are looking for great wine and fun music experiences. People get off work and head over. Our Acoustic Wednesdays have more of a chill vibe, and we have our regulars on this evening as well.”
They still utilize their home property for the occasional Estate Concert. The next takes place August 15 with East Bay Grooveline from 5-8 p.m.
There are a variety of seating options, from general admission where you bring your own chair to reserved tables on the porch of the family home.
“People love our Estate concerts. Quite a few have been enjoying music at our estate for over 25 years,” said Wood. “The acoustics are exceptional and the dance area is quite large. We love to keep the events going, especially for those who want to enjoy the beauty of the vineyards. We do other events (sunset dinners and food pairing events and a Labor Day Pizza and Wine pairing contest) our Estate besides concerts.”
The most vital component of the winery – it truly is a “family
,” operation. Husband Michael has been involved since the beginning, and their son Harrison has jumped in with both feet in promoting everything Rhonda started with the winery over 25 years ago.
Michael, recently retired after more than 30 years as Regional CFO for Pacific Coast Trane Air Conditioning, is the CFO of Wood Family Vineyards.
“Harrison doesn’t take a break,” said Rhonda of her son. “He keeps up with everything and is always busy with the events. I can remember when we first started and the kids were in strollers.”
I remember the first time we visited the estate; Harrison was playing in the Pleasanton Junior Football League with one of our sons. To see where is his now is a testament to the family.
There’s no doubt about the quality of time you will experience but adding in the wine takes it to the next level.
To me what makes it work with the wine is that there’s something for everyone and every palate.
We started with a pair Sauvignon Blanc’s, starting with the 2025 Sauvignon Blanc ($34), followed by the 2024 Culmination Sauvignon Blanc ($50).
I am not a white wine drinker, but I found them both – especially the Culmination – very refreshing and I could see relaxing in the backyard on a hot summer day and enjoying the bottle with me wife.
She loved both the wines!
Next was the 2023 Cabernet Franc ($45), the new signature varietal of the Livermore Valley. Wood is hardly new to the family, as she has been making the win for over 20 years, producing her first vintage in 2001.
It’s a good bottle of wine and it does the Livermore Valley proud.
“We grow great Cab Franc grapes,” said Wood.
The next was named The Take Off Red Blend. It is one of three bottles that pay homage to Rhonda’s pilot life. The other two are the Runway and the Captain.
All three are Bordeaux blends.
The 2024 Take Off ($50) was a blend of 60 percent Cab Franc, 20 percent merlot, 12 percent Cabernet, and 3 percent Petite Verodot.
It was easy to taste the Cab Franc influence, but the blends bring a difference to the bottle that is distinctive.
The next were the big hitters of the day and both were worth every penny of the cost.
The 2022 Culmination Cabernet Franc ($80) was a sensational bottle of wine.
“Wineries will have secondary labels and (Culmination) is it for us,” explained Rhonda.
As good as the Culmination Cab Franc is, the 2022 Culmination Proprietary Red ($100) was the star of the show for my day.
The blend of 70 percent Cab, 20 percent Cab Franc, and 10 percent Merlot, all Estate grown. It was big through the Cab influence but finished smooth with the influence of the blends.
It’s almost hard to believe it’s been almost 30 years since Rhonda started making wine but it’s easy to believe when you’re having such a good time.
“Time sure does fly,” said Wood. “And so do I!”
For more information on Wood Family Vineyards please visit www.woodfamilyvineyards.com.
By Dennis Miller