Ernest A. Wente was a successful winemaker born and raised in Livermore, California. Wente was exposed to wines by his father, Carl H. Wente who was an early Californian winemaker. The original Went vineyard was planted in 1883 and the wine was sold in bulk. At least four of Wente's wines that won prizes at the 1915 World Fair came from his father's original vineyard. Wente Brothers wines didn't fully take off until after the repeal of Prohibition, and the company saw slow growth in the first few years. However Wente Brothers wine still won one of the Grand Prix at the Golden Gate International Exhibition in 1939. He and his brother Herman were also responsible for organizing the Wine Institute in 1934. In this interview, Wente discusses the impact of prohibition, early Californian winemakers, vineyard problems, trends and advances in the industry, connections in San Francisco, associations with the Napa and Sonoma Wine Company, his interest in farming and details about winemaking. This interview is part of a group of interviews documenting the California wine industry.