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History

From Denmark to America

The Venge history contains classical California wine business elements of immigration, a diligent work ethic and tradition handed down through the generations. It begins with my Scandinavian Great-Grandfather, Knud Venge, who left Denmark in 1915 for America and en-route met the famous American entrepreneur, E.I. DuPont. DuPont asked Knud to move to South America as a sales representative of DuPont dynamite. Knud accepted and sold the precious explosive to Argentinean railroad and silver mining companies. Knud’s son Per was soon to arrive to the family and born in 1916 in Buenos Aires.

Advancing ahead some 20 years later, Knud followed his son Per to Paris, France where Per would study at the famous Sorbonne University. Now in Paris, Knud searched and appropriately found employment managing a Georg Jensen Silver franchise in the Place Vendome in what was and still is one of the world’s most fashionable cities. He later left Paris for England to study at The School of Economics in London. Already knowing Danish, Spanish and French, this is where my grandfather Per would learn both economics and English. In 1939 the winds of WWII were beginning to blow and thus, the Georg Jensen store closed its doors, and the entire Venge family moved to New York City. Once in America, Per found employment at the Danish Consulate. Yet again not sitting still, in 1940 both Per and his Father Knud realized that there were growing opportunities in Southern California, ventured West, and settled in Los Angeles in 1940. Per’s early career in California was as a wartime aircraft engineer for North American Aircraft, later know as the famous Hughes Aircraft. It was finally in Los Angeles Per met his true love Gudrun who had immigrated to California from Denmark. Per and Gudren were married in 1944 and shortly thereafter, their twin children, Nils, my father, and his sister Karen, were born in 1945.

In the late 1950’s, Per found his calling in wine by establishing Venge & Company, a wine and spirits importing company. He imported and distributed German, French and Italian wines as well as spirits and Danish fruit wines. In 1965 my Grandfather Per was awarded the Medal of Honor by the French government for importing French wines to Southern California.

My father Nils Venge grew up surrounded by the wine wholesale business; beginning in the warehouse stockroom and later in outside sales. After high school in 1963, Nils made his way from San Gabriel to U.C. Davis where he met his future wife Candy Call from Santa Rosa, California. In 1968 Nils earned a Bachelors of Science degree in grapevine viticulture. From college, the two moved to settle down and raise their family in the up and coming Napa Valley. Nils’ first position after graduation was as a vineyard manager for newly formed Sterling Vineyards, hired by friend and winemaker, Ric Forman. Ric first met Nils when they attended school together at Davis. In 1971 Nils left Sterling with the opportunity to be the first winemaker for Villa Mt. Eden Winery in the sleepy town of Oakville, in the heart of the Napa Valley.

Venge Vineyards established its roots just two properties West of Villa Mt. Eden in 1976. This was the year that its co-founder, Nils Venge had the early and somewhat rare vision of owning a piece of land in what would one day be some of the country’s most famed vineyard land. In 1976 Nils partnered with his father-in-law and Santa Rosa businessman, Robert A. Call, after Nils got the call that a 17 acre Cabernet property came up for sale on Money Road, just off of the Oakville Cross Road. The two bought the property and named The Ven-Cal Ranch. Shortly afterward the Oakville Cross Road neighborhood began to grow. Justin Meyer built Silver Oak Cellars to the South and later in the early 80’s Groth Vineyards sprang up one property to the East and Opus One and Swanson began plans to the West. But just because he had this new land, my Father didn’t leave his day job. Along with his responsibilities at Villa Mt. Eden, Nils farmed and managed his new estate’s vines. The Ven-Cal Ranch sold its grapes to Villa Mt. Eden where Nils Venge was continuing to hold the title as Winemaker and General Manager.

During the year, 1982, Nils Venge made a move from Villa Mt. Eden to its new Westerly neighbor, Groth Winery as its first Winemaker and GM. At this time I remember the first family harvest off of the property for my father’s newly formed Saddleback Cellars label. The 1984 was the first vintage of Saddleback Cellars Family Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon. The Family Reserve paved the way for what would later be the Venge Vineyards Reserve series of wines 10 years later. This was Nils’ opportunity to showcase his smallest lots and finest work. Initially these offerings were only 100 to 150 cases each in production and consisted of the Oakville estate’s Merlot, Cabernet, Sangiovese and the creative Scout’s Honor Zinfandel based blend. I remember a decade or more of vintages of hand bottling and hand labeling the minute Venge brand.

Fortunately the Venge label was a success from the beginning with praise from such esteemed critics as James Laube of Wine Spectator and Robert Parker from his publication, The Wine Advocate. The Venge Reserve label was fortunately gaining momentum in the marketplace. In 1999, Saddleback Cellars welcomed me, Kirk Venge, to its ranks with the responsibility of creating the new “Venge Winery” to house the label and oversee a Zinfandel vineyard for its Scouts Honor offering. While I was abroad in New Zealand working the harvest, my father found St. Helena’s historic Rossini Winery (cir. 1891) and purchased the winery from the Varozza family, fourth generation descendents of the winery’s Northern Italian founder, Carlo Rossini. I returned from New Zealand, worked my fifth and last harvest at Rutherford’s Mumm Winery, and that November began efforts to restore the pre-prohibition ghost winery and replant its 6 acre Zinfandel vineyard; both of which dated back to 1891. It was no doubt a challenging and incredibly rewarding experience.

The Rossini Ranch restoration was completed in 2003 with the addition of a 7,300 sq.ft. underground cave. The exterior was brought back to its original form and within its 112 year old stone walls; the interior gleamed with a fresh concrete floor and full of stainless steel. That winery did a fine job of showcasing the Venge wines for the following five years.

In the spring of 2008, the Rossini Ranch was sold by our family. This gave me the opportunity to purchase the 12.6 acre Berlin Ranch to the North in Calistoga, and carry the Venge label to further success.

- Kirk Venge