Kunde Estate Winery is located in the town of Kenwood in Sonoma Valley. Since 1904 Kunde has been family owned and operated. Kunde’s Director of Winemaking Operations (since 2006) is Tim Bell. Mr. Bell arrived at Kunde after serving as the winemaker for Freemark Abbey Winery where he created wines that received critical acclaim. Bell graduated with honors from U.C. Davis in 1994.
The Kunde Estate is comprised of 1,850 acres. Of those, 700 acres are planted with 20 different varieties of grapes. All of Kunde’s wines are estate grown. It is important to the Kunde family to not only produce the best grapes to produce the best wines, but also to practice Sustainable methods to care for both the crops and the entire estate. Dry farming, drip irrigation, and cover crops are some of the Sustainable Practices used on the Kunde Estate. Creek restoration, energy & water conservation, pollution prevention, and waste reduction are also part of Kunde’s daily routine. Kunde has placed nesting boxes for owls and other raptors throughout the vineyards to encourage a natural way to prevent pests.
Every department at the Kunde Estate Winery is committed to improving and maintaining environmental practices. For the past 4 years the San Francisco Bay Area Green Business Program has awarded Kunde a Green Business Program Certification. Last year Kunde received the GEELA Award (Governor’s Environmental and Economic Leadership Award), the state of California’s highest environmental award.
In 1990, Kunde worked with the Sonoma County Historical Society to build the tasting room. It was built as a replica of the orginal Kinneybrook Ranch cattle barn which stood on the land for more than 100 years. Walking toward the doors of the tasting room, visitors are invited by the lush, surrounding vineyards and the sound of bubbling fountains. The awe inspiring oak trees shade a patio picnic area located next to the fountains and a pool of water where they jet into the air from. Once inside the tasting room visitors can taste wines available only at the winery at the tasting room bar or inside the Kinneybrook Room. The Kinneybrook Room offers tasters the opportunity to relax in leather sofas and high backed chairs while tasting Kunde Grand Estate Series Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Century Vines Zinfandel. The tasting room also offers tasty gifts for purchase such as Zinfandel Chocolate Sauce and Cabernet Chocolate Cherries.
Kunde offers unique tours for visitors to taste and learn. The Guided Cave Tour (offered Friday – Sunday at no charge and without an appointment for groups less than 10) takes visitors into the tunnels and caves built in 1989. The more than 32,000 square feet underneath the earth’s surface has a storage capacity for 5,500 barrels, features a VIP dining room 175 feet below the surface, and ensures the quality of Kunde wines. The Eco-Tour includes a hike on the Kunde Estate with 4th generation winegrower, Jeff Kunde. The schedule is up for 2010 Dog Hikes where visitors are able to bring their four-legged family members to enjoy the panoramic views from the estate.
Pure Luxury is honored to include a visit to Kunde Estate Winery as part of our Sonoma Valley Wine Tour Package!
