Elizabeth Kester started her journey to becoming a winemaker by earning a B.S. in Wine and Viticulture from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, in 2009. After graduating, she completed a harvest internship at Edna Valley Vineyard in San Luis Obispo before joining BevMo! as a wine specialist for an eight-month stint in early 2010. Elizabeth then accepted a position as enologist with Wente Family Estates in the Livermore Valley. In November 2014, she was named assistant winemaker and then was promoted to winemaker in mid-2016. A further promotion to Director of Winemaking at Wente, her current title, came in early 2021.

Elizabeth oversees all activities associated with wine production and is also responsible for developing more strategic alignment among viticulture, marketing, and sales. She has had a major impact on the development of Wente’s core portfolio, among which are achieving more than forty 90+ ratings for her wines, developing the winery’s phenolics program, and introducing several new brands, including Ravel & Stitch and Angels Ink.