Program, Vintage Tour, Society of Medical Friends of Wine, 1955

This six-page program is for a tour of two wineries—Weibel Vineyards in Mission San Jose, and Wente Bros. in Livermore—for members of the Society of Medical Friends of Wine. The tour was held on Saturday, September 17, 1955. Organized in 1939, the Society membership includes physicians, dentists, and other medical scientists. It supports scientific research on wine and health and develops educational tours and tastings for its membership. Over the years the membership has fluctuated with about 300 members in 1970 and 150 in 2013.

The inside pages of the program include a listing of the Society’s Board of Governors and Officers. Short histories of the tour sites follow, providing background on both Weibel Vineyards (purchased in 1945 on a site planted by Gov. Leland Stanford about 1870) and Wente Bros. (established by Carl H. Wente in 1883). Of particular interest are the pages devoted to the 1955 California State Fair Awards and 1955 Los Angeles County Fair Awards for each of the producers. Weibel’s production was largely in sparkling wines while the Wente Bros.’ were all dry table wines with varietal (grape type) designations. The wines to be tasted at each site are listed, as is a menu for a luncheon at the Castlewood Country Club in Pleasanton (Alameda County), which topped off the tour.

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