Kirk comes from a lineage of winegrowers. As a boy, the land and the vineyards of the Valley, were his veritable playground. Having ridden his bike – unimpeded then by non-existent fences – through the vineyards of Rutherford, where he grew up. And over land in the Oakville Crossroad, where his dad Nils Venge worked as the winemaker at Villa Mt. Eden (now Plumpjack Winery), Groth, and eventually at his father’s own Saddleback Cellars – Kirk Venge wears vineyard soil on his boots’ as a second sole.

At 3 or 4 years old he began getting his hands dirty in the best vineyard land in America. Coupled with his experiences working alongside his dad, helped instill in Kirk the importance of what a vineyard means to winemaking.

Years later, as the owner and winemaker at his own Venge Vineyards and Croix Estate, Kirk Venge has emerged as one of the most highly regarded – and sought after – wine consultants in the U.S.  Through his KV Wines consultancy, Venge includes a couple dozen winery and grapegrower clients in his portfolio. Vineyard scouting and sourcing is the lifeblood of Venge’s work. To substantiate that premise, Venge has solidified relationships with some of the most prestigious growers — Beckstoffer, Renteria, Stagecoach, Bacigalupi, and Dutton — as sources of grapes that go into KV clients’ wines.