Santa Barbara County Women Winemakers & Culinarians Celebration Donates $20,000 in Annual Event Proceeds to the New “She Raised Her Hand” Women Veterans Initiative

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Charitable Wine Industry Event Helps to Kickstart Efforts for the New Organization’s Mission to Provide Opportunities for Women to Find Community, Purpose and Strength in their Identity as Veterans

May 1, 2024 – Santa Ynez, CA – Wednesday through Sunday, March 6 through 10, 2024, more than 30 women winemakers and nearly twenty female food-world counterparts gathered for good during the seventh annual, newly-renamed, Santa Barbara County Women Winemakers & Culinarians Celebration (www.SBWomenWinemakers.com), held in the Santa Ynez Valley wine country towns of Santa Ynez, Los Olivos, Solvang, and Los Alamos, California.

The 2024 event stretch spanned five days and consisted of multiple winemaker dinners and wine tasting receptions; the new “Sips and She-nanigans – A Sassy Soirée” event at Fess Parker Winery; a sparkling Sunday brunch at Mattei’s Tavern, Auberge Resorts Collection; and the main wine and food showcase, a grand tasting held this year at private event venue, 27 Vines, in Santa Ynez. Portions of ticket proceeds from each of the ancillary events, as well as event proceeds from the Saturday, March 9, grand tasting at 27 Vines, raised $20,000 in charitable event proceeds for this year’s beneficiary, the new She Raised Her Hand initiative (www.sheraisedherhand.com), whose mission is to provide opportunities for women to find community, purpose and strength in their identity as veterans.

“We have a higher percentage of women winemakers here in Santa Barbara County than anywhere else, and along with our women chefs and food crafters, we have built a strong network in support of each other and others in our community. Each year, we use our annual celebration to raise funds for a charitable organization that all of the participating women elect,” commented Karen Steinwachs, co-founder of the annual Women Winemakers & Culinarians Celebration and owner/winemaker, Seagrape Wine Company.

The Women Winemakers & Culinarians Celebration, held each year on or near International Women’s Day (annually, March 8), has for the past seven celebrations donated event proceeds to a variety of Santa Barbara County non-profits, all aimed at aiding underserved groups within the region’s communities.

“This year, the new She Raised Her Hand initiative was overwhelmingly selected by the group. We are honored to help them get off the ground in their beginning stages,” Steinwachs continued.

The annual Women Winemakers & Culinarians Celebration brings together a varied sampling of Santa Barbara County’s female winemakers and culinarians in a show of support for each other, and other working women. Each year’s March event series features a growing count of women winemakers alongside some of the County’s leading culinary ladies. The March 9, 2024, grand tasting event at 27 Vines featured the highest number of participating women culinarians to date who, along with this year’s 30 women winemakers, entertained approximately 250 guests. Each year’s Women Winemakers Celebration grand tasting has sold out prior to that year’s respective event date.

The March 2024 events were heavily sponsored by a number of regional entities, the support from which allowed the Women Winemakers & Culinarians to donate the $20,000 sum to She Raised Her Hand. Along with donations from the event’s winemakers and culinarians, and a dedicated bevy of event volunteers, other notable 2024 event sponsors were: 27 Vines, Jump On The School Bus, Visit the Santa Ynez Valley, Allan Hancock College, Debbie Douglas Designs, Nick’s Production Services, Deborah Chadsey Photography, Craft & Cluster, Pacific HR, Inc, ForFriends Inn & Village, Melanie Davis Design, Inklings Printing Co., El Rancho Market, Santa Ynez Valley Elite Events, and Los Olivos Wine Merchant & Café and Café Farm.

Tickets for the 2025 Santa Barbara County Women Winemakers & Culinarians Celebration will start to be available in December 2024, for the event dates of March 6-9, 2025. All details TBA; please visit www.SBWomenWinemakers.com for updates. For more information about the March 2024 Women Winemakers & Culinarians Celebration, please contact Anna Ferguson-Sparks, Stiletto Marketing, at 1.877.327.2656 or info@stilettomarketing.com.

Women Winemakers & Culinarians Celebration 2024 participating winemakers and wineries:

  • Karen Steinwachs, Seagrape Wine Company
  • Lane Tanner, Lumen Wines
  • Brit Zotovich, Dreamcôte Wine Co.
  • Alison Thomson, Lepiane Wines
  • Sonja Magdevski, Casa Dumetz Wines, Clementine Carter, The Feminist Party
  • Mireia Taribó & Tara Gomez, Camins 2 Dreams
  • Gretchen Voelcker, Piazza Family Wines and Luna Hart Wines
  • Laura Hughes, Loubud Wines
  • Dana Volk, Dana V. Wines and Happy Mommy Wines
  • Jessica Gasca, Story of Soil
  • Angela Osborne, A Tribute To Grace Wine Company
  • Samra Morris, Alma Rosa Winery
  • Alice Anderson, âmevive
  • Magan Eng, Kunin Wines
  • Megan McGrath Gates, Lucas & Lewellen Vineyards and Toccata
  • Kristin Bryden, Zaca Mesa Winery
  • Amy Christine, Holus Bolus and The Joy Fantastic
  • Claire Wilson, Provignage
  • Sunny Doench Stricker, Future Perfect Wine
  • Allyson Bycraft, Babcock Winery & Vineyards
  • Anna deLaski, Solminer Wine Co.
  • Clarissa Nagy, Riverbench Vineyard and Winery
  • Amber Hogan, Amber Rose Wines
  • Kristin Harris Luis, Cote of Paint Wine
  • Brittany Rice, Sunstone Winery
  • Jill DelaRiva Russell, Cambria Winery
  • Adrienne Rule, Rideau Vineyard
  • Alisa Jacobson, Turning Tide Wines
  • Angela Soleno, Turiya Wines
  • Sarah Suput, Rock 12 Distillery
  • Christi Heck, Lavender Oak Vineyard

Women Winemakers & Culinarians Celebration 2024 participating chefs, bakers, and female food crafters:

  • Brooke Stockwell, Executive Chef, Los Olivos Wine Merchant & Café
  • Erica Velazquez, co-chef/co-owner of Solvang’s Ramen Kotori
  • Taylor Tate, executive pastry chef, peasants FEAST
  • Joy Reinhardt, chef/owner, Ellie’s Tap & Vine
  • Sarah Price, owner/operator of Lompoc-based Sassafras Mobile Food Truck and Restaurant
  • Vilay Saikeo, chef/owner of Lompoc’s Savory & Sweet Eats
  • Janelle Norman, owner and cheesemonger at Solvang’s Cailloux Cheese Shop
  • Melissa Scrymgeour, chef/co-owner, Clean Slate Wine Bar
  • Laura Newman, co-owner of Los Olivos’ Lefty’s Coffee Co.
  • Amy Dixon, owner/baker, The Baker’s Table
  • Kimberly Zimmerman, owner, The Juicy Life
  • Lisa Thompson, chef at Global Gardens
  • Louise Smith, chef/owner of Louise’s Kitchen Table
  • Shanté Norwood, owner/baker at Té’Stees Cupcakes
  • Jessica Foster of Jessica Foster Confections
  • Shannon Casey, owner of Rancho Olivos
  • Jane Darrah, Good Witch Farm
  • Anna Vocino, Eat Happy Kitchen
  • Rhoda Magbitang, Executive Chef, The Inn at Mattei’s Tavern

Expanded Women Winemakers and Culinarians Celebration Deemed a Success

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The seventh annual Women Winemakers and Culinarians Celebration, which morphed this year from one day to several events running from March 6-10, was by most accounts a rousing success.

Seagrape Cellars winemaker Karen Steinwachs, co-founder with Brooke Stockwell, executive chef at the Los Olivos Wine Merchant & Café, did not have final figures earlier this week,although she expected the total to “well exceed” the $15,000 raised in 2023.

As in past years, a portion of funds raised from this year’s multiday celebration will benefit a local nonprofit organization. The beneficiary of this year’s event is She Raised Her Hand, a newer initiative that provides opportunities for women veterans to find community, purpose and strength in their identity.

All told, 34 female winemakers and 17 culinarians participated in this year’s celebration. New this year were logo glasses and lots of merchandise, including hats, T-shirts and more. Dinners with single or multiple winemakers took place at various restaurants, a “soiree” was held at Fess Parker Winery, and Saturday’s grand tasting was followed by a Sunday “bubbles” brunch at Mattei’s Tavern.

The owners of 27 Vines in Santa Ynez donated their property for the event, as well as a bus service to shuttle guests to and from the venue, Steinwachs said.

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By Laurie Jervis, Noozhawk Columnist

Santa Barbara County Women Winemakers and Culinarians Raise Their Hands to Celebrate and Support Other Women

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Annual Food and Wine Fundraiser Expands to Three Days of Festivities, with New Events at Fess Parker Winery and The Inn at Mattei’s Tavern

“Culinarians” is a brand-new word to me, as it is to Karen Steinwachs, one of the founding organizers of the annual Santa Barbara County women winemakers fundraising event that has renamed itself the “Women Winemakers & Culinarians Celebration” — in honor of the delicious intersection of wine and food that this now three-day extravaganza extols March 8-10.

The “culinarians” moniker came from Chef Brooke Stockwell, another founding organizer (who incidentally graced the January 2020 Indy “Chef Ink” cover story I wrote about chefs and their tattoos, which was one my first big features for the paper before I joined the staff). Stockwell, who is now the executive chef at Los Olivos Wine Merchant & Café, “keeps getting more and more chefs and caterers and food purveyors and specialty people,” said Steinwachs. “She suggested that we should add ‘culinarian,’ which I didn’t think was a word; I thought she made it up, and so did she. But it turns out to actually be a word. And it’s appropriate, right? So that they get the recognition that they deserve as well.”

Steinwachs, the longtime winemaker for Buttonwood Farm Winery who now concentrates on her own Seagrape Wine Company brand, continued, “We pour bottles of wine, and that’s pretty darn easy, but they [the all-women group of chefs] have to get up early and make something and bring it there, make sure it’s hot or cold — it’s a lot more complicated than what the winemakers do that day. So it’s pretty thrilling. And hopefully, we get more and more and more of them.”

Culinarians at the 2023 Women in Wine & Food Celebration | Photo: Heather Daenitz @craftandcluster

Among the culinarians that Stockwell has brought together this year are: Taylor Tate, peasants FEAST; Joy Reinhardt, Ellie’s Tap & Vine; Vilay Saikeo, Savory & Sweet Eats; Melissa Scrymgeour, Clean Slate Wine Bar; Janelle Norman, Cailloux Cheese Shop; Lisa Thompson, Global Gardens; Louise Smith, Louise’s Kitchen Table; Kimberly Zimmerman, The Juicy Life; Shanté Norwood, Té’Stees Cupcakes; and Jessica Foster of Jessica Foster Confections, with more announcements to come.

The weekend’s events commemorating International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month — all of which benefit the new “She Raised Her Hand” initiative (sheraisedherhand.com), which provides opportunities for women to find community, purpose, and strength in their identity as veterans — kick off with “Sips and She-nanigans: A Sassy Soirée” at Fess Parker Winery on Friday, March 8. “It’s a dressy affair, because you know, every once in a while, we get to take off those work boots,” laughs Steinwachs, who said Fess Parker’s delicious “Fesstivity” sparkling wines will be featured as well as additional Fess Parker pours and “bites” from Sarah Price’s Sassafras Catering and wines from a panel that features women who are the “wind beneath the wings” for winemakers and culinarians, such as enologists, sous chefs, assistant winemakers, vineyard owners, grape growers, farmers, and restaurant owners.

Wine & Culinary Participants at the 2023 Women in Wine & Food Celebration | Photo: Heather Daenitz @craftandcluster

Not only that, the host will be Anna Vocino, a Santa Ynez Valley resident, founder of Eat Happy Kitchen, comic (Snapped: Killer Couples, Jimmy Kimmel Live!), voice-over actor, and your typical multitasker female who will also bring in fellow funny women Jessica Keenan (HBO’s Entre Nos), and Mav Viola (Comedy Central/Featuring and the upcoming Netflix Is a Joke) to entertain guests. “She’s amazing and hilarious,” says Steinwachs of Vocino, who organized the comedy component.

Tickets are available at fessparker.com/winery-events.

Some of the bites at the 2023 celebration  | Photo: Deborah Chadsey Photography

On Saturday, March 9, the Grand Tasting event will be at 27 Vines on the outskirts of Santa Ynez this year and will feature more than 30 woman winemakers and more than one dozen female chefs/culinarians (all of whom are required to be present to participate in the event). The tasting has once again sold out weeks in advance of the event.

Joining Steinwachs is a roster of her fellow women winemakers that reads like who’s-who of the Santa Barbara County wine world: Lane Tanner, Lumen Wines; Kathy Joseph, Fiddlehead Cellars; Helen Falcone, Falcone Family Vineyards; Alison Thomson, Lepiane Wines; Gretchen Voelcker, Piazza Family Wines and Luna Hart Wines; Laura Hughes, Loubud Wines and Sanford Winery & Vineyards; Dana Volk, Dana V. Wines and Happy Mommy Wines; Sonja Magdevski, Casa Dumetz Wines, Clementine Carter, and The Feminist Party; Jessica Gasca, Story of Soil; Wynne Solomon, Peake Ranch Winery; Samra Morris, Alma Rosa Winery; Alice Anderson, âmevive; Megan McGrath Gates, Lucas & Lewellen Vineyards and Toccata; Kristin Bryden, Zaca Mesa Winery; Amy Christine, Holus Bolus; Claire Wilson, Provignage; Sunny Doench Stricker, Future Perfect Wine; Allyson Bycraft, Babcock Winery & Vineyards; Anna deLaski, Solminer Wine Co.; Brittany Rice, Sunstone Winery; Kristin Harris Luis, Cote of Paint Wine; Christi Heck, Lavender Oak Vineyard; Brit Zotovich, Dreamcôte Wine Co.; Magan Eng, Kunin Wines; Jill DelaRiva Russell, Cambria Winery; Adrienne Rule, Rideau Vineyard; Clarissa Nagy, Riverbench Vineyard & Winery; Amber Hogan, Amber Rose Wines; Alisa Jacobson, Turning Tide Wines; Angela Osborne, A Tribute to Grace Wine Company; and Angela Soleno, Turiya Wines, with more announcements to come.

Lane Tanner | Photo: Heather Daenitz @craftandcluster

Concluding the weekend festivities on Sunday, March 10, is the Women Winemakers’ “Bubbly Brunch,” created by Executive Chef Rhoda Magbitang of The Inn at Mattei’s Tavern and the host of this special event. Featuring sparklers and “breakfast wines” from the participating women winemakers, the morning starts out with bubbles and then segues into a brunch, with a selection of white, rosé, and red wines from Alma Rosa Winery, Amber Rose Wines, Future Perfect, Kunin Wines, Loubud, Luna Hart, Seagrape Wine Company, and more. 

Tickets are available at aubergeresorts.com/matteistavern/experiences.

“I always have to say that men are welcome too,” adds Steinwachs with a laugh.

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By Leslie Dinaberg, Santa Barbara Independant

Women winemakers of SB County uncork annual wine event on March 7

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More than 30 Santa Barbara County women winemakers and food crafters are set to gather once again for the groups’ annual International Women’s Day fundraising event, rebranded as the ‘Women Winemakers and Culinarians Celebration.’

The county’s female winemakers turn out each year in a show of support for each other and other working women throughout the world, who are honored each year on March 8 with the global holiday for women’s rights.

“Now in our seventh year, tradition continues, yet with new venues and new events, all to help women veterans in our own communities,” said Karen Steinwachs, a local winemaker, event producer and co-founder. “The event’s success is both humbling, and very exciting.”

A portion of the proceeds from each of the dinner events will be donated to area nonprofits, such as main beneficiary She Raised Her Hand. The initiative advocates for opportunities for women veterans in the community.

Guests are invited Thursday, March 7 through Sunday, March 10, to a series of food and wine events hosted at different locations in the Valley.

While the grand tasting food and wine event is slated for Saturday, March 9, a series of ancillary food and wine events are available to attend before and after the main event.

The charitable grand tasting event runs from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. March 9 at a new Santa Ynez boutique vineyard, 27 Vines, showcasing an intimate alfresco wine tasting reception served with elevated hors d’oeuvres, according to the event hosts.

The three-hour wine and food tasting event boasts 30-plus Santa Barbara County women winemakers, all of which will be on-hand to pour tastes of their wines and talk with event guests. Passed and stationary appetizers will also be offered by Santa Barbara County chefs, bakers and food crafters.

Other events include women winemaker and chef dinners featured at various Santa Ynez Valley locations, such as a March 7 wine-paired dinner at Los Olivos Wine Merchant & Café, and a formal wine/cocktail party and silent auction event on March 8, at Fess Parker in Los Olivos. Both events will feature prepared food and hand crafted wines by local artisans.

The weekend will conclude with a Sunday brunch at The Inn at Mattei’s Tavern in downtown Los Olivos.

“It’s the joy of camaraderie among the dozens of us showcasing our craft, and our event guests, that makes this such an inspiring celebration,” said Steinwachs.

Details for all tasting events and ticket purchases can be found at www.SBWomenWinemakers.com.

Featured winemakers, food crafters

Winemakers to be featured during the Women Winemakers events are: Karen Steinwachs, Seagrape Wine Company; Lane Tanner, Lumen Wines; Kathy Joseph, Fiddlehead Cellars; Alison Thomson, Lepiane Wines; Helen Falcone, Falcone Family Vineyards; Gretchen Voelcker, Piazza Family Wines and Luna Hart Wines; Laura Hughes, Loubud Wines; Dana Volk, Dana V. Wines and Happy Mommy Wines; Jessica Gasca, Story of Soil; Wynne Solomon, Peake Ranch Winery; Samra Morris, Alma Rosa Winery; Alice Anderson, âmevive; Megan McGrath Gates, Lucas & Lewellen Vineyards and Toccata; Kristin Bryden, Zaca Mesa Winery; Amy Christine, Holus Bolus and The Joy Fantastic; Claire Wilson, Provignage; Sunny Doench Stricker, Future Perfect Wine; Allyson Bycraft, Babcock Winery & Vineyards; Anna deLaski, Solminer Wine Co.; Clarissa Nagy, Riverbench Vineyard and Winery; Amber Hogan, Amber Rose Wines; Kristin Harris Luis, Cote of Paint Wine; Brittany Rice, Sunstone Winery; Brit Zotovich, Dreamcôte Wine Co.; Sonja Magdevski, Casa Dumetz Wines, Clementine Carter, The Feminist Party; Angela Osborne, A Tribute to Grace Wine Company; Magan Eng, Kunin Wines; Jill DelaRiva Russell, Cambria Winery; Adrienne Rule, Rideau Vineyard; Alisa Jacobson, Turning Tide Wines; and, Christi Heck, Lavender Oak Vineyard (all additional participating winemakers/wineries, TBA).

Culinary talent for this year’s event will be organized by Brooke Stockwell, executive chef, Los Olivos Wine Merchant & Café, and will include Taylor Tate, executive pastry chef, peasants FEAST; Joy Reinhardt, chef/owner, Ellie’s Tap & Vine; Sarah Price, owner/operator of Lompoc-based Sassafras Mobile Food Truck and Restaurant; Vilay Saikeo, chef/owner of Lompoc’s Savory & Sweet Eats; Janelle Norman, owner and cheesemonger at Solvang’s Cailloux Cheese Shop; Melissa Scrymgeour, chef/co-owner, Clean Slate Wine Bar; Lisa Thompson, chef at Global Gardens; Louise Smith, chef/owner, Louise’s Kitchen Table; Shannon Casey, owner of Rancho Olivos; Shanté Norwood, owner/baker at Té’Stees Cupcakes; and treats- and truffle-maker Jessica Foster of Jessica Foster Confections.

Foodie donations will be made by Shawnda Marmorstein, owner, Los Olivos Wine Merchant & Café and Café Farm. Additional event chefs and participating food businesses will be announced leading up to the event.

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By Lisa André, Lompoc Record 

March 7-10, 2024: More than 30 Santa Barbara County Women Winemakers Plus Female Chefs, Bakers, Food Crafters Welcome Guests to Annual Series of International Women’s Day Fundraising Events

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Rebranded as “Women Winemakers and Culinarians Celebration,” 2024 Series to feature Four Days of Food and Wine Events including Saturday, March 9, Grand Tasting —

January 29, 2024 – Santa Ynez, CA – Spanning four days in March 2024 – March 7-10 – the now-annual but newly renamed Santa Barbara County Women Winemakers and Culinarians Celebration returns with an event series held in honor of International Women’s Day. The 2024 events will once again include the seventh annual grand tasting food and wine showcase, this year on Saturday, March 9, where the winemaking talents of more than 30 Santa Barbara County women winemakers will be on display in Santa Ynez, California. The Santa Barbara County Women Winemakers and Culinarians Celebration will once again benefit a regional nonprofit, with event proceeds from the 2024 gathering donated to She Raised Her Hand, a new initiative that provides opportunities for women veterans to find community, purpose, and strength in their identity as veterans.

The charitable grand tasting event, which runs from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM on March 9, will be held at newly-debuted, boutique vineyard venue, 27 Vines. Tickets to the March 9, 2024, grand tasting, as well as ancillary food and wine events running March 7-10, are or will be available at www.SBWomenWinemakers.com.

“It’s the joy of camaraderie among the dozens of us showcasing our craft, and our event guests, that makes this such an inspiring celebration. Now in our seventh year, tradition continues, yet with new venues and new events, all to help women veterans in our own communities. The event’s success is both humbling, and very exciting,” said Santa Barbara County woman winemaker Karen Steinwachs, part of the all-female Women Winemakers and Culinarians Celebration event production team and co-founder of the annual celebration.

Other events in the four-day 2024 series include Wednesday, March 6, and Thursday, March 7, women winemaker and chef dinners at various Santa Ynez Valley restaurants, such as a March 7 wine-paired dinner at Los Olivos Wine Merchant & Café, featuring plates by Executive Chef Brooke Stockwell paired with wines by Karen Steinwachs (Seagrape Wine Company), Gretchen Voelcker (Luna Hart Wines), Jessica Gasca (Story of Soil), Sunny Doench Stricker (Future Perfect Wine), and Brit Zotovich (Dreamcôte Wine Co.). A portion of the proceeds from each of the dinner events will be donated to varied 2024 non-profit beneficiaries.

On Friday, March 8, guests are invited to dress their best for an evening Soirée and Silent Auction celebrating behind-the-spotlight women heroes that make winemakers and chefs shine. Sous chefs, assistant winemakers, viticulturists, farmers, winery and restaurant owners, will join attendees at the nighttime event, which will be emceed by food blogger and comedienne, Anna Vocino, who will also lead a panel discussion of the varied, featured women in these industries.

The weekend will conclude with a Sunday brunch. All ancillary event details and ticketing will be released over the next few weeks, and will be available at www.SBWomenWinemakers.com.

International Women’s Day has been celebrated worldwide since 1909, with a focus on working women’s achievements and issues. In a working environment which records about 10% of the global wine industry as female lead winemakers, Santa Barbara County continues to see a much higher percentage of women winemakers than most regions in the world – with nearly double the average and growing each year, as is evidenced by this year’s Women Winemakers and Culinarians Celebration winemaker event roster.

The March events bring together the varied sampling of the County’s female winemakers in a show of support for each other and other working women, world-wide; those who toil and labor while honing and elevating their craft in their workplace, while also balancing work-lives with family and community service.

The seventh installment of the annual grand tasting event will once again be a daytime happening, an intimate, alfresco wine tasting reception complete with elevated hors d’oeuvres. The three-hour wine and food tasting event (11:00 AM to 2:00 PM) will boast 30-plus Santa Barbara County women winemakers, all of which will be on-hand to pour tastes of their wines and talk with event guests. Passed and stationary appetizers will be offered by their female counterparts in the Santa Barbara County food world, while live music by Arwen Lewis will add to the event’s convivial ambience. Also returning to this year’s event, will be the popular “Estrogen Collection” wine bottle opportunity drawing.

Participating winemakers and wineries confirmed to date include:

Karen Steinwachs, Seagrape Wine Company; Lane Tanner, Lumen Wines; Kathy Joseph, Fiddlehead Cellars; Alison Thomson, Lepiane Wines; Helen Falcone, Falcone Family Vineyards; Gretchen Voelcker, Piazza Family Wines and Luna Hart Wines; Laura Hughes, Loubud Wines; Dana Volk, Dana V. Wines and Happy Mommy Wines; Jessica Gasca, Story of Soil; Wynne Solomon, Peake Ranch Winery; Samra Morris, Alma Rosa Winery; Alice Anderson, âmevive; Megan McGrath Gates, Lucas & Lewellen Vineyards and Toccata; Kristin Bryden, Zaca Mesa Winery; Amy Christine, Holus Bolus and The Joy Fantastic; Claire Wilson, Provignage; Sunny Doench Stricker, Future Perfect Wine; Allyson Bycraft, Babcock Winery & Vineyards; Anna deLaski, Solminer Wine Co.; Clarissa Nagy, Riverbench Vineyard and Winery; Amber Hogan, Amber Rose Wines; Kristin Harris Luis, Cote of Paint Wine; Brittany Rice, Sunstone Winery; Brit Zotovich, Dreamcôte Wine Co.; Sonja Magdevski, Casa Dumetz Wines, Clementine Carter, The Feminist Party; Angela Osborne, A Tribute to Grace Wine Company; Magan Eng, Kunin Wines; Jill DelaRiva Russell, Cambria Winery; Adrienne Rule, Rideau Vineyard; Alisa Jacobson, Turning Tide Wines; and, Christi Heck, Lavender Oak Vineyard (all additional participating winemakers/wineries, TBA).

The women winemakers will be side by side at the March 9 grand tasting event with some of Santa Barbara County’s leading culinary ladies, the latter of which will also be present to chat with guests and showcase their edible contributions to complement their colleagues’ wines.

Culinary talent for this year’s event will be organized by Brooke Stockwell, Executive Chef, Los Olivos Wine Merchant & Café, and will include Taylor Tate, executive pastry chef, peasants FEAST; Joy Reinhardt, chef/owner, Ellie’s Tap & Vine; Sarah Price, owner/operator of Lompoc-based Sassafras Mobile Food Truck and Restaurant; Vilay Saikeo, chef/owner of Lompoc’s Savory & Sweet Eats; Janelle Norman, owner and cheesemonger at Solvang’s Cailloux Cheese Shop; Melissa Scrymgeour, chef/co-owner, Clean Slate Wine Bar; Lisa Thompson, chef at Global Gardens; Louise Smith, chef/owner, Louise’s Kitchen Table; Shannon Casey, owner of Rancho Olivos; Shanté Norwood, owner/baker at Té’Stees Cupcakes; and treats- and truffle-maker Jessica Foster of Jessica Foster Confections. Foodie donations will be made by Shawnda Marmorstein, owner, Los Olivos Wine Merchant & Café and Café Farm. Additional event chefs and participating food businesses will be announced over the next few weeks.

The March 7-10 events are sponsored in part by Visit the Santa Ynez Valley, 27 Vines, and Jump On The School Bus. Tickets for the March 9 grand tasting, available at www.SBWomenWinemakers.com, are priced at $99.00++ per person and include plentiful appetizers, sweets, and wine tastings. The March 9 event venue, 27 Vines, is conveniently located in the heart of the Santa Ynez Valley. Santa Ynez area event parking information will be distributed to all ticketed guests prior to the event date.