On March 6, as an early nod to International Women’s Day, the fifth annual Women Winemakers Celebration showcasing the winemaking talents of about 20 Santa Barbara County women winemakers will be held in the Santa Ynez Valley wine country. The charitable event, which runs from 1-4 p.m at Roblar Farm (www.RoblarWinery.com/Roblar-Farm) will once again benefit a women’s issue platform, Community Health Centers of the Central Coast (CHC), through Santa Barbara Vintners Foundation, with funds earmarked specifically for women’s health needs in medically underserved families of Northern Santa Barbara County. 

In March of 2020, the fourth annual Women Winemakers Celebration was one of the last in-person wine events of its kind to occur–just days before the initial COVID-induced shutdowns. March of 2021 brought a virtual fundraising event hosted by the women behind the annual Women Winemakers Celebration.

“Our being able to safely gather in-person, once again, is so symbolic of the triumph over what we’ve endured during the past two years,” said Santa Barbara County woman winemaker, Karen Steinwachs, part of the all-female Women Winemakers Celebration event production team and co-founder of the annual celebration. “We’re looking forward to an engaging and welcoming afternoon with our event guests, and we’re so excited to have them taste the fruits of our collective labors…with us.”

The fifth, in-person installment of the annual celebration will once again be a daytime happening, an intimate, alfresco wine tasting reception complete with elevated hors d’oeuvres. The three-hour wine tasting, snacking and reception will boast about 20 Santa Barbara County women winemakers who will be on-hand to pour tastes of their wines and talk with event guests, as passed and stationary appetizers are offered by one dozen female counterparts in the Santa Barbara County food world. Adding to the event’s outdoor ambience, live music by Arwen Lewis, an interactive food and wine trivia challenge, and the popular “estrogen collection” wine case opportunity drawing.

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 sees 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.

The March 6 event will bring together a 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 female winemakers will be side by side at the March 6 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 foodie contributions to complement their colleagues’ wines.

Brooke Stockwell, Executive Chef at the Los Olivos Wine Merchant & Café, will be joined “on the farm” by other female culinary talent such as sourdough bread baker Leyla Williams, co-owner of Solvang’s Good Seed Coffee Boutique; Janelle Norman, owner and cheesemonger at Solvang’s Cailloux Cheese Shop; Chef Golzar Barrera of Santa Ynez Valley’s All Purpose Flower; Sarah Price, owner/operator of Lompoc-based Sassafras Mobile Food Truck and Restaurant; Chef Louise Smith, Louise’s Kitchen Table; Joy Reinhardt, chef/owner of Ellie’s Tap & Vine restaurant in Santa Ynez; Joy Culley, co-owner at Solvang Spice Merchant; Olive Silver from Lompoc’s Tutti Frutti Farms; Shanté Norwood, owner/baker at Té’Stees Cupcakes; and treats- and truffle-maker Jessica Foster of Jessica Foster Confections. The 2022 Women Winemakers Celebration will also, for the first time, feature handmade ice cream from Reina’s Sweets, the teen dessert star and daughter of the peasants FEAST hospitality duo, representing the next generation of lady kitchen talent.

Tickets for the March 6 event are available HERE. Tasting Reception Tickets are $90 per person, and include appetizers, sweets, and wine tastings. Due to the ongoing pandemic, event attendance is limited and advance ticket purchase is required. Proof of vaccination will also be required for event entry, or a negative COVID test result. COVID test kits will also be available for onsite, day-of tests.