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Helen Falcone’s favorite time during the winemaking process is being out in the vineyard for pruning, checking on her grapes and harvesting. She enjoys the crisp early mornings among the vines and the late nights bottling.

“I really love what I do,” Falcone said.

Helen Falcone of Falcone Family Vineyards was one of the winemakers featured at the Women Winemakers dinner in March.

She and her husband own and operate Falcone Family Vineyards in the Santa Ynez Valley, although some of their vineyards are in northern San Luis Obispo county.

She was one of more than a dozen women winemakers who were featured in the Women Winemakers dinner on International Women’s Day at K’Syrah in Solvang. The dinner raised more than $8,000 for the Women’s Fund, according to event organizers.

Some of the winemakers who participated were Karen Steinwachs, Buttonwood Farm Winery & Vineyard; Lane Tanner, Lumen Wines; Laura Roach, Loubud Wines; Marisa Beverly of Bevela Wines; Kat Gaffney, Spear Vineyards & Winery; Sarah Holt Mullins, Rancho Sisquoc Winery; Annie Smith, CNAGY Wines; Brooke Carhartt, Carhartt Vineyard and Winery; Anna Clifford and Jill DelaRiva Russell, Cambria Winery; Brit Zotovich, Dreamcôte Wine Co.; and Adrienne St. John, Rideau Vineyard.

The female winemakers were joined by some of the Santa Ynez Valley’s most inventive female chefs, who created a meal to pair with their winemaker colleagues’ wines.

The four-course feast was prepared by some of the area’s best female chefs, restaurateurs and food crafters, including Chef Brooke Stockwell, K’Syrah Catering & Events; baker Amy Dixon of The Baker’s Table, Santa Ynez; Chef Cynthia Miranda, The Lucky Hen Larder, Santa Ynez; Chef Golzar Barrera of the Santa Ynez Valley’s All Purpose Flower; Chef Louise Smith, Louise’s Kitchen Table and To-Go at The Castle, in Solvang; Theo Stephan, Los Olivos’ Global Gardens; Leyla Williams and the team at Solvang’s Good Seed Coffee Boutique; Lompoc’s Sweet Baking Co.; and Chef Pink, Root 246.

Proceeds from the March 9 event benefit the Women’s Fund of Northern Santa Barbara County, a giving circle in which individuals combine their money and/or time so they can have a bigger impact on causes than they would by donating individually.

The Women’s Fund of Santa Barbara is a volunteer-led organization operating as a “field of interest fund” of the Santa Barbara Foundation. More than $6.6 million has been donated sine 2004, benefiting almost 100,000 local women, children and families.

To learn more about the Women’s Fund, log onto www.womensfundsb.org.

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In celebration of International Women’s Day, the third annual Women Winemakers Dinner showcasing the winemaking talents of nearly two dozen Santa Barbara County women winemakers will be held from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. on Friday, March 8, at K’Syrah Catering & Events in Solvang.

The event benefits the Women’s Fund of Northern Santa Barbara County. 

Last year’s sold-out event accommodated a larger number of would-be guests via a wine-tasting tent reception prior to the seated dinner portion of the evening. This year’s event will feature an extended tent reception, in addition to providing different levels of options for participation and support.

International Women’s Day has been celebrated worldwide since 1909, with a focus on working women’s achievements and issues. In a working environment that sees about 10 percent of the global wine industry as female winemakers, Karen Steinwachs, co-founder of the annual Women Winemakers Dinner, said, “Santa Barbara County boasts a much higher percentage of women winemakers than most places in the world, with nearly double the average.”

The event will bring together a solid sampling of the county’s female winemakers in a show of support for each other, and other working women, worldwide, those who toil while honing and elevating their craft in their workplace, while also balancing work lives with family and community service.

More than 20 female winemakers will be joined at the event by some of the Santa Ynez Valley’s leading culinary women, who are collaborating to create a four-course, sit-down dinner to pair with some of their winemaker colleagues’ wines.

In the reception tent, women winemakers will pour tastes of their wines and talk with guests from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. There will be passed appetizers and a cheese table.

Participating winemakers and wineries confirmed to date include Karen Steinwachs, Buttonwood Farm Winery & Vineyard; Alison Thomson, Lepiane Wines; Adrienne St. John, Rideau Vineyard; Angela Soleno, Turiya Wines; Brit Zotovich, Dreamcôte Wine Co.; Helen Falcone, Falcone Family Vineyards; Kat Gaffney, Spear Vineyards & Winery; Sarah Holt Mullins, Rancho Sisquoc Winery; Marisa Matela Beverly, Bevela Wines; Sandra Newman, Cebada Wine; McKenna Giardine, E11even Wines; Gretchen Voelcker, Luna Hart Wines; Anna Clifford and Jill DelaRiva Russell, Cambria Wines.

Tickets for the March 8 event are available at womenwinemakersdinner2019.eventbrite.com. Tasting tent tickets are $50. VIP tickets, which include the tasting tent and the seated, four-course dinner with wine pairings, are $125.

K’Syrah Catering & Events is at 478 4th Place in Solvang.

For more information, contact Anna Ferguson-Sparks, Stiletto Marketing, at 877-327-2656 or info@stilettomarketing.com.

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The Santa Barbara County Women Winemakers are hosting their second annual Women Winemakers Dinner on Thursday, March 8, to raise money and celebrate International Women’s Day over glasses of wine, fine cuisine and convivial company.

They will gather with local female chefs at K’Syrah Catering in Solvang to raise a glass and funds for the Women’s Fund of Northern Santa Barbara County. Organizers have expanded this year’s event to accommodate more guests and additional levels of participation.

The Women’s Fund of Northern Santa Barbara County is a giving circle in which individuals combine their money and/or time so they can have a bigger impact on the causes most important to them. In 2016, the Women’s Fund distributed $50,000 in grants to organizations serving women and children.

International Women’s Day has been celebrated worldwide since 1909, with a focus on working women’s achievements and issues. Winemaking is hard work, and only about 10 percent of winemakers are women.

“There are more than double the average women winemakers in Santa Barbara County, which is a great statement,” said Buttonwood winemaker Karen Steinwachs at last year’s event.

Getting out at dawn during harvest, hauling wine hoses and wrangling barrels in the cellar, and using keen sensory skills to create wines of finesse, balance and flavor are part of a routine day — followed by swapping the boots and jeans for business attire and hitting the road to spread the word and sell the wines and the region.

All of this is often accomplished while raising a family and participating in community service.

More than a dozen female winemakers will be joined by some of the Santa Ynez Valley’s most inventive female chefs, who are creating appetizers as well as the meal to be paired with their colleagues’ wines.

Participating winemakers and wineries confirmed so far include Karen Steinwachs, Buttonwood Farm Winery & Vineyard; Sonja Magdevski, Casa Dumetz Wines; Brooke Carhartt, Carhartt Vineyard & Winery; Alison Thomson, Lepiane Wines; Lane Tanner, Lumen Wines; Adrienne St. John, Rideau Vineyard; Gretchen Voelcker, Luna Hart Wines; Jessica Gasca, Story of Soil; Tara Gomez, Kitá Wines; Angela Osborne, A Tribute To Grace; Kimberly Smith, LaMontagne Winery; Marisa Beverly, Bevela Wines; Clarissa Nagy, Nagy Wines; Sandra Newman, Cebada Wine; Angela Soleno, Turiya Wines; Brit Zotovich, Dreamcôte Wine Co.; Morgan Clendenen, Cold Heaven Cellars; Anna Clifford, Terravant Wine Company; Helen Falcone, Falcone Family Vineyards; Kat Gaffney, Spear Vineyards & Winery; Sarah Holt Mullins, Rancho Sisquoc Winery; Katie Povah and Jill DelaRiva Russell, Cambria Wines.

Chef Brooke of K’Syrah will be joined in the kitchen by baker Amy Dixon of The Baker’s Table in Santa Ynez; Theo Stephan, owner of Los Olivos’ Global Gardens; Chef Cynthia Miranda from The Lucky Hen Larder in Santa Ynez; Chef Pink of Root 246; and additional Santa Ynez Valley chefs to be announced as the event nears.

The Women Winemakers Dinner will be held from 5:30 to 9 p.m. on Wednesday, March 8, at K’Syrah Catering & Events, 478 Fourth Place in downtown Solvang.

For tickets or more information, visit womenwinemakersdinner.eventbrite.com

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