Wine Fare is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year! The first wine event to platform women who make and import natural and low-intervention wines, it has become a favorite tasting for winemakers and consumers alike, who say no tasting atmosphere is as friendly, warm, inclusive, and empowering.

In 2026, Wine Fare was held in San Francisco for a two-day celebration featuring over 60 women-owned wine companies and more than 300 attendees, and, for the first time, in London, with 24 winemakers and 200 consumers. The winemakers and attendees in London found the same inviting ambiance as in San Francisco. Several winemakers commented that, for the first time, they genuinely felt "seen" and experienced attendees' gratitude.

In 2027, Wine Fare will be held on March 13 & 14 at the Catharine Clark Gallery in San Francisco. For our 10th anniversary, we're making it extra special with a party and auxiliary events. We plan to go back to London next summer, and for the first time, we're having Wine Fare in New York on March 7 at the Wythe Hotel in Williamsburg.

The political climate that has rolled back feminist gains and normalized misogyny has impacted the wine industry in big ways and small. We realize this is a difficult moment for everyone, but in the last year and a half, four favorite women-owned Bay Area natural/minimal-intervention wine shops/bars have closed in the Bay Area: Bottle Bacchanal, Decant SF, Friends and Family bar, and minimo, while no male-owned shops have shuttered. Several women-owned wineries, including Buddy Buddy and Margins Wine, which had garnered significant press, stopped making wine, and Roni Ginach, a Los Angeles-based importer, is closing her business. While men are also struggling, none of them have called it quits.

During times of economic hardship, women are disproportionately impacted. While this is a looming societal problem, The Vinguard feels it can make a difference by supporting women-owned natural wine businesses in several ways.

Hosting and expanding Wine Fare tastings. These tastings not only allow winemakers to engage with consumers and build networks with their winemaking colleagues, but also provide a space to find importers and distributors for their work. They also inspire consumers to follow their dreams. As anti-inclusion fever spreads throughout the US and much of the world, it's imperative not only to keep Wine Fare going but also to expand it to other locations so we can include more winemakers and consumers who lack the means to attend the cornerstone event in San Francisco.
Creating a database with women-owned natural wine businesses, including wineries, importers and distributors, wine shops and bars, and writers. The database will initially live on The Vinguard's website, but eventually become an app for easy use. This database will make it easier for wine industry professionals and consumers to find women-owned wine companies to support.
Hosting online forums with women winemakers on newsworthy topics. In 2026, we held a regenerative farming discussion with the esteemed Deidre Heekin of La Garagista in Vermont and Virginie Joly of the legendary estate, Coulée de Serrant in the Loire Valley, and had a conversation with Georgian winemakers Keto Ninindze of Oda Family Wines and Keto Puturidze of Makaridze on how the suppression of free speech is affecting the Georgian winemaking community. Online forums are a low-cost way to platform women as experts and introduce more people to these crucial issues and The Vinguard's work, but they still require administrative support.

We are excited to expand our work to create equity and opportunity for women, but we can't do it without adequate funding. Please contribute to help us reach our $80,000 goal to cover the costs of these events, including travel stipends for the winemakers.

Please donate to this campaign to increase visibility, opportunity, and equity for women working in the natural/low-intervention, regenerative space. The Vinguard does not take contributions from companies whose values do not align, so we rely on the generosity of private individuals and businesses.

We appreciate donations of any size, but higher levels come with more benefits.

To thank you for your generosity, we offer special recognition and benefits for your investment:

$300 - 2 complimentary tickets and a program mention to Wine Fare in San Francisco or New York, plus Wine Fare swag bag.
$500 – 4 complimentary tickets to Wine Fare in San Francisco and New York, program and social media mentions for both events.
$1,000 – 8 complimentary tickets, all above benefits, plus a dedicated social media story.
$2,000 – 15 complimentary tickets, all above benefits, plus a dedicated sponsor spotlight on social media.
$5,000 – Event partnership status with special event signage and maximum visibility plus all the above.

Thank you for considering this request.

Cheers,

Louie Seamus,

Founder and Executive Director, The Vinguard

Shattering the Wine Glass Ceiling: Women in Wine Empowerment Fund

Wine Fare and Other Programs Uplifting Women

Team Members