Santa Maria Valley wine country runs on a lot of things: marine layer, limestone soils, long growing seasons, and…women! Santa Barbara County is home to one of the highest percentages of women winemakers in the world. And we’re here to celebrate them.
Read up on the women leading the way on our slice of the Central Coast.
Women & Wine Go Way Back: A Brief History
Women have always been involved in the winemaking process. Although many articles focus on the 20th century through today, some records date back thousands of years.
In ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt, women are credited as some of the first winemakers and viticulturists who oversaw the growth, harvesting, and fermentation of grapes. Then came the Middle Ages, when nuns in religious communities were responsible for producing wine for both ceremonies and daily consumption. Fast forward to the 1800s, and you really start to see movement. One of the most well-known examples is Madame Clicquot, who took over her Champagne house at 27 after her husband died. She invented the riddling process still used by sparkling wine producers across the world.
If you knew all that, you’re definitely someone we’d want on our team for Trivia Nights at Naughty Oak Brewing Co.
6 Wineries Where Women Run the Show
There’s no shortage of wineries in Santa Maria Valley; the Foxen Canyon Wine Trail alone has 16 wineries in a 30-mile stretch. This wine region has a Mediterranean climate that fuels one of the state’s longest grape-growing seasons.
You don’t have to look hard to find women leading the way in wine here. We rounded up the six wineries where women own it, make it, or run it—sometimes all three!
Women-Owned Wineries
Cambria Winery & Vineyard
Barbara Banke and Jess Jackson bought this vineyard in 1986, and what they built on that land is one of the most celebrated women-owned wineries in California. Today, Cambria Winery & Vineyards remains family-run, with Barbara and her daughters—Katherine and Julia Jackson—at the helm. General Manager, Denise Shurtleff, and Head Winemaker, Jill Russell, round out the female leadership team.
Denise Shurtleff started as head winemaker in 1999, and, under her watch, the 2006 Julia’s Vineyard Pinot Noir earned the number one spot on Wine Enthusiast’s Top 100 Wines list.
In 2014, Cambria also launched the Seeds of Empowerment program, a $100,000 annual grant-making program that supports women leaders and charitable organizations across the country and around the world.
cnagy Wines
Clarissa Nagy originally set out to work in food product development while studying food science at Cal Poly, but then winemaking found her.
Her career started during harvest 1995 at Edna Valley Vineyards, and she worked her way through the Central Coast over the next decade, including stints at Byron Vineyard & Winery, Longoria Wines, and Riverbench Vineyard & Winery. She launched cnagy as her own brand in 2004.
Her wines—especially the Pinot Noir, Pinot Blanc, and Viognier—are very much worth seeking out.
Female-Led Wineries
Presqu’ile Winery
The Murphy family named their winery after a beloved Gulf Coast gathering spot—”presqu’ile” is Creole for “almost an island”—and that spirit of connecting people together is baked into everything here. Their Southern hospitality built an experience that feels a lot like being welcomed into someone’s home—one with very good wine.
Hospitality Manager Shannon Gotsick is the person making sure that feeling holds up. She came up through the tasting room, knows the wines and the guests, and has been shaping the way visitors connect with this place for years. Those estate experiences include:
- Food + Wine Tour
- Estate Horseback Riding + Tasting
- Wine + Bocce
Presqu’ile Winery
Zaca Mesa Winery & Vineyards
Zaca Mesa was founded in 1973 and was the first vineyard in Santa Barbara County to plant Syrah. This decision helped pioneer the entire Santa Barbara Rhône movement. The winery earned the nickname “Zaca University” along the way, having trained some of the most celebrated winemakers in the Golden State.
Today, Kristin Bryden is this winery’s winemaker and general manager. She came up through the ranks, starting as assistant winemaker in 2011, head winemaker in 2016, and was named General Manager in 2021.
Riverbench Winery
For Riverbench Vineyard & Winery, it all started with Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes being planted on the bank of the Sisquoc River. This winery has since become a favorite of locals and visitors alike.
Although established in 1973, Riverbench didn’t start bottling its own estate wines until 2006, and added a sparkling wine program two years later, ultimately inspired by the sparkling wine traditions of Champagne.
The winemaker behind those bottles? Clarissa Nagy. Yes, the same one. She’s known for her meticulous attention to detail and deep understanding of the region’s terroir.
Kita Wines
Tara Gomez’s story starts with a Fisher-Price microscope. When she was four years old, that gift sparked a love of science and nature, ultimately leading to a career in wine. She stepped into the winemaker role at Kitá Wines, owned by her tribe, the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians. She is the first recognized Native American to make wine for her tribe from a vineyard it owns, a distinction that earned her recognition from the California State Legislature.
While the tribe made the business decision to close Kitá in early 2022, Tara’s work lives on. She and her wife, Mireia, now run Camins 2 Dreams near Santa Maria Valley, a boutique female-owned winery that makes all-natural and low-intervention wines.
Don’t Just Toast to Women in Wine—Come and See for Yourself
Santa Maria Valley is worth the trip on any given weekend, but coming out here knowing the stories behind the wine makes it something else entirely. Come experience these women-owned wineries and see these dedicated women in action!
Want to skip the trip planning and get right to the swirling? Bookmark these two itineraries before you go:
- Wine Tasting Weekend Getaway to get a taste of what California’s Central Coast wine country has to offer
- Girls Trip itinerary if you’re ready to experience women-owned wineries with your favorite ladies
Good wine deserves a good night’s sleep. From boutique hotels to budget-friendly stays, there’s no shortage of places to rest your head in Santa Maria Valley. Check out our lodging options, and make a proper weekend of it.
