It’s been a long road to get here. And let’s be clear, we aren’t anywhere close to being where we need to be as a wine industry regarding representation and equality. But we have definitely reached a point where there seems to be a lot more attention and interest in wines made by those who have historically been minorities in the wine business. And that’s a very good thing.

Pamela Busch has been championing the under-represented side of the wine business for a long while in San Francisco as the owner of not one, but two of the city’s most iconic wine bars in the past 20 years. But she really got serious about it in 2013 after launching her company The Vinguard, which was focused not just on small, independent producers of natural and sustainable wines, but specifically sought to showcase the work of women, non-binary genders, and persons of color.

Under that mission, Busch launched an event she calls WINeFare, which seeks to amplify women’s voices (and work) in the natural wine space. It’s a tasting and showcase of more than 40 female producers, many of them with tiny production levels, and some of them just starting out.

The next incarnation of this tasting takes place on June 4th in San Francisco and promises to be a cornucopia of women-made wine, ciders, rice wines, and more. If you’re interested in natural wine, this would definitely be an event to check out. And even if you’re not a full naturalista, an event supporting women winemakers is worth the trip.

WINeFare Tasting 2022
Saturday, June 4, 12:00 PM to 5:00 PM
Haight Street Art Center
215 Haight Street 
San Francisco, CA 94102 (map)

Tickets to the event are $45 (a pretty good deal, as such tastings go), and there are discounts for those who are essential workers, students, seniors, or those who have attended the event virtually in the past two years. Purchase them online in advance, as the event may sell out.

Photo by Josue Michel on Unsplash