After working for large wineries ourselves and seeing the mass consolidation and corporatization of first Napa and now Sonoma, we feel passionately that there is a need to create a movement to bring small producers’ names and stories to the forefront of the media and to the minds of wine lovers.
In considering this problem, we envisioned an event to bring the “Sonoma Underground” above ground! So we invited the top small wineries we knew to participate in an event that showcases these fantastic, yet unknown wines and winemakers.
We decided to limit our first event to 15 producers. This gives the wineries and the attendees an exclusive chance to show their unique position in Sonoma. We aim to make this the first of many events featuring the talents of the small but mighty wines of the independent winemakers.
We hope you’ll join us in our mission by attending our events!
Elizabeth and Laura
About Elizabeth Schneider:
Elizabeth is host of the award winning wine podcast, Wine for Normal People, a public speaker, and author of the re-imagined primer on wine called “Wine for Normal People” that will be published by Chronicle Books in Fall of 2019. The questions she receives time and again from listeners visiting Sonoma or looking for new wines to try is: “Where can I get the stuff from the small guys? How can I find the off the beaten track wineries?” Her time at a large, hulking winery made it clear that the best wineries were the small ones and she is thrilled to work with small producers and introduce more people to these fantastic producers.
About Laura Perret Fontana:
Laura is the daughter of owners of a mom and pop winery in St. Helena. She is a dynamic, creative and well respected digital marketing professional who has worked for large and small wineries all over California. She has seen the changes throughout the wine industry and looks at this event as a chance to make a difference for people like her parents.