2024 Sonoma County Wine Celebration Honorees
Sonoma County Vintners Foundation (SCVF) recognized the 2024 Sonoma County Wine Celebration (SCWC) honorees at the live auction on Saturday, September 21 at Chateau St. Jean.
We love recognizing the positive impacts our vintner community brings to our region. Members of our wine and hospitality industries continue to work tirelessly to care for those in our area who need help the most. They are always willing to help raise critical funding for our programs that provide sustainable funding for frontline nonprofits.
Michael Haney, Sonoma County Vintners Foundation Executive Director
2024 SCWC Vintner and Grower Honorees
The Sangiacomo Family
Third Generation Sonoma County Farmers
As third generation farmers, Mike, Mia, and Steve Sangiacomo proudly continue their family’s farming tradition in Sonoma County, a legacy dating back to 1927. Their story started in 1913, when their grandfather Vittorio Sangiacomo sailed alone to America at age 17. After arriving at Ellis Island, he traveled to San Francisco, eventually settling in Sonoma Valley. In 1927, Vittorio purchased a 55-acre farm, Eden Dale, establishing the roots of what would become the Sangiacomo Home Ranch. He and his wife Maria raised four children: Angelo, Buck, Bob, and Lorraine. They steadily expanded their land to support this growing family and became one of California’s largest pear-growing operations.
The late Angelo Sangiacomo, father of the current generation, was recognized as a Sonoma County Barrel Auction Icon in 2017 after working in agriculture for more than 70 years. During the decline of the California pear market, he encouraged the family to uproot their pears, and they planted their first vineyard in 1969. As the wine industry continued to gain acclaim in Sonoma County, they expanded and today they farm over 1600 acres of certified sustainable vineyards, supplying grapes to over 90 premium wineries. They were among the first to introduce vineyard designated wines, with over 30 wineries currently producing a “Sangiacomo Vineyards” wine.
Sangiacomo Family Wines, launched in 2016, celebrates their family’s heritage as grape growing pioneers in Sonoma County. These terroir-driven wines are a tribute to the family’s commitment to showcasing the unique characteristics of their estate vineyards.
2024 SCWC Chef Honorees
Terri & Mark Stark
Founders of Stark Reality Restaurants
James Beard Outstanding Restaurateur semifinalists Mark and Terri Stark together own and operate eight of Sonoma County’s favorite, and most highly rated, restaurants: Willi’s Wine Bar (2002), Monti’s (2004), Stark’s Steak & Seafood (2008), Bird & The Bottle (2015), and Grossman’s Noshery & Bar (2020) and Augie’s French (2023) in Santa Rosa, and Willi’s Seafood (2003) and Bravas (2012) in Healdsburg. After losing their flagship, Willi’s Wine Bar, in the 2017 Tubbs Fire, the Starks re-opened Willi’s at the restaurant’s new home in the Town & Country Center in Santa Rosa in June 2019. Willi’s Wine Bar first welcomed diners and introduced Santa Rosans to the small plates concept in 2002. Less than one year after re-opening Willi’s Wine Bar, the Starks opened Grossman’s Noshery & Bar in Santa Rosa’s historic Railroad Square in March 2020.
The Starks founded Stark Reality Restaurants in 2006 to manage the operations of their diverse group of dining establishments. They are now one of Sonoma County’s largest employers. More than awards and accolades, Terri and Mark are most proud of being able to provide mentorship and employment to so many workers in the local culinary field. The Starks are committed to promoting from within, what Terri refers to as “stocking our own pond.” All of their chefs started out working for them as cooks, and, in some cases, dishwashers. The biggest measure of success, according to Mark, “At least 20 employees who started out washing dishes and bussing tables now own their houses; more than anything else, that is our greatest accomplishment.”
2024 Wine Business Leadership Award Recipient
Nate Weis
Vice President of Winegrowing at Silver Oak and Twomey
The Wine Business Leadership Award is a partnership award between Sonoma County Vintners and The Wine Business Institute (WBI) at Sonoma State University which recognizes an individual annually who demonstrates great wine business leadership, vision, innovation, inspiration and impactful service to the Sonoma County community.
Nate Weis, whose father is also a winemaker, grew up locally and joined the Silver Oak team in 2014. He brought with him a wealth of experience from working at wineries in California and New Zealand.
He is especially proud of helping the Duncan family, who co-founded the winery in 1972 with Justin Meyer and are now the sole owners, build upon the culture they’ve established. This includes being a leader in sustainability by building their LEED Platinum and Living Building certified winery in Alexander Valley and winning the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance Green Medal for Leadership in 2019. He helped found the winery’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) committee and subsequent apprenticeship program in partnership with The Veraison Project for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) individuals interested in wine careers, establishing paid time off for volunteerism as a company benefit, and instituting a formal internal mentorship program and leadership development for high-potential employees.
Nate has been an adjunct faculty at Napa Valley College since 2018, teaching courses in enology and wine education. He has been a board member of the Wine Business Institute since 2022, a former board member of the Northwest Chapter of the American Red Cross, and a member of the Unified Grape & Wine Symposium Program Development Committee since 2018. He was a North Bay Business Journal “40 under 40” recipient in 2014 and a Wine Business Institute Outstanding Alumnus award winner in 2021. However, Nate maintains that his real claim to fame is being the father of triplets (two boys and a girl) and their little brother, as well as recently celebrating a 20th wedding anniversary with his wife, Sally.
Sneak peek 🫣 Mussels and Clams Chowder with celeriac and smoked bacon en Croûte - 2020 Kick Ranch Sauvignon Blanc bricoleurvineyards - Sonoma County Wine Auction Dinner found raiser bricoleurvineyards sonomacountyvintners #theproceedsmatter #bricoleurvineyards #foodandwine #winepairing #food #foodporn #foodie #foodblogger #foodphotography #foodstagram #instafood #foodies #foodlover #foodgasm #foodoftheday #foodpic #cheflife #chefofinstagram #foodofinstagram #mcfusa #food_art #plating #foods #yummy #tasty #gourmet #foodforfoodies #foodphoto #foodartchefs #bestofsonoma

🔥Focus on executing today,
➖Get your meals in, train, sleep, repeat.
➖Don’t focus on the outcome
#relentless #relentlessstrength #relentlesstip #chestday #pecdec #garyvee #theproceedsmatter #trusttheprocess #melbournegym #’melbournepersonaltrainer

These guys. Joe Anderson BenoviaWinery, left, winning bidder for Lot 7 SonomaCountyVintners’ #SonomaCountyWineAuction last Saturday, posing with JC_Boisset, who donated the lot: “a once-in-a-lifetime trip from Paris to Burgundy with Michelin-starred restaurants, insider Burgundy experiences, and VIP tastings at iconic vineyards.” With M. Boisset as escort, no less.
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. JCB, the auction’s 2022 Vintner Honoree (he also hosted the Best. Party. Ever. BuenaVistaWinery on Friday night), graciously allowed a second lucky bidder to experience this French treat, the two bids netting $110,000 out of SCWA’s total of $1.8 million raised this year.
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. #TheProceedsMatter, btw, going to #SonomaCounty charities in the following areas: . . .
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. Education and literacy.
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. Health and human services.
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. The environment.
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. Arts and culture.
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. #SonomaCountyVintners put on one heck of a good party, too. Bravo to all the participants and the folks ChalkHillEstate, where the auction took place!

Three days of charity fun SonomaCountyVintners` annual #SonomaCountyWineAuction, starting with dinner TheMathesonHbg`s hosted by this year`s Chef Honoree, Dustin_Valette. The next evening`s Best.Party.Ever. took place BuenaVistaWinery, and the following day was the auction, ChalkHillEstate. A few highlights in reverse: . . .
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. Auction setup at Chalk Hill.
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. Vintner honoree JC_Boisset and his wife, Gina Gallo.
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. Monica Lopez (BacchusLanding) and her winegrower dad, Al Lopez, the "Al" AldinaVineyards.
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. Nicole Hitchcock (NH_Sparkles), winemaker JWinery, spreading bubbly cheer.
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. Cuttin` loose in #BuenaVistaWinery`s tool museum at best party.
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. Andy LimerickLaneCellars, holding some 2020 1910 Block Zinfandel, a young delight (the wine!).
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. Exec Chef Rafael Molina of Boisset Collection, a hit for his filet mignon + truffle fries.
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. Excellent Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs along the way.
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. Dustin Valette`s dad, aka "Pops," holding 2019 Valette Pinot Noir by Bob Cabral BobCabralWines.
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. Chef Dustin before dinner on the mezzanine.
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. In addition to great wine and food (splendid wine gossip, too) at the events, it was gratifying to learn about the work of various nonprofits and the individual lives improved by the grants.
Susan Fette, CEO TLC4KidsOrg, spoke at the dinner about how her organization (TLC Child & Family Services) uses auction $$ to help youth ages 16–24 to cover basic needs after getting into a jam. The TLC grant is one of many in the health/human service area; other emphases include the environment, education and literacy, arts and culture, and emergency relief (wildfires, Covid, etc.).
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. I proudly cover more than six dozen #SonomaCountyVintners wineries for FodorsTravel`s Napa / #Sonoma guide (with more on the way in the next edition).
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. More auction photos on my FB (also /dannymangin).
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. #SonomaCounty #SonomaCountywine #visitSonomaCounty #theproceedsmatter

Millions raised for great causes at the Sonoma County Wine Auction with generous contributions from Benovia Winery, Bricoleur Vineyards & Keller Estate 🙌❤️
#sonomacountywineauction #sonoma #scwa #theproceedsmatter

Hats off to the amazing team that produced this weekend’s splendid Sonoma County Wine Auction - it was inspiring to participate alongside so many generous and dedicated wine industry champions collaborating to support the community we all share in Sonoma County. Thank you to Sonoma County Vintners Foundation, to Chalk Hill And Buena Vista for your leadership! #sonomawineauction #sonomacountyvintners #buenavistawinery #chalkhillwinery #theproceedsmatter #sonomawines

Chalk Hill Estate provided the perfect setting for the Sonoma County Vintners 2022 Sonoma County Wine Auction. A fun afternoon with fabulous food & wine shared with Sonoma vintners, colleagues and friends, gathered together for a wonderful cause. #sonomacountywine #sonomacountyvintners #sonomacountywineauction #parkavenuecatering #glenellenstar #jcboisset #dustinvallette #theproceedsmatter #chalkhillwinery

This week’s the week! We’re very fortunate to be participating in sonomacountyvintners Sonoma County Wine Auction! The proceeds support so many well-deserving nonprofit organizations focusing on education, health, the environment and more. We’ll be pouring special large format wines on Friday night at the Best. Party. Ever. at buenavistawines and hosting tables at the live auction Saturday at chalkhillestate 🍷Cheers to a wonderful cause! Find out more and get tickets at the link in our bio. #scwa #theproceedsmatter #sonomacounty #auction #foragoodcause

Join us at the largest fundraising weekend in #SonomaCounty! Sonoma County Wine Auction events are set for Sept 15-17. Get your tickets now to attend the intimate vintner dinners, Best.
Party. Ever. and the live auction.
Proceeds are distributed by Sonoma County Vintners Foundation to nonprofits in our
community focusing on education
& literacy, health & human services, the environment, and arts &
culture. Link in bio for Ernest’s participation! ⬆️
#TheProceedsMatter #SCWA #SCVF #thepowerofgiving #sonomacounty #sonomawinecountry #sonomawine #giveback #donate #community

Thanks to @vintecclub for their support of our Sonoma County Wine Auction, planned for September 15-17. See the live auction lots and get your tickets at sonomacountywineauction.com.
#SCWA is produced by Sonoma County Vintners Foundation, with the proceeds supporting annual Community Grants for local nonprofits and the Emergency Relief Fund. #TheProceedsMatter
#sonomawine #sonomacounty #sonomawinecountry #sipsonoma #ThePowerofGiving

We are proud to host this year`s Sonoma County Wine Auction, which is our largest community fundraising event.
Proceeds are distributed by Sonoma County Vintners Foundation to non-profits in our community focusing on education and literacy, health and human services, the environment, and arts and culture. See full details at the link in our bio!

Sonoma County Vintners Foundation Executive Director Mike Haney spoke at last night`s ¡Salud, Sonoma Youth! fundraiser for SCVF beneficiary Side by Side, held at @griffodistillery. We`re honored to be able to support the work they and other non-profit organizations do in our community!
#SCVF #SonomaCounty #SonomaWine #SipSonoma #TheProceedsMatter #SCWA
@sidebysideyouth

This happened...So good!
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#sawyersomm #sonomacountyvintners #sonomacountyvintnersfoundation #theproceedsmatter #sonomacountywine #bestwinebarever #sonomacountyagriculture #sauvignonblanc #chardonnay #pinotnoir #cabernetsauvignon #merlot #cabernetfranc #malbec #zinfandel #syrah #grenache #montagehealdsburg #sonomacountystrong

Chef Justin of jacksonfamilywines with fresh sonoma coast oysters, rosé, amazing flowers #SonomaCountyWineAuction lacremawines More travel deets at www.getlosthouston.com #TheProceedsMatter #sonomacountyvintnersfoundation
#visitsonoma #charity #community #travel
#gallo #korbel #rodneystrong

Fun highlights from the #BestPartyEver thrown by the #SonomaCountyVintners to kick off the amazing #SonomaCountyWineAuction 2021! Watch for more photos from the Auction today!!!
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#sawyersomm #sonomacountyvintners #sonomacountyvintnersfoundation #bestpartyever #theproceedsmatter #sonomacountywine #bestwinebarever #sonomacountyagriculture #sauvignonblanc #chardonnay #pinotnoir #cabernetsauvignon #merlot #cabernetfranc #malbec #zinfandel #syrah #grenache #montagehealdsburg #sonomacountystrong

Its feels like Fall in sonomacounty 🍂🍷
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Last night I attended the “Best Party Ever” at montagehealdsburg for Sonoma County Wine Auction Weekend. It is Sonoma County’s largest auction benefiting many wonderful non-profits, making a powerful impact on the lives of those here who are most in need. Thanks to the incredible generosity of sonomacountyvintners and chefs, the auction raises significant money for community grants, making a lasting difference in education, health & human services, the environment and arts & culture.
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To learn more about the Sonoma County Auction and to donate please click on my linkinbio

You`re invited! Join Sonoma Valley Vinters Foundation at their Sonoma County Wine Auction September 16-18th. This weekend will be full of incredible events including an opening night celebration party, vinter dinners, and an impactful auction to give back to Sonoma County!⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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The donations will help support Sonoma County through incredible grant programs and charitable giving. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Make sure to buy your tickets today at https://sonomacountywineauction.com/⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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#SonomaCountyWineAuction, #TheProceedsMatter #SonomaCountyVintnersFoundation #SonomaCountyVintnersd

The Sonoma County Vintners Foundation is a proud, longtime supporter of local nonprofits that support healthy & human services throughout Sonoma County. Our funding targets immediate and direct critical safety net services, such as access to food, shelter/housing, transportation or medical expenses. Learn more about our
Foundation, our pillars and our mission by clicking the link in our bio!
📸: @thelivingroom_sc
#SCVF #ThePowerofGiving #TheProceedsMatter

We’re thrilled to kick off this year’s virtual festivities for the 2020 Sonoma County Wine Auction! Check out the exceptional auction lots from exclusive experiences to some of the rarest wine collections. Get ready to bid and win your dream lot as you support our local Sonoma County community! It’s not too late to register and feel the overflow of generosity Saturday night, during the virtual Fund-A-Need program and watch our top-tier auction lots close live!
Register now at the link in bio! ✨
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#SonomaCountyWineAuction #TheProceedsMatter #ThePowerofGiving #SonomaWine #SonomaCounty #Philanthropy #Celebration #SipFromHome #VirtualAuction #OnlineAuction #WineExperiences #Wine #WineandFood

Chef John Ash was honored today at #SonomaCountyWineAuction and helped raise 95k for wonderful charities. Very proud of this wonderful guy! #theproceedsmatter

So excited to be at the Sonoma County auction this year. So much enthusiasm over all the awards Sonoma County has won! Can’t wait until the auction begins! #SonomaCountyWineAuction #theproceedsmatter
