28 Nov Please The Palate Pick of the Week: Small Business Saturday and Women-Owned Wineries

While Thanksgiving this year was not like other years, one traditional event is the Black Friday sales. And, another annual tradition is Small Business Saturday! As a small business owner myself, this week’s Please The Palate pick of the week is Small Business Saturday. It has been a challenging year for so many, especially independent business owners. On top of Covid, wine regions were challenged by fires. And, there has been the beginning of a reckoning of gender and racial inequality in the wine industry. So, what better way to celebrate Small Business Saturday than supporting female winery owners. Acquiesce Winery and Vineyards A love for white Châteauneuf-du-Pape inspired owner and winemaker Sue Tipton to produce unique white Rhone varieties at Acquiesce Wines in Lodi. Breathless Wines Founded in 2012 in Healdsburg, CA, Breathless is a boutique family winery owned by sisters, Sharon Cohn, Rebecca Faust, and Cynthia Faust who, along with acclaimed Winemaker Penny Gadd-Coster, are dedicated to crafting refreshing method champenoise sparkling wines for life’s special moments. Crocker & Starr Passionate about Cabernet Sauvignon,  Pam Starr established Crocker & Starr in 1997 in Napa Valley where she focuses on translating terroir into her distinctive Bordeaux-style blends. Enriquez Estate Wines Celebrating the growing Latinx presence in the wine industry, Cecilia Enriquez, owner and winemaker at Enriquez Estate Wines, paves the way for Latinas in an industry where both females and Mexican Americans are underrepresented. Fiddlehead Cellars Kathy Joseph, a pioneer among women winemakers, established Fiddlehead Cellars in 1989 in the Sta. Rita Hills to capture the pure essence of Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir. Inman Family Wines Kathleen Inman, owner, winemaker and General Manager of Inman Family Wines and Olivet Grange Vineyard in Sonoma County, emphasizes sensitive farming, natural winemaking and environmentally responsible business practices in the wines that she has been making since 2000. Tres Sabores Julie Johnson’s Tres Sabores, a family-owned, woman-led winery, is a small certified organic winery located in Rutherford in Napa Valley. Trombetta Family Wines Trombetta Family Wines is owned by mother and daughter team Rickey Trombetta and Erica Stancliff where they make balanced small lot Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from vineyards that exemplify the area in which they are planted. Tolenas Winery Tolenas Winery is co-owned by award-winning female winemaker Lisa Howard, a second generation winemaker and farmer of Suisun Valley who has an academic background in agricultural engineering. Vero Vino Gusto Owner Sheila Donohue curates and sells limited edition, sustainably-made wines, olive oils and foods primarily from Italy. While my list of wineries is not comprehensive, these are some of the brands you can support today on Small Business Saturday, as well as any day!