About Us

The Vinguard first began calling attention to sexism in the wine industry in 2015 and, specifically, misogyny within the Bay Area natural wine scene.

When the #MeToo movement hit in 2017, confirming much of what we were saying all along. We founded WINeFare in 2018, a wine tasting event that gives women who work in the natural wine space a platform for their work. WINeFare is now a major wine event, with 28 women-helmed wine companies participating and hundreds of attendees. It also serves as a fundraiser for women and children’s organizations, raising over $20,000 to date.

We are now taking our work to a new level, with the formation of a non-profit 501c3. Our mission is to build a collaborative community in the natural wine space built around its RENEW (regenerative, environmental, natural, equitable, women) Wine program that uplifts and is driven by a diverse representation of women and non-binary genders. We believe that empowerment stems from building community, asserting agency, and independence from the hegemonic heteropatriarchal, imperialistic, white supremacist culture found in all sectors of the wine industry.