Marlen Porter

Chumash and ‘Amuwu land – Santa Maria, CA

Born and raised in Santa Barbara County, Marlen Sosa Porter has made it the work of her adult life to elevate, and express, the wine culture of her home. Her interest was sparked by a taste of a Lane Tanner Pinot Noir as a young restaurant server, she began exploring the rich history of Santa Barbara as a wine-growing region when she was only 20. Working in every aspect of the business, from enology to tasting room management, she eventually worked her way up to the position of General Manager for several prominent wineries in the area.

In 2013, in partnership with her husband Cameron, she took the step of beginning her own project, Amplify Wines. With a shared desire to craft the kinds of wines they were drinking at home but rarely seeing produced in their region, they began with just 90 cases. They have since grown the winery organically, without outside investors, to 3,000 cases, and focus full time on their own business.

The daughter of 1st generation Oaxacan immigrants, it is important to Marlen that voices like hers are amplified and become a more integral part of the modern wine discussion. To actualize this, she, along with Cameron and a diverse group of friends in the industry, created the nonprofit wine club Natural Action. Natural Action creates scholarships and other opportunities for the BIPOC community to pursue a career in the wine industry.