Sonoma County Vintners’ role examined after director’s departure

Some local winery officials said Wednesday the unexpected departure of Sonoma County Vintners’ executive director should trigger a re-examination of the role the trade group plays within the wine industry as well as the community.

Carolyn Stark, 58, resigned from the group Tuesday, citing personal reasons after a year and a day on the job. She could not be reached for comment on Tuesday and Wednesday, but business associates said members of her family have had health issues in the past year. Her husband, Joseph DiGregorio, died in April.

Sonoma County Vintners, a nonprofit agency that represents 170 members, serves as the main advocacy and promotional trade group for Sonoma County’s wine industry. It raised and spent $1.5 million in 2013, according to the most recent tax records available.

The group has been active in the past year. It staged its first-ever barrel auction last May, raising $461,700 to help fund operations. It also teamed up with the tourism industry and local grape growers in a nearly $1 million effort to promote Sonoma County wine at Super Bowl-related events, most notably with a wine lounge at the Super Bowl City fan village in San Francisco.

But underneath those accomplishments, several local vintners expressed concerns that the group plays an outsized and uneven role in Sonoma County’s diverse wine industry. It is an especially thorny issue given that Sonoma County is home to 17 different wine regions - with their own individual trade groups - from well-known areas such as the Russian River Valley and Dry Creek Valley to virtual unknowns such as Fountaingrove near the Napa County border.

For example, Sonoma County Vintners’ decision to host a barrel auction came after Russian River Winegrowers, the trade group for the Russian River American Viticultural Area, was planning to hold its own barrel auction. Russian River later scrapped its auction, amid some disappointment.

In the aftermath of the barrel auction, one Russian River winemaker who asked not to be named said some AVA groups were disappointed they didn’t receive more money from the barrel auction under the revenue-sharing arrangement designed by Sonoma County Vintners.

Another trade group, Alexander Valley Winegrowers, was allocated a few thousand dollars from the barrel auction, but Sonoma County Vintners asked if it could retain those funds for future marketing events, said Lisa Mattson, communications director at Jordan Vineyard & Winery.

Mattson, who serves on the board for Alexander Valley Winegrowers, said the search for a new executive director should trigger local AVA groups and the Sonoma County Vintners to take “a big step back” and review their relationship going forward.

She noted that under the leadership of former director Honore Comfort, who served from 2006 to 2015, Sonoma County Vintners grew in its reach and influence and “the AVAs all took a backseat.”

For instance, Sonoma County Vintners merged its Taste of Sonoma event with the annual wine auction held by the Sonoma Valley Vintners & Growers Alliance, creating the Sonoma County Wine Country Weekend, which raised a record $4.5 million last year. Proceeds from the event benefit local charities.

Both the Super Bowl effort and the barrel auction were created under Comfort’s leadership and before the arrival of Stark.

Stark’s job, however, took on a more political role as community complaints mounted over winery events, which critics contend are contributing to congestion and traffic and eroding the quality of life in the county.

Sonoma County Vintners has not been as active as Napa Valley Vintners, its counterpart in Napa, in a similar debate occurring in Napa County.

Ann Peterson, executive director of Winegrowers of Dry Creek Valley, a regional trade group, said she would like Sonoma County Vintners to be as active “as our neighbors to the east.” The debate over events impacts many of her group’s 61 wineries, which rely much more heavily on direct-to-consumer sales than larger wineries that distribute to stores and restaurants.

She suggested Sonoma County Vintners raise membership dues to “develop a world-class organization.”

Peterson said she would like to see the group’s board of directors focus greater attention on the needs of smaller wineries in Sonoma County, which is home to 550 wineries.

Caroline Shaw, president of Sonoma County Vintners’ board, said the group will search for a new executive director who will have a focus on the county’s various wine regions as well be an advocate for policy issues.

“We collectively want to strengthen and engage the AVAs,” said Shaw, chief marketing officer at Jackson Family Wines. “We want to continue to elevate brand Sonoma. We want to continue to raise dollars and continue to give back to the local community.”

EDITOR’S NOTE: The story has been updated to reflect that Lisa Mattson said the Sonoma County Vintners asked to retain proceeds from the barrel auction from the Alexander Valley Winegrowers for future marketing purposes. Mattson also said that the search for the new executive director should have both the AVAs and the Sonoma County Vintners review their relationship going forward.

You can reach Staff Writer Bill Swindell at 521-5233 or bill.swindell@?pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @BillSwindell.