New head of Sonoma County Vintners tackles local issues

As the new head of Sonoma County’s main winery trade group, Carolyn Stark knows she has to help promote local vintners to foreign buyers, U.S. restaurateurs and prominent wine journalists.

But after three months on the job as executive director of Sonoma County Vintners, Stark’s biggest sales job right now is local, especially amid mounting concern among some residents that loosely regulated winery events have turned the agriculture-based industry into an unwieldy tourist mecca that brings unwanted traffic, noise and a worse quality of life.

That debate will occur again on Thursday when the owners of Wilson Winery in Dry Creek Valley seek approval for a new winery, tasting room and barrel storage room from the county’s Board of Zoning Adjustments in front of expected opposition.

“I have been spending a lot of my time on this,” said Stark, who came over from Sonoma County BEST, a Santa Rosa Chamber of Commerce initiative to promote job growth throughout the county.

Sonoma County Vintners, which represents wineries, have been working on the issue with two organizations representing grape growers, Sonoma County Winegrowers and United Winegrowers for Sonoma County. Last January, they put forth guidelines and a definition of winery events for a county hearing.

Stark said the three groups are now building on that proposal as a task force created by the county begins to draft clear definitions of winery events, which could lead to new regulations. “We’re all interested in sharing both sides, hearing both sides, then finding a way forward that works for everybody that protects the quality of life,” Stark said.

Her 250-member organization also is looking to self-police wineries in an effort to prevent more stringent mandates on the local industry, which is responsible for 54,000 related jobs and has more than a $13 billion economic impact in the county, according to an industry-funded study.

In one prominent case, Sonoma County planning commissioners last year voted unanimously to ban all events at Bella Vineyards north of Healdsburg and halted tastings in at its popular storage cave.

“We would like to help those in our industry who are perhaps are taking it too far and prevent that from happening,” Stark said.

The local industry also looks to be more visible in the debate. In past county hearing cases, winery applicants have been greatly outnumbered by local activists in opposition. In contrast, the powerful Napa Valley Vintners have been very organized in similar debates.

Stark noted that last week, “a lot wineries were in the room to support and provide public comment” for the owners of Fort Ross Vineyard in front of the Sonoma County Board of Zoning Adjustments for its application for a new 11,000-square-foot winery. The application was approved on a 4-0 vote.

“We need to be vocal, but vocal infers a loud voice. What we rather do is work together with our neighbors and find a common ground,” she said. “From what I am hearing from my members is that they would like to have their voice heard.”

Stark took over from Honore Comfort, who announced her resignation in September after serving nine years in the challenging job. Her selection raised some eyebrows in the wine community as Stark had no experience in the industry. Instead, her background lay in guiding associations, serving as executive director of the Palm Desert Graduate Center, a teaching and research center for UC Riverside, and president and chief executive officer for the Austin Technology Council in Texas.

Stark was selected because she was “genuine and authentic,” besides having association experience, said Corey Beck, board president for the vintners and general manager at Francis Ford Coppola Winery.

Not surprisingly, the board has significant representation from the county’s major wineries, including Jackson Family Wines, Gallo Family Vineyards and Rodney Strong Vineyards. But Stark noted an effort has been made to include smaller vintners, and that all benefit from the larger wineries and their vast promotion of Sonoma County wines.

“Some of the smaller ones will join their AVAs (American Viticultural Area trade groups) before they join us. We understand that, and that’s fine. We promote Sonoma County as a whole and we work with the AVAs to support all wines in Sonoma County,” she said.

She noted that her group is in talks with Visa, which is a sponsor for the Wine Country Weekend and other winemaker dinners, “on how to grow and expand that relationship” given the card-maker’s experience in direct-to-consumer marketing, which is a vital area of growth, especially for smaller wineries that find it hard to attract wholesaler attention.

She said smaller wineries also are likely to benefit from Sonoma County being the official wine supplier at the 50th anniversary of the Super Bowl, which will be held at Levi’s Stadium next year. “The Super Bowl represents a terrific opportunity,” she said.

The most immediate event upcoming for the group is its first-ever barrel auction for wine retailers and wholesalers on May 1 at the Vintners Inn, featuring more than 50 exclusive wine lots. Proceeds will go to the group’s operating budget, which was $1.5 million in 2013.

You can reach Staff Writer Bill Swindell at 521-5223 or bill.swindell@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @BillSwindell.