November 2025 Newsletter
Photo by Nathan Dehart
In This Issue…
LCWC Welcomes New President, Jenny Keller
Lake County at Global Buyers Marketplace
Lake County at San Diego Food & Wine Festival
Lake County Wine Summit Recap
Remembering Jed Steele
Upcoming Wine Competitions
Grape & Wine Marketplace
Weather & Climate Report
Affiliate Sponsor: Vineyard Industry Products
LCWC Welcomes New President, Jenny Keller
Photo by Nathan Dehart
The Lake County Winegrape Commission is pleased to announce Jenny Keller as the new President. Jenny brings extensive experience in strategic marketing and brand leadership, with a strong background serving wineries and related brands.
Jenny currently serves as Head of Marketing and Creative for the Russian River Valley Pinot Forum. She also spent six years as Senior Manager of Social Media and Digital Marketing at Rodney Strong Wine Estates, overseeing digital strategy, brand development, product-launch campaigns, and content creation across multiple wine brands.
In addition to her work with established wineries, Jenny brings more than 15 years of experience as a fractional director of marketing, supporting nonprofits and private-sector clients with branding, digital strategy, website development, and long-term planning.
The Commission looks forward to the leadership, creativity, and strategic vision Jenny brings to Lake County as she steps into this role.
LCWC Promotes Lake County Region Global Buyers Market
LCWC participated in the Regional Wine Tasting at the Global Buyers Marketplace in Napa on October 27 and 28. Jon Holzapfel, LCWC Chair; Padraic Sherlock, LCWC Board Member; Billy Ayer and Amy Hires of Brassfield Estate; and Alex Remy of Omen Wines poured a selection of Lake County wines showcasing the region’s key varietals and distinct viticultural areas. They also engaged with attendees and answered questions about the winegrowing region. In addition, Peter Molnar of Obsidian Wine Co. led a Mini Masterclass highlighting Lake County’s volcanic growing conditions.
Lake County Wines Poured at San Diego Food & Wine Festival
Lake County returned to the San Diego Food & Wine Festival on November 7 and 8, showcasing a selection of the region’s wines.
The Friday VIP event welcomed both trade professionals and enthusiastic consumers, providing an excellent platform to showcase the region. Saturday’s Grand Tasting offered another valuable opportunity to introduce attendees to Lake County wines and share insights about the region’s unique growing conditions.
Summer Brown, LCWC Outreach and Events Coordinator; Carson Holdenried, Holdenried Harvesting; David Weiss, LCWC Board Member; and James Parenti, Brassfield Estate, represented Lake County throughout the weekend.
Lake County Wine Summit Recap
Photo by Nathan Dehart
The Lake County Wine Summit, held on November 13 at the Soper Reese Theater in Lakeport, brought together growers, winemakers, and industry professionals for an engaging afternoon of tasting and discussion centered on what makes Lake County winegrapes distinctive. Attendees explored the region’s flagship Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon, along with a range of compelling alternative varietals, through guided tastings and expert-led sessions that highlighted Lake County’s regional character, diversity, and innovation.
Thank you to our speakers:
Eugenio Figueroa — Atlas Vineyard Management
David Weiss — Bella Vista Farming
Jonathan Walters — Brassfield Estate
Scott Kirkpatrick — Dancing Crow Vineyards
Kristin Belair — Honig Vineyard & Winery
Bryan Parker — Langtry Farms
Alex Beloz — Obsidian Wine Co.
Pietro Buttitta — Prima Materia
Dave Rosenthal — R Vineyards
Clay Shannon — Shannon Family of Wines
Jeronimo Da Valle — Shannon Family of Wines
Katie Nydell — VinLuxe Wine Consulting
Bruce Regalia — Wild Diamond Vineyards
Remembering Jed Steele
Photo by Nathan Dehart
The Lake County wine community lost a significant figure with the passing of Jed Steele. A pioneering winemaker with a career spanning several decades, Jed played an essential role in shaping the region’s modern wine industry. His early leadership at Kendall-Jackson, the founding and growth of Steele Wines, and his long-standing commitment to Lake County vineyards and growers all contributed to elevating the region’s profile and strengthening its reputation for quality. His work continues to influence growers, winemakers, and industry professionals across the North Coast.
Read more about Jed’s career in this Grower Spotlight.
Photo by Nathan Dehart
Upcoming Wine Competitions
Volcanic Wine Awards
Volcanic Wines International, in partnership with JancisRobinson.com, has opened submissions for the Volcanic Wines Awards, recognizing top wines grown in volcanic soils worldwide.
Entries will be blind-tasted by a panel led by Joshua Greene, JancisRobinson.com, and John Szabo, MS, Volcanic Wines International. Winning wines will appear on JancisRobinson.com and be showcased at the International Volcanic Wines Conference in New York City on June 10, 2026.
Submission Deadline: November 30, 2025
Dan Berger’s International Wine Competition
Entries are now open for the 44th annual Dan Berger’s International Wine Competition, one of the longest-running wine judgings in the country. Wines are evaluated by a panel of professional judges, including winemakers, buyers, sommeliers, and wine writers.
Submission Deadline: December 2, 2025
San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition
The San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition is now accepting submissions for the 2026 competition, one of the largest wine competitions of American wines in the world. Wineries are invited to enter wines across all varietals and price categories for evaluation by an expert panel of esteemed judges representing trade, education, media, and hospitality.
Submission Deadline: December 15, 2025
Marketplace
In the market for bulk wine?
Visit the Marketplace page of the LCWC website for a list of Lake County bulk wine, grapes, and vines available for sale.
Weather & Climate
View November Report from Dr. Gregory Jones.
Affiliate Sponsor: Vineyard Industry Products
