By: Valerie Milano
Los Angeles, CA (The Hollywood Times) 7/11/2024 – One doesn’t necessarily connect wine tasting with a cause like equality, but recently in Palm Springs, the two were inextricably linked as the Equality Wine and Food Fest was held in the Grand Compass Rose Ballroom at Margaritaville Resort, marking the second successful year for what has quickly become the deserts preeminent wine event of the year.
Featuring LGBTQ+, BIPOC, and Women-owned and/or produced wines, the event brought together some of California’s finest vintners in an exclusive invite-only participation of wineries. The event also featured local community artists and retailers.
The three-day celebration of equality kicked off on Friday evening with its Winemaker Dinner, hosted by the Margaritaville Resort and Teneral Cellars, whose CEO Jill Osur guided the 32 guests at this intimate dining wine pairing experience.
Osur and her partner, in life and business, Lisa Orrell own and run Teneral Cellars. An award-winning winery located in Amador County Wine Country, just an hour north of Sacramento. Teneral Cellars brings together their personal and professional missions—elevating women, diversity, and inspiring positive change.
The pair are typical of the winemakers invited to this signature event, committed to transforming to the culture of wine while creating a platform for change as they continue to challenge industry norms and champion diversity, equity, and inclusion in every sip.
“We want to be the brand that defines how to do well by doing good,” Orrell said, who is a partner and chief marketing officer for Teneral, “We can change the wine industry so that it’s more equitable for women.”
It is a lofty goal, for sure, but chatting with this dynamic duo, one gets the very real impression that they can accomplish just about anything. Osur brings a wealth of experience to the fight, founding Teneral in 2020 after a stint as co-founder and past president of another California-based winery group.
The societal upheaval and some pandemic-induced introspection led her to the realization that it had become an industry dominated by rich white men. Couple that truth with the overwhelming fact that the fight for Equality has long been a battleground dominated by gay men, and Osur said she felt compelled to try to effect some changes.
As a result, Teneral Cellars has risen to the top with its exquisite, award-winning wines, coupled with their commitment to giving back has caused heads to turn as well. The winery donates 10 percent of its profits to groups and organizations that empower women and promote gender and racial equity.
It’s a tangible way of harnessing the power of business for good, and it hasn’t taken long for this power couple to make its mark on both the industry and in the Equality battle.
Statistically, women are the largest consumers of wine, accounting for more than 75 percent of wine sales. Yet only 10 percent of winemakers are women, so Osur and Orell are dedicated to changing the narrative.
In its very first year, Teneral Cellars posted impressive revenue numbers with merely $1.2 million in sales. Along the way, Teneral has been awarded gold, silver, and bronze medals from esteemed national wine competitions. But for Teneral’s founding partners, the accomplishments extend far beyond their bottom line.
That first year, the duo was able to donate $51,000 to organizations that support women and that promote both gender and racial equity, quite the debut for these women who are driven to change the narrative among winemakers. Their vendors and suppliers are a whopping 97 percent owned by women and minorities.
On top of that, every bottle of wine from Teneral Cellars comes with a built-in conversation starter – its label, which is designed by women artists. And the company is likewise environmentally tuned in, using sustainable farming techniques in its production.
Teneral Cellars’ vineyard property in Plymouth, the wine region in Amador County, incorporates a state-of-the-art tasting room, a five-star boutique hotel with grand vistas of the Sierra Nevada foothills and of course, a full commercial winery on its picturesque 40 acres.
Along with Teneral Cellars, attendees were treated to a variety of wines from California’s Wine Country, including the Martin Ray Winery, which co-hosted the Media’s Meet-and-Greet on Friday with Curious Elixirs, who are purveyors of non-alcoholic beverages.
Saturday’s activities saw the event reach full speed ahead with wines from more than 60 vintners featured, along with local food providers serving up tasty snacks while attendees enjoyed live music and demonstrations from celebrity chefs.
On Sunday, the final day of the event, celebrity drag queen Ethylina Canne hosted the “Bubbly Bingo Brunch,” which was sponsored by Equality Vines from Guerneville in Napa Valley. Co-founded by South African vintner Matt Grove and Jim Obergefell – the named plaintiff from the landmark US Supreme Court marriage equality case Obergefell v. Hodges – Equality Vines has contributed more than $300,000 to organizations that are working to promote and sustain Equality, including the Human Rights Campaign, the National League of Women Voters, Radiant Health Care’s LGBTQ+ Youth and Mentorship program, and nearly two dozen others.
