
Sip Sip Soiree banner
A collaboration of local and regional businesswomen in the Elkhart Lake area will host Sip Sip Soiree! A Celebration of Women + Wine, on Thursday, March 7 from 6-8 p.m. at Vintage Elkhart Lake (100 E. Rhine St., Elkhart Lake). Held on the eve of International Women’s Day, the event features a sampling of wines from women winemakers, pop-up pizza party from Harry’s Pizza e Vino and dessert from Cupcake Sugar.
“This is a celebration of local, female-owned small businesses paired up with women winemakers from around the globe,” states Jaclyn Stuart, owner and sommelier of Vintage Elkhart Lake, a specialty food and wine retailer. “It will be a memorable evening of fine wine with delicious, handcrafted pizza and a few surprises that will delight your palate as well as support our community."
The percentage of women winemakers in the U.S. is small but growing; resources such as Wine Enthusiast and industry publications including Wine Industry Network estimate that out of the 4,200 bonded wineries in California, 14% reported having a woman as their lead winemaker in 2020—up about 4% from a decade ago.
Rebecca Roessger, the Northeast Wisconsin Sales Representative of Select Sellers, curated the collection of six different wines available for sampling at Sip Sip Soiree: Jean-Baptiste Adam Cremant d'Alsace Brut Rosé, from Alsace, France; Red Tail Ridge Estate Dry Riesling 2022, from the emerging wine region of Finger Lakes, New York; Stoller Family Estate Chardonnay 2022, from Dundee Hills, Oregon; Willful Wine Company "Jezebel" Pinot Noir 2022 (Oregon); Muxagat “Tinto” Red Blend 2019, in Douro, Portugal, and Malabaila "Birbet" Brachetto 2022, out of Piedmont, Italy.
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Roessger chose wines for this event that have varied backgrounds from around the globe. They include wines that focus on sustainability, are multigenerational, small production and high quality. She feels it’s important to showcase products that consumers might not normally gravitate toward or find on their own.
“As a woman working in the beverage industry for more than 15 years, I’ve always felt it’s important we highlight and emphasize products made by and owned by women,” she shares. “This industry is dominated by men, and these women are pioneering for themselves and their families, their legacies, and carrying forward so many traditions.”
Food pairings include Harry’s Pizza e Vino’s Roman-style pizza, which features a unique light, airy crust with a delicately crisp bottom. Co-owner Laurie Latifi will offer varieties such as Walnut, Corn, Peppadew, Vegetable or Lemon, along with Pesto and Bread, and Olives and Bread from their Vino Spuntino Wine Snacks Menu.Sami Hansen of Cupcake Sugar, in Sheboygan, crafted a dessert pairing of chocolate cupcakes with raspberry curd filling, topped with chocolate ganache frosting and a chocolate covered raspberry.
Sip Sip Soiree! is hosted by Stuart, Roessger, Latifi and Beth O’Reilly, owner and public relations specialist of O’Reilly Public Relations, in Sheboygan. Ticket sales, sponsorships and donations from Sip Sip Soirre! will help support ElkhartCares, a nonprofit dedicated to empowering individuals and families experiencing hardships to lead happy, healthy lives.
O’Reilly loves to throw a party, and she sees this event as a way to celebrate with a purpose while showcasing standout women in the wine industry. “I've known each of these powerful women separately for years. One day the idea sparked to pull us together to collaborate. Wine was the stand out commonality for the quartet of businesswomen and it is what organically brings so many women together,” she observes.
Tickets for Sip Sip Soiree! are $55 per person and include sampling portions of wine, appetizers, pizza and dessert. Additional alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages will be available for purchase. Tickets can be purchased online at bit.ly/SipSipSoiree.