Join our BGS community for a summer garden party that will carry us from Santa Barbara County, to Israel, and back through an exploration of fine wine. Winemaker Ofer Shepher of Spear Vineyards & Winery, journalist Matt Kettmann of Wine Enthusiast magazine, and sommelier Bill Henry of Yarden Wines will be our guides for the evening while we also enjoy light appetizers.

For more information, please contact us at YAGive@JewishLA.org or (323) 761-8386.

Josh Bachrach and Warren Coughlin
Event Co-Chairs

Hallie Brookman, Tamara Kagel, Cara Rifkin, Leslie Schapira, and Bryan Wasser
YA Campaign Cabinet

All attendees must be members of our Ben-Gurion Society, a nationally recognized donor society for those in their 20s and 30s giving a minimum gift of $1,000 or more to the Federation’s Annual Campaign.

Not yet ready to give a BGS-level gift? Step-up opportunities exist — let’s have a conversation!

Ofer Shepher

Ofer Shepher’s interest in the local wine community germinated very early on and continued to resonate within him throughout his college and post-college career. Weekend camping trips to the Santa Ynez Valley sparked an unyielding desire to pursue coastal wines. He began his winemaking studies at Davis in 2004, which propelled a move to the historic Gnesa Ranch in 2005. Being surrounded by the Santa Rita Hills was truly inspirational from a viticultural and enological standpoint. From that moment forward, Ofer’s sole focus was the Santa Rita Hills appellation. He spent the next seven years patiently searching for what would prove to be the ideal location to plant and build his dream vineyard and winery.

As a child, Ofer would spend summers in Israel working on the kibbutz his mother grew up on. This communal farming background not only afforded Ofer a tremendously diverse skill set, but it also set the tone for a collaborative work ethic focused predominantly on agriculture. These formative years continue to influence the stewardship of every aspect at Spear Vineyards, where every stage of the wine growing process is given equal priority. The goal is the beauty of the total system where everything and everyone is supported and appreciated. With these alignments, we hope to adhere to the Spear motto of: “Wine that tastes like where it came from.”

Matt Kettmann

Matt Kettmann is the senior editor of The Santa Barbara Independent, where he’s worked since 1999, and a contributing editor for Wine Enthusiast magazine, where he reviews about 200 wines a month and covers the Central Coast and Southern California. He has also written about wine and other topics for the New York Times, TIME Magazine, Wine Spectator, San Francisco Chronicle, Los Angeles Times, Smithsonian, Sunset, and many other publications — both regional and international in scope.

A fifth-generation Californian originally from San Jose, Matt has also made a small amount of wine each year since 2012, enjoys cooking in his limited spare time, and lives in the Santa Barbara suburbs with his Bordeaux-born wife Joanna and their two kids, Mason and Madeline.

Bill Henry

Bill Henry, with over 30 years of industry experience, is an educated wine professional earning many titles: Certified Sommelier, Wine & Spirits Education Trust Level III, Certified Specialist of Wine, Spanish Wine Educator, and Certified Sherry Specialist.

Bill has worked with Thomas Keller as Food & Beverage director at Checkers Hotel. He has also worked side by side with Master Sommelier Peter Neptune at Henry Wine Group, where Bill was Vice President of Sales.

Bill has also worked for a top-level French wine importer and led regional sales at prestigious brands such as Justin and Talbott Wineries. In addition, Bill has worked for several South American properties and was instrumental in launching the legendary brand Garzon from Uruguay.

Presently Bill has taken his talents to Golan Heights Winery where they produce the legendary wine, Yarden — Wines from Israel.

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