News, Press & Accolades

California Winemaker Terah Bajjalieh Celebrates Arab American Heritage Month at Private U.S. Department of State Reception - April 22, 2024

Washington, D.C., April 22, 2024—On April 18, Terah Bajjalieh, founder of California-based Terah Wine Co., poured her wines at a private reception hosted by the U.S. Department of State in honor of Arab American Heritage Month at Blair House, the President’s guest house. The exclusive invitation to participate underscores Bajjalieh's outstanding contributions as a rising star in the wine industry—an independent winemaker committed to sustainable winemaking practices and to diversity, equity, and inclusion—and aligns with this year’s theme for Arab American Heritage Month: “Celebrating Arab American Resilience and Diversity.” Read the full release »

Bâtonnage Forum Appoints Michelle Schromm as New Executive Director - June 12, 2023

Press Release. Napa, Calif.—Bâtonnage Forum, a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering women in wine and fostering opportunities that create equity within the industry, is excited to announce Michelle Schromm as its new Executive Director. Michelle brings extensive experience as a woman in wine and is dedicated to advocating for equality within the wine industry. Coupled with a background in nonprofit management, she is well positioned to lead the organization, a 501(c)(3) since 2022, in its next phase of growth and impact. Read the full release »

Edible East Bay - May 12, 2023

Opening Wine Cellar Doors: How Mentorships, Scholarships, and other Outreach Programs Widen Access to the Wine Industry. A feature on Bâtonnage Forum and other Bay Area organizations that are cultivating a sense of belonging in the wine industry through mentorship, scholarship, and apprenticeship programs. Read more »

Bâtonnage Forum Announces First International Level Three Mentorship Placement at Burgundy’s Domaine Dujac - February 13, 2023

Press Release. Launched in partnership with the historic domaine, the harvest internship is available as a Level Three opportunity of the Bâtonnage Mentorship Program. The program equips candidates to enter and grow in the wine industry by creating hands-on work opportunities to further their careers. Read the full release »

Bâtonnage Forum Opens Applications for 2023 Mentorship Program Level Three Placement with Domaine Carneros - October 18, 2022

Press Release. Napa-based traditional sparkling wine house will once again offer a comprehensive view of the wine business through a year-long training position. Domaine Carneros launched the inaugural Level Three placement at the start of this year and has partnered again with the Bâtonnage team to offer a position at the winery in Napa beginning January 2023. Read the full release »

Une Femme Launches Two Women-Made Piquettes - June 8, 2022

Press Release. Une Femme Wines, the country’s fastest growing sparkling wine company founded by sister-brother duo Jen and Zach Pelka, is launching two new wines today – a canned Pinot Noir Piquette and a canned Chardonnay Piquette – both benefitting the Bâtonnage Forum. Read the full release »

We’re hiring! Bâtonnage Seeks Exeutive Director - April 14, 2022

Job posting. Bâtonnage is looking to hire our first Executive Director. This is a part-time position for now, but we're looking to grow, and to grow together. Could this be a fit for you?! Do you want to join and help lead this dynamic team of people looking to create real, measurable change in our industry? Learn more and apply here »

Bâtonnage Launches Level Three of Mentorship Program with Domaine Carneros Work Placement - November 15, 2021

Press Release. As part of the launch of Level Three of the Bâtonnage Mentorship Program—which equips candidates to enter and grow in the wine industry by creating hands-on work opportunities to further their career progress in the wine industry—Domaine Carneros will offer one mentee a 360-degree view of the wine business over the full calendar year. Read the full release »

SevenFifty Daily - July 6, 2021

How Do Women Connect in a Changing Wine Industry. Panelists at the Bâtonnage Forum discuss how to create better mentorship models, start a wine brand, and harness the power of community. Read more»

VinePair - July 5, 2021

Priyanka French Is Changing Napa’s Wine Industry for BIPOC Women. Vanessa Vin of VinePair sits down with Bâtonnage Core Committee leader Priyanka French to discuss her journey to wine and now, mentorship in wine. Read more»

VinePair - July 1, 2021

These Education and Mentorship Programs Offer Inclusive Alternatives to Traditional Wine Certifications. Bâtonnage is honored to be included in VinePair’s list of 10 of the most influential wine education and mentorship programs serving the underrepresented in the wine industry. Read more»

Thrillist - April 5, 2021

11 Women Who Are Changing the Face of Southern California’s Wine Industry. Nomadica founder Kristin Olszewski, and one of our inaugural Level 1 mentors, shares with Thrillist editor Danielle Dorsey how Nomadica came to be, her special can collaboration with Bâtonnage Forum (all proceeds benefit the mentorship program), and 10 women in Southern California who are also making splashes in the wine scene. Read more»

VinePair, EOD Drinks - April 1, 2021

On this episode of End of Day Drinks, VinePair’s editorial team sits down with Stevie Stacionis and Sarah Bray, founder and co-founder of Bâtonnage, to dive into the new mentorship program at Bâtonnage and discuss their plans for the future … and what you can do to help. Listen here»

XChateau - March 3, 2021

Katie Canfield and Rebecca Johnson, partners at wine PR agency O’Donnell Lane and current orchestrators of Bâtonnage, talk with XChateau about transitioning the forum to virtual, launching a mentorship program, and filing for 501c3 status. Listen here»

Wine Business Monthly - November 11, 2020

Five women Masters of Wine hosted a live conversation titled “I’m Speaking” on finding their voices in the wine business on Tuesday, November 10. The discussion was introduced by Priyanka French, winemaker at Signorello Estate and Core Committee Member for the Bâtonnage Mentorship Program. Read more»

Bâtonnage Launches Mentorship Program to Support Equity and Inclusion in the Wine Industry - October 13, 2020

Press Release. Bâtonnage, a forum aimed at opening up conversation about women in wine, has launched a new mentorship program designed to transform conversations about equality into actions that create equity. Read the full release »

NVV Makes Historic $1 Million Commitment to Increase Diversity in Wine Industry - September 15, 2020

Press Release. The Napa Valley Vintners (NVV) announced it is investing more than $1 million in new scholarship and mentorship programs to increase diversity, inclusivity and opportunity in all aspects of the wine industry. We are very grateful that the Bâtonnage Mentorship Program is among the organizations that the NVV has pledged support. Read the full release »

A Call to Action for the Wine Industry: Diversity Organizations Need Your Support - August 17, 2020

Diversity in Wine Leadership Forum’s creator, Maryam Ahmed, and advisor, Elaine Chukan Brown, discuss the inaugural Diversity in Wine Leadership Forum, which included industry leaders from Assemblage Symposium, Bâtonnage Forum, Black Wine Professionals, Juneteenth Saber Celebration, Open Wine Forum, The Hue Society, The Roots Fund, Wine Empowered, and Wine Unify. Read more »

The Buyer - June 11, 2020

In Part Five of The Buyer’s Covid-19 blog, wine writer Richard Siddle highlights the move of Bâtonnage Forum 2020 to the virtual arena and how that opens up the conversation about PERSPECTIVES to an even bigger audience around the world. Read more »

Bottled in China - June 4, 2020

Katie Canfield and Rebecca Johnson join Émilie Steckenborn on the podcast to discuss the Bâtonnage Forum - the inspiration, the mission, and how Katie and Rebecca (the current orchestrators of the forum) have navigated the shift from an in-person event to a virtual webinar series in the midst of the covid-19 pandemic. Listen here »

Scholarships and Events for Women in Wine Abound. Will the Industry Make Room? - February 20, 2020

Wine Enthusiast’s Emily Saladino spotlights new initiatives and organizations that are aspiring to correct gender imbalances, as well as address the intersectionality between gender and race in the wine industry. Read more »

Forbes.com - December 21, 2019

As part of a series about Millennial movers and shakers in the wine industry, wine writer Lana Bortolat profiles Bâtonnage founders Stevie Stacionis and Sarah Bray and how the forum was born with the purpose of stirring up the conversation on women in the wine industry. Read more »

Wine Business Monthly - November 22, 2019

Bâtonnage Forum, a platform to educate wine professionals and others about the unique challenges and opportunities that women in wine face, will hold its third annual conference on June 16, 2020 at an all-new venue, Broadway Farms in Sonoma, California. Read more»

‘DOTJ’ Drinking on the Job, Sarah Bray - May 13, 2019

Sarah Bray, one of our founding members, talks with the podcast Drinking on the Job about her career in wine and putting on the Batonnage Forum, diving deep into the topic she moderated at the 2019 forum: do you sell sex? Listen here »

A Balanced Glass - May 04, 2019

Rebecca Hopkins shares her speech at the Bâtonnage 2019 forum on sexual harassment and the situations women are put into. Read more »

SevenFifty Daily - May 06, 2019

How Women’s Sexuality Is Used to Sell Wine. Bâtonnage Forum panelists debate women’s right to wear what they want—while calling for an end to clothes shaming Read more »

SevenFifty Daily - May 06, 2019

Tactics for Handling Dysfunctional Workplaces. Bâtonnage Forum panelists discuss strategies for creating more respectful and supportive work environments Read more »