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Wines and Steins: Supporting the Next Generation

By Daphne Bremner & Chris King | Add to Favorites

In California’s Central Coast, winemaking isn’t just a craft or industry — it’s a community. Since 1979, Wines and Steins has embodied that spirit and has been dedicated to bringing together home winemakers and brewers to share knowledge, equipment, and enthusiasm.

KRUSH radio interviews Agnes Herman, the inaugural Wines and Steins scholarship winner, and Scholarship Committee President Daphne Bremner.

The home wine and beermaking club based in Paso Robles meets monthly and hosts educational sessions, guest speakers, and trains members on the club’s extensive collection of wine and brewing equipment. Wines and Steins also maintains the demonstration vineyard at the Paso Robles Event Center — a living classroom where members can hone their vineyard management skills and educate the public on these techniques.

In 2023, as a part of our fostering education program, Wines and Steins made a commitment to invest in the future of local youth by developing a scholarship to support a high school senior pursuing a degree in viticulture or enology. A committee was formed, and planning began.

The first and biggest question tackled by the team was the raising of funds. With support from the board, it was decided the annual wine raffle held at our summer picnic would become the official fundraiser for the scholarship; with becoming a 501.c.3 program, to enhance donations, as a second key action. We added a scholarship page to our website so members and the public could learn more about the program and donate to the cause. Scholarship updates became a regular part of our monthly membership meetings, and soon the entire club was energized by the prospect of helping local students.

Once fundraising was underway, the committee developed clear selection criteria such as: Current San Luis Obispo (SLO) County high school senior, minimum GPA of 3.0, majoring in viticulture or enology, and two letters of recommendation. Once the criterion was complete, an application was developed and posted on our website.

To manage the funds and award process, we partnered with the Pinedorado Lions Foundation, a local nonprofit that shares our mission of supporting youth in the community. Marketing the scholarship quickly became a creative community-wide effort. Committee members contacted county high schools and a flyer featuring our web link was designed and distributed to wineries, libraries, and businesses. The local radio station KRUSH 95.2 joined in by producing a public service announcement about the scholarship. They even invited the club president and a committee member to the studio for an interview to help spread the word.

In April 2025, the scholarship’s first winner. Agnes Herman of Nipomo High School, was awarded a $1,500 scholarship and is now enrolled in the viticulture program at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. Agnes attended a Wines and Steins meeting, where she was introduced to the members who so generously funded her award. As a follow up, she was interviewed by KRUSH radio, a perfect full circle moment celebrating local collaboration and community spirit.

The awarding of our first scholarship marks the beginning of what we hope will be a long tradition. We plan to increase the scholarship amount as funding allows and to research the possibility of starting a second scholarship for college students currently enrolled in a viticulture program. By supporting students like Agnes, Wines and Steins continues its mission of fostering education, craftsmanship, and community — ensuring that the Central Coast’s winemaking legacy thrives for generations to come.