- Details
- By Joe Boomgaard
- Economic Development
LOMPOC, Calif. — The Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians plans to shut down an award-winning winery it owns in California’s Central Coast.
As of Jan. 26, Kitá Wines said on social media that it had ceased production of its wines, with plans to close the tasting room and winery operations by spring of this year. The business was founded in 2010 at the tribally owned Camp 4 Vineyards in Lompoc, Calif., about 55 miles northwest of Santa Barbara.
Tara Gomez, a descendant of the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians, has served as winemaker at Kitá Wines since the company’s founding.
“I am sad to see this chapter come to a close,” Gomez wrote in a post on the winery’s Facebook page. “We produced award-winning wines and enjoyed an incredible surge in interest and exposure for Kitá and the tribe over the past two years.”
Tribal Chairman Kenneth Kahn said in a statement that the tribe was closing down the operations and exiting the wine industry as part of a “business decision” to focus on diversifying its portfolio of investments.
“Tara Gomez successfully produced award-winning wines while telling the story of our tribe to a new audience,” Khan wrote in an emailed statement. “We thank Tara for the years of dedication and hard work she poured into Kitá Wines, and we congratulate her on cementing her legacy as a top-flight Native American woman winemaker.”
A spokesperson for the tribe said the closure “has no bearing on Camp 4 Vineyard,” a 1,400-acre property the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians acquired in 2010. The vineyard grows 19 varietals of grapes.
Kitá Wines functioned as a small, boutique winery and garnered various awards and recognition as the first tribally owned winery and the first to be run by a Native American woman. “Kitá” means “our valley oak” in the tribe’s Samala language.
Gomez and her wife, Mireia Taribo, also sell wines under a separate label, Camins 2 Dreams, which sources grapes from the Santa Rita Hills. They were the subject of recent industry articles in Bon Appetit and Food & Wine.
As well, Gomez in September 2021 was named an adviser in the James Beard Foundation’s Legacy Network, which pairs experienced mentor advisers with up-and-coming food industry talent, with a focus on people with Black and Indigenous heritage.
In an October 2021 interview with VinePair as part of the publication’s Next Wave Awards that recognize industry professionals who are working toward more equity and sustainability, Gomez talked about her approach to making wines that reflected the tribe’s culture and the Santa Ynez Valley itself.
“In winemaking, it’s a balance of the fruit, acid, alcohol, and structure,” she said in the report. “I truly feel that having respect for Mother Earth by not only taking what we need, but by giving back in sustainable ways, will only strengthen our connection to the land.”
Via the winery’s socia media channels, Gomez thanked patrons for the outpouring of support she’s received: “Now, I ask you to join me in looking toward the future with hope. Hope for what’s yet to come. Hope for the amazing work I will continue doing to elevate the voices and opportunities of BIPOC and LGBTQ+ professionals throughout the wine industry. And hope that our paths continue to cross on this adventure we call life.”
