Monterey County Vintners & Growers Association
536 Pearl St., Monterey (831) 375-9400, montereywines.org
You may think MCVGA Executive Director Kim Stemler and her staff have a fine time surrounded by all that wine. Overseeing the county’s growing number of wineries and winegrape acreage requires a lot of effort, however. These guys are like a campaign staff – making phone calls, getting the word out and pounding the streets. Monterey County labels are competing against wines from all over California and the world. There are issues to grapple with, from the market for grapes to demand for labor during harvest to legislation that impacts agriculture, transportation and even access to global markets. They’re so good at the job they could get Concord grapes elected.