Monterey County Vintners & Growers Association
536 Pearl St., Monterey 375-9400, montereywines.org
The Monterey County Vintners & Growers Association is unique in part because it blends hospitality and agriculture, two of the county’s largest industries. That, according to Executive Director Kim Stemler, means the association gets to work with a lot of different people and engage the community in a lot of different ways. And then there’s the nature of the subject matter (wine), which, let’s be real, is a particularly attractive commodity. But Stemler adds that this year, really, every agricultural business association deserves a Best Of nod. “We all worked hard this year, and came together,” she says. “I’m just proud of the ag industry in general.”