Lucas & Lewellen News

The world of wine has long been a boy’s club. As Portuguese winemaker Ana Diogo Draper once noted, “Being a woman in the wine industry is like being a woman in any other industry. You have to work twice as hard to prove yourself worthy of the position you hold.” And yet, women have undeniably made significant strides in wine, marking a journey of progress that continues to unfold.

'Hello again! My name is Clayton Fox and I wrote about Frog's Leap last year and the inimitable John Williams. I recently left my position in sales at Winebow to focus more on writing and I really enjoyed working on this piece about Julia's Vineyard, Louis Lucas, and Lane Tanner.' See our WWC21 guide for more old-vine competition entries.

If you enjoyed Champagne or sparkling wine last week while gleefully celebrating the demise of 2020, you may not have thought about the heavy bottle containing the bubbly. But there is a story there.

Wood emerged as a precious commodity in the 1500s. The population of England and Wales soared, escalating demand for wood. Wood was used to construct and heat buildings. It was used in glass making. It was vital to ship building.

Royce Rutledge Lewellen, a lifelong Santa Barbara County community leader and the man for whom the Santa Maria courthouse complex is named, has died.

He passed away Sept. 2, 2020, at the age of 89 in Santa Barbara, California.

Born in St. Louis, Missouri, but raised in Jefferson City, Lewellen graduated from the University of Missouri and UC Berkeley School of Law.

A retired Santa Barbara County Superior Court judge, businessman, vintner and philanthropist, those who knew him say his impact on the community was beyond measure.