06/16/2026
We are delighted to announce that we have two winners for this year’s Viñador Scholarship—and both from within our very own GFV ecosystem!
The first recipient is Karen Chavez Garcia, daughter of Sofia who, along with Jorge, runs the farming operation at Roblar Farm. Karen will be attending UC Merced this Fall.
The second recipient is Dulce Barbosa, daughter of Refugio Ranch vineyard foreman, Carlos. Dulce will be attending Allan Hancock this Fall.
Both recipients’ applications displayed impressive high school GPAs and robust extracurricular involvement, along with excellent writing skills and a desire to make their communities a better place through their pursuit of higher education. Both Karen and Dulce were awarded $5000 toward their tuition and school costs.
The Viñador Scholarship was created in 2020 in order to support the families of our industry’s vineyard and farm workers in their pursuit of higher education. 10% of the sales from every bottle of Viñador wine sold goes into an annual scholarship fund. The Viñador Scholarship is reflective of the GFV ethos of supporting our workers and their families, as well as those of the greater Santa Barbara County wine industry.
