Ramona Art and Wine Festival celebrates its 11th year with sold-out event

Art and wine of all kinds were showcased for the nearly 400 attendees at the 11th Ramona Art and Wine Festival.

The event began at 11 a.m. and continued until 5 p.m., barely enough time for festival-goers to take in the 50 artists and vendors, local musicians, gourmet chefs and dozen or so area wineries and cideries at Begent Ranch.

Local guitarist Sam Powell greeted those entering the first area inside the front barn with soft classical music. Paintings and art pieces from 2Create Gallery provided a visual welcome.

Full-time artists and hobbyists alike had booths outside, selling handmade wares — paintings, jewelry, decor, wine accessories, pottery, plants, candles, soaps, leather bags, hats and charcuterie boards.

Jamie Dougherty had her mixed-media art displayed near the food vendors who offered small bites to eat. This year was Dougherty’s fourth time at the Ramona Arts and Wine Festival. Her painting of a guitar with grape vines crawling up and a wine glass beside it was one of the two honorable mentions for the festival’s commemorative art competition.

Jamie Dougherty, commemorative art honorable mention, with her mixed media art.

(Noah Harrel)

“I’ve exhibited and done their auctions in the past and I’ve been a working artist for 20 years,” Dougherty said.

Nature is one of the inspirations for Dougherty’s art, and she said she has found no shortage of it in Ramona, where she was born and raised. Being a working artist is more than just selling artwork, Dougherty said. Traveling to teach classes and working with manufacturers to design products is another part of it.

Other artists, like Shannon Robinson, owner of Winsome and Wicked Handmade Soapery, use art as a fun side hobby to support other small businesses.

“Almost a year ago I was watching a Tik Tok video of someone making soap and was like ‘I could do that,’” Robinson said. “Then I started my venture.”

Shannon Robinson and her husband John selling their homemade soaps.

(Noah Harrel)

Over time Robinson, who works in marketing, learned how to make soap through trial and error and soon decided to use wine as the niche for her soap.

Chardy Party is a soap infused with Pamo Valley Winery chardonnay; Portentous soap has Pamo Valley Winery port infused and gives off the scent of chocolate and dark cherries; and Surprise Me is infused with Hatfield Creek Vineyards & Winery’s wine.

“I just enjoy seeing if I could do something and doing it,” Robinson said.

Wine flowed all afternoon from the local wineries. Sky Valley Cellars at this year’s festival, serving 2021 Sangiovese Rose, 2020 Sangiovese, Petit Syrah and Syrah. Sky Valley Cellars owner, Houman Dahi said 2020 was the first year the winery started producing commercial wine and opened out just six months ago for tasting.

“We are very new but we’ve done very well so far in some of the regional wine competitions,” Dahi said.

Their Rose Sangiovese won Best of Class Double Gold at the DC Commercial Wine Competition, scoring 96 points, and the 2020 Sangiovese was awarded silver at last year’s Orange County Wine Competition out of 2,000 entries from California.

Dahi thought winemaking would be a relaxing way to spend his time after he finishes his other job as a physician.

“I was completely wrong,” he said with a laugh. “I get moments of relaxation, it’s not bad.”

Relaxation seemed to float through the air as gentle music could be heard outside by bands Dirty Confetti and Frank and Rob.

Event-goer Chris Ingalls brought his whole family to the festival. Ingalls, who lives in San Clemente, said he camps at Hatfield Creek Vineyards & Winery all the time and plays guitar there.

Chris Ingalls (right) and his family for his fifth year in a row at the Ramona Arts and Wine Festival.

(Noah Harrel)

“It’s awesome, it’s always great,” he said. “We’ve been probably four or five years in a row and we love it here.”

Ingalls said he’s grateful that everything is all in one place this year — in years past he’s driven from winery to winery. This year he said he enjoyed the Zinfandel and Fonzi blend from Hatfield Creek.

Several years ago, he purchased a painted barrel that featured scenes in Ramona.

“We put it in our little sitting area of our house,” he said. “A little bit of Ramona at home.”