We're Going to a Garden Party ...

A record crowd enjoyed lunch, good company and inspirational words from female leaders in agriculture at the Down To Earth Women's Luncheon on Thursday afternoon.

About 190 people, most of them women with ties to the Pajaro Valley farming community, came out for the fifth annual event at Driscoll's Ranch in Corralitos. The event was a fundraiser for , a program started in 1990 to educate community leaders about agriculture, and the Santa Cruz County Farm Bureau's scholarship programs.

Pam Zamani, a member of the fourth class Focus Agriculture, spoke about how the program impacted her.

"It was a great experience for me," she said, adding that she made strong and lasting relationships with fellow classmates.

Zamani recounted some of her favorite experiences and recommended others take part in Focus Agriculture program.

"It'll open your eyes to things you never thought about and you may even get your hands dirty," Zamani said.

Pamela Storrs, the co-founder of Storrs Winery, gave the keynote speech on "Wine, Women and Wildlife" (which was also the theme of the much-anticipated hat decorating contest).

Storrs talked about the operation she and her husband started in 1988. It's grown from a winery and tasting room in Santa Cruz to a vineyard in Corralitos, at the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains.

She believes those mountains are one of the most amazing places in the world to grow pinot noir grapes.

"There's more to wine than just oak and alcohol. It's all about the flavor," Storrs said. "... You have to push for that elegance, what we call 'terroir.'"

At the vineyard they started in 2001, the Storrs have made special efforts to grow grapes organically and set an example for other local winemakers. That even includes running a small herd of sheep through the grape vines for weed control.

"The results are proving to be really worth it," Storrs said.

Storrs told the crowd, "we need to teach people to be patient with agriculture," and spoke about the importance of programs like Focus Agriculture, a group she speaks to annually.

She also added a bit of advice about selecting the perfect wine: "one of the most amazing things I've learned about wine is drink what you like."