Tag archives: Gretchen Lieff

Pre-4th Party
By Richard Mineards   |   July 16, 2024

Animal activist and winemaker Gretchen Lieff hosted a pre-Independence Day bash at her charming Arcady estate for 60 guests, including her ex-husband, international legal eagle Robert Lieff, who is also an award-winning vintner with his Rutherford cabernet. Among those hovering around the barbecue to snaffle the burgers and hotdogs while quaffing Gretchen’s La Lieff vino […]

New Neighbor
By Richard Mineards   |   May 7, 2024

Winemaker and animal activist’s Gretchen Lieff’s new Montecito home was socially gridlocked when she hosted a bustling housewarming bash for 60 guests with popular pianist Gil Rosas tinkling the ivories. Gretchen didn’t have far to go to find her new four bedroom, five bathroom Arcady 1961 property designed by Carl Hillmann, given it’s just a […]

Bravo to Lieff
By Richard Mineards   |   April 2, 2024

Montecito winemaker Gretchen Lieff was awarded Woman Business Owner of the Year at the 10th annual BRAVO Awards lunch at Goleta’s Hilton Garden Inn. Gretchen, owner of the La Lieff winery in the Funk Zone and an avid animal activist, exclaimed: “A great surprise! But a nice honor.” The event, with the theme Rising Together, […]

Meet the Neighbor
By Richard Mineards   |   March 12, 2024

Montecito animal rights activist Gretchen Lieff didn’t have to look far when she moved into a new estate. The property, built in 1964 and designed by architect Carl Hillmann, was right next door to her former Arcady home! To mark the occasion Gretchen, owner of the La Lieff vineyard and Funk Zone tasting room, hosted […]

La Lieff Wines: A Community Gathering Spot for All
By Jamie Knee   |   November 7, 2023

Nestled in the heart of Santa Barbara’s vibrant Funk Zone is La Lieff Wines, a place where wine meets community and everyone is welcomed with open arms. I had the pleasure of sitting down with my close friend Gretchen Lieff, the proprietor and owner of La Lieff Wines, to delve into her journey, the challenges […]

Summer of La Lieff
By Richard Mineards   |   September 19, 2023

Animal activist and winemaker Gretchen Lieff threw an end of summer bash at her La Lieff winery in the Funk Zone for 50 guests. “It has been a wonderful summer,” says Gretchen. “We hosted events for Planned Parenthood, the Wildlife Care Network, C.A.R.E.4Paws, the Adopt-a-Pet program, UCSB Arts & Lectures, and the Teddy Bear Cancer […]

A Birthday Surprise
By Richard Mineards   |   January 31, 2023

It wasn’t quite James Bond, but certainly top secret when Montecito animal activist Gretchen Lieff celebrated her birthday at the La Lieff wine tasting room in the Funk Zone. Nearly 20 people gathered for the hush-hush fête with Gretchen taken totally off guard by the bash. “I had absolutely no idea!” she gushed. “What a […]

Care for Wildlife Care Crew
By Richard Mineards   |   January 24, 2023

It was all too beastly for words when Gretchen Lieff, vice president of the board for the popular Santa Barbara Wildlife Care Network, hosted a boffo bash at her La Lieff tasting room in the Funk Zone for 200 volunteers. “It’s the least we could do to show our gratitude for the many hours they […]

Post-Interview Review
By Richard Mineards   |   January 17, 2023

On Sunday night, a group of my Montecito neighbors gathered with animal activist Gretchen Lieff at her La Lieff tasting room in the Funk Zone with a three-man crew from U.K.’s ITV, led by Washington, D.C. news editor Alex Chandler, to watch the Duke of Sussex’s controversial half-hour interview with Cooper and give our thoughts […]

Women Rising: Huge Turnout for First Meeting of SB Women’s Health Collective
By Sharon Byrne   |   October 25, 2022

Dr. Katrina Mitchell penned an op-ed after the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe vs. Wade, calling for prioritizing and coordinating a full spectrum of women’s health care needs, from puberty to post-menopause. She struck a massive chord with women experiencing women’s health care in Santa Barbara, or lack thereof, and formed a Women’s Health […]

Symphonic Birthday Bash
By Richard Mineards   |   October 18, 2022

It was music of a very different kind when Kathryn Martin, President and CEO of the Santa Barbara Symphony, celebrated the tenth anniversary of her half century with an ABBA-solutely fabulous fête for 70 guests at the La Lieff tasting room in the Funk Zone. Featuring a cover band of the Swedish singers, Abba Dabba […]

A Collection of Collage
By Richard Mineards   |   October 11, 2022

Santa Barbara Museum of Art was socially gridlocked when it launched its latest exhibition, The Architecture of Collage: Marshall Brown. The comprehensive presentation includes 24 artworks, including six recent acquisitions by SBMA, loans from the Museum of Contemporary Photography in Chicago, the Art Institute of Chicago, and a private collector. In addition, an original etching […]

La Lieff Tasting Room Opens
By Richard Mineards   |   August 30, 2022

Montecito animal activist Gretchen Lieff, who has been making wine for 17 years, has opened her first La Lieff tasting room in the Funk Zone. The 1,000-square-foot Gray Avenue locale, formerly a storage facility for the late Pierre Lafond, had a sneak preview for Tama Takahashi’s 10-year-old Inside Wine club with 37 guests to show […]

Black Bear Cub Orphaned by Hit-and-Run Crash
By Jeff Miller   |   May 24, 2022

Time may be running out for an orphaned black bear cub on the loose here after its mother was killed in a hit-and-run crash Friday night.  It happened on East Valley Road near the intersection with Ladera Lane. At about 8:30 pm on Friday the 13th, a nearby resident heard screeching tires, a thump, and […]

New Role for Lieff
By Richard Mineards   |   February 22, 2022

Montecito animal activist Gretchen Lieff, founder and president of the Lutah Maria Riggs Society, has been appointed a member of the county’s Historic Landmarks Advisory Commission. The organization was created in 1965 to promote the preservation of historic buildings and structures. “The county has such a rich history of architectural protection and preservation,” says Gretchen. […]

What a Wild Night
By Richard Mineards   |   October 26, 2021

The party animals were out en masse when Santa Barbara Wildlife Care Network hosted its annual Wild Night Out at the Carousel House at Chase Palm Park with 200 guests raising more than $150,000 for the popular group. The boffo bash, co-chaired by Gretchen Lieff and Connie Pearcy, had decided Hawaiian overtones with dancers from […]

‘Nothing Could be Finer’ Than This Birthday Bash
By Richard Mineards   |   July 29, 2021

It was a super sunset birthday soirée by degrees when yours truly marked the 18th anniversary of his half-century with a boffo bash at the University Club hosted by Gretchen Lieff and her beau, Miles Hartfeld. Having been scheduled to wing to an old friend Cat Pollon’s home outside Marrakech for the past two years, […]

Happy Zoom Birthday to You
By Richard Mineards   |   February 4, 2021

Normally the party animals are out in force when Gretchen Lieff hosts her birthday bash at her Arcady estate, but the pandemic restrictions put paid to that. So the annual fun fest became Zoom with a view when friends from far and wide “attended” the party on their computer screens, while the few real guests […]

The Wall Street Bump
By Richard Mineards   |   January 21, 2021

Retired high tech executive Jan Wesemann is getting priceless publicity in the Wall Street Journal this week as she puts her 20-acre French country-style Montecito estate on the market for $12 million. Jan moved into the 7,600-square-foot, five-bedroom, seven-and-a-half-bathroom house, built in 2001, 10 years ago and brought up her four daughters on the Park […]

Coming Up Rosés
By Richard Mineards   |   December 17, 2020

Santa Barbara Wildlife Care Network is launching a Wild Rosé limited edition fundraiser. The Grenache Rosé wine, available for a limited time, was made specifically to benefit the popular charity by renowned winemaker Kris Curran, voted one of California’s highest profile winemakers with grapes from Montecito animal activist Gretchen Lieff’s Alamo Creek Ranch. Donor premiums […]