Marlen Porter: Amplify Wines

Chumash and 'Amuwu land - Santa Maria, California

www.amplifywines.com, @amplifywines

Born and raised in Santa Barbara County, Marlen Sosa Porter has made it the work of her adult life to elevate, and express, the wine culture of her home. Her interest sparked by a taste of a Lane Tanner Pinot Noir as a young restaurant server, she began exploring the rich history of Santa Barbara as a wine-growing region when she was only 20. Working in every aspect of the business, from enology to tasting room management, she eventually worked her way up to the position of General Manager for several prominent wineries in the area. 

In 2013, in partnership with her husband Cameron, she took the step of beginning her own project, Amplify Wines. With a shared desire to craft the kinds of wines they were drinking at home but rarely seeing produced in their region, they began with just 90 cases. They have since grown the winery organically, without outside investors, to 3,000 cases, and focus full time on their own business. 

The daughter of 1st generation Oaxacan immigrants, it is important to Marlen that voices like hers are amplified and become a more integral part of the modern wine discussion. To actualize this, she, along with Cameron and a diverse group of friends in the industry, created the nonprofit wine club Natural Action. Natural Action creates scholarships and other opportunities for the BIPOC community pursuing a career in the wine industry.

Social Justice and Environmental Restoration Statement
As one of the first, first-generation indigenous Latina women to hold a Winery General Manager position in Santa Barbara County, and the only indigenous Latina to own her own winery in the U.S., I understand the necessity for diversity in our industry, and how to tackle the challenge of diversifying one’s company. In 2017, I became an advisory board member for The Vinguard a nonprofit whose mission is to create programs that uplift marginalized communities. In 2020, I co-founded the nonprofit Natural Action, helping to create the first ever natural wine club devoted exclusively to creating opportunities for the BIPOC community in the wine industry. From these experiences, I have become well-versed in the art of brand messaging with an eye toward the BIPOC community. Uplifting and educating the farmworker community is a particular passion of mine, and in the next chapter of my career I hope to mentor the next generation of wine professionals.