Finger Lakes Chapter

Finger Lakes

Chapter

Women For WineSense Finger Lakes Chapter champions the mindful enjoyment of wine as a means to educate, connect, and empower in our unique region. We provide a welcoming, inclusive space for individuals at all levels of wine interest to explore the cultural, historical, and sensory richness of wine through the history of the Finger Lakes region, and the education of wine in our world.

Our mission comes to life through accessible, inclusive, engaging events that reflect the diversity and depth of the Finger Lakes wine community, as well as foster genuine relationships, boost confidence, and offer opportunities for both personal and professional growth.

We live our Women For WineSense mission by investing deeply in our monthly experiences that highlight responsible enjoyment, and deepen wine knowledge for all. Our chapter’s exclusive member offerings and educational programs ensure continued learning and meaningful involvement. By supporting local organizations focused on women and children, we extend our impact beyond wine and into the heart of the Finger Lakes community—living our values through both our glass and our actions.

Want to learn more about our events? Click on this link: Monthly Presentations to open the Dropbox folder which contains the presentations in .pdf format for some of our past events. Click on any link that looks interesting.

We look forward to you joining us!

For general inquiries, contact us at: winesenseflx@gmail.com.

Events

Membership

Aficionado

Member price for all local chapter events
Member price for all national events and trips
Complimentary access to selected national virtual events
Discounts to wineries and merchants nationwide

$55 Annually

Professional

All Aficionado benefits, plus:
Complimentary access to all national virtual events
Access to attend or purchase tickets (as applicable) for professional tier events at any chapter.
Invitations to Professional Roundtables as applicable
Invitation to join in selected promotions of pro members

$105 Annually

Corporate

Two or more Professional Memberships with all benefits described
Editorial mention in our newsletter
Your logo & link on our website
Educational and networking opportunities for employees
National exposure to educated wine consumers and wine industry professionals

Starting at $500

Join

Join Aficionado or Professional

Join Corporate

Finger Lakes Board & Contacts Board

Natalie Travis
President

Mary-Kate Badalamenti
Vice President & Membership

Jennifer Susa
Secretary

Tina Lemley
Treasurer

Cheryl Dianetti

Past President

Katrina Wright
Director of Social Media

Chris Schmitt
Hospitality Director

Yvonne Bennett
Community Outreach & Scholarships & Grants Director

Sarah Blagg
Newsletter Director

Alyssa Belasco
Co-Director of Events

Sydney Fee
Co-Director of Events

Molly Hoke
Communications Director

Scholarship and Grants – Finger Lakes

Women For WineSense (WWS) believes that wine enhances and enriches everyday life. The organization provides women and men with unbiased information about the cultural heritage, social and health effects of moderate wine consumption as part of a healthy lifestyle. WWS is committed to offering educational programs and networking opportunities to wine enthusiasts and industry professionals.

The Finger Lakes Chapter formed an annual Scholarship program in the fall of 2016 with the intent of providing support to an eligible chapter member for educational advancement in the field of wine education. It is awarded based on an applicant’s willingness to pursue an educational program of their own design with the goal of giving back to the chapter by sharing the knowledge obtained during that process.

The chapter enhanced our educational program offerings starting in 2019 with an Educational Grant program. This program gives educational grants of varying amounts to our members to increase their wine knowledge without the commitment of our scholarship program.

Details on both the Scholarship and Educational Grant programs and how to apply are provided here. If you have any questions, contact our Scholarship and Grants Director.

Scholarship Program
The Finger Lakes Chapter offers an annual Scholarship Award of $500 to be used to further the wine education of our chapter membership.

Who May Apply:

Any member of the Finger Lakes Chapter is welcome and encouraged to apply.

How To Apply:

Follow the link below, fill out the application, and return via email to the WWS Finger Lakes Board at winesenseflx@gmail.com, or deliver to any board member at our December event.

Deadline for submission of award is: December 31, 2024.

Winner will be announced at the January meeting. All applicants must be present.

The Fine Print:

All applications will be reviewed, discussed and voted on by the Board Members of Finger Lakes Chapter.

Scholarships may only be applied to wine education.

The recipient agrees to be the presenter at an upcoming monthly event the year following receiving the award. The report should include how the scholarship was used and what was learned.

Failure to use the scholarship for the specific purposes outlined in the application before the end of the year will result in forfeiture. Likewise, a recipient will be asked to return monies that may have been disbursed directly to them but are not used for the purpose outlined in the Request for Payment Proposal, unless approved by the Finger Lakes Chapter President.

Finger Lakes Board Members are available to assist in suggesting educational opportunities to help reach the $500 maximum if needed.

Board Members are not eligible for the scholarship during their tenure.

Scholarship recipients will not be eligible to reapply for five years.

Click Here to open the Dropbox folder which contains the 2024 scholarship application in both .pdf and Word formats.

Educational Grant Program
Our Educational Grant program gives our members educational grants of varying amounts to increase their wine knowledge without the commitment of our Scholarship program.

What It Is:

A total pool of $500 is available for educational grants of varying amounts to active Finger Lakes chapter members to be used for wine education on a first come, first served basis, until the $500 is depleted for the year.

One grant per member, per calendar year.

The pool of Educational Grant funds is replenished at the beginning of each calendar year.

Who May Apply:

All active Finger Lakes chapter members (i.e. current on membership dues, attended an event in the last three months).

How To Apply:

Follow the link below, fill out the Educational Grant application, and return via email to the WWS Finger Lakes Board at winesenseflx@gmail.com. Request for funds must be approved prior to event/activity.

Event/activity must have a wine educational aspect.

Please allow up to a one-month turnaround time for approval by the Finger Lakes Chapter Board.

How Will The Educational Grant Be Issued:

Educational Grants will be issued in the form of reimbursement, after the activity in the request, and after the membership presentation is completed (see below).

A receipt must be provided for reimbursement.

Educational Grant recipients are required to share a 3-5 minute summary with the membership at the next monthly event they attend explaining how their grant was used.

The Fine Print:

Educational grants cannot be used for Women For WineSense related or sponsored events.

Educational grants must be used for wine educational purposes only.

Guidelines and policies around these educational grants are subject to revision at any time.

Click here to open the Dropbox folder which contains the Educational Grant application in both .pdf and Word formats.

Here is the list of Scholarship award winners from our chapter: