2023 Honoree
Barbara R Banke
Jackson Family Wines, Chairman and Proprietor
One of the industry's top executives and innovators, Jackson Family Wines Chairman & Proprietor Barbara R. Banke has spent the last four decades leading the company she co-founded with her late husband, wine icon Jess Jackson.
In addition to flagship Kendall-Jackson and La Crema wineries, Banke's vision has shaped more than two dozen premium wineries across the most renowned winegrowing regions in the world. Since taking the helm in 2011, Banke has continued to take the family company to new heights. Today, Jackson Family Wines is a global collection of world-class vineyards and wineries, including acclaimed properties in Oregon's Willamette Valley, France, Italy, Chile, Australia, and South Africa. Banke takes a hands-on role developing and promoting Jackson Family wine estates, as well as in new vineyard acquisitions and a broad range of other strategic initiatives.
A well-known philanthropist, Banke is a passionate advocate for children's and educational charities around the country. Recently, she was the Chair of the Sonoma County Wine Auction raising a record breaking $5.2 million for the local community. She and Jackson committed nearly $4 million to the Jess S. Jackson Sustainable Winery Building at UC Davis, designed to train the next generation of winemakers in sustainability practices. In addition, Banke is also a global ambassador for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.
When she is not sourcing new vineyard sites, Banke is active in Stonestreet Farm, the family's Lexington, Kentucky breeding operation, and in managing the racing stable. Stonestreet Stables has raced Horses of the Year Curlin and Rachel Alexandra, as well as the homebred Eclipse Award winner Good Magic and Cartier Award winning My Miss Aurelia. A leading commercial breeder, Stonestreet Farm has bred the winners of over 100 graded stakes.
Banke is a graduate of UCLA and Hastings Law School. A former land use and constitutional law attorney, she spent more than a decade arguing cases before the United States Supreme Court and Courts of Appeal. She raised three children with Jess (Katherine, Julia, and Christopher Jackson), who are each involved in Jackson Family Wines.