Food & Wine names Kerrin Laz Wine Humanitarian of the Year after Inspire raises over $11 million
Food & Wine has named K. Laz Wine Collection owner Kerrin Laz its 2026 Wine Humanitarian of the Year. Inspire Napa Valley, the nonprofit wine-event series she founded after her mother’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis, has raised more than $11 million for Alzheimer’s and dementia research since its inaugural 2018 wine weekend.
Origins and recognition
Food & Wine named K. Laz Wine Collection owner Kerrin Laz Wine Humanitarian of the Year in its 2026 Drinks Visionaries program. Laz founded Inspire Napa Valley after her mother, Judith Laz, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2015 at age 68, aiming to reduce stigma and use her wine-industry network to fund Alzheimer’s and dementia research.2 · 3
More than $11 million raised
Inspire began with a dinner at Abreu Vineyards in spring 2018. Its first event reached about $980,000 before a former investor in Laz’s retail business gave the final $20,000 needed for $1 million; the total raised now exceeds $11 million. Events occur 2 times a year: the winter Wine & Food Fête and a spring weekend with a dinner on night 1, then a tasting, larger dinner and auction on day 2, plus a medical seminar on Alzheimer’s diagnosis and treatment.2
Wine-industry support
Participating wineries include Harlan Estate, Screaming Eagle and Bryant Family. Volunteers include winemakers Brad Grimes and Françoise Peschon, critic Antonio Galloni and chef Christopher Kostow. Laz chairs the board and serves as executive director, supported by an operations coordinator and a few paid part-time staff. The source disclosed that its author is on Inspire’s advisory council and Food & Wine has donated an auction lot every year since Inspire’s founding.2
Business and expansion
Laz also runs K. Laz Wine Collection stores in Yountville and San Francisco and is preparing Yountville’s Vintners Social Club by K. Laz, scheduled to open later in November 2026. She said advances in early detection, biomarkers, prevention and treatment give her hope. Beginning in 2027, she plans to take Inspire beyond Napa Valley to US cities where she and its vintner partners have strong connections.2 · 3
Sources
- 2www.aol.com — Kerrin Laz Turned Napa Valley Wine Into $11 Million for Alzheimer’s Research — Meet Our Wine Humanitarian of the Year
- 3www.aol.com — Introducing Food & Wine’s 2026 Drinks Visionaries, the People Defining What’s Next in Drinks
Written by the Dionysus editors from the sources above.
