Walla Walla, WA; Lodi, CA; and the Finger Lakes, NY unite to support immersive travel experiences for wine professionals across the U.S.
March 19, 2026 – As the American wine industry navigates a pivotal moment of economic and cultural change, three U.S. wine regions are coming together for an uncommon act of collaboration.
Field Blends: The Collab Year is a special fifth-year edition of the Field Blends wine travel program, powered by Maryam + Company, that will bring together Walla Walla Valley, Washington; Lodi, California; and the Finger Lakes, New York to host immersive educational experiences for wine professionals working in beverage hospitality and wine media.
Instead of the program’s traditional five-day immersion in a single region, Field Blends’ fifth edition will place two awardees in each participating region for focused four-day visits taking place in late June 2026. The initiative arrives during a period when many regions are reassessing how to invest in outreach and education–making a collaboration essential.
The trips will be led by Field Blends Community Partners, Maryam + Company, and regional leaders who will introduce awardees to the vineyards, restaurants, farms, and small businesses that shape each place while also exploring broader topics such as the history of first peoples, food systems, and waterways in the regions.
“Field Blends has always been about meaningful access to place,” said Maryam Ahmed, Founder of Field Blends Wine Travel and CEO of Maryam + Company. “This year, instead of pausing the program or asking one region to carry the full responsibility of hosting a multi-day immersion, we asked a different question: what would it look like if several regions stepped forward together and address the challenges domestic wine faces at the same time? The result allows us to continue creating amplification and connection during a moment when the wine industry needs both.”
Since its founding, Field Blends has created immersive travel opportunities designed to connect wine professionals with American wine regions by fostering relationships between regional leaders and wine professionals who often shape how and where wines are discovered. Past participants have gone on to incorporate regional wines into restaurant programs, retail selections, and educational programming while continuing to champion the regions they visited.
“This collaboration reflects something many of us are feeling right now — that supporting the future of American wine will require regions to work together in new ways,” said Tracy Parmer, Development Director, Walla Walla Valley Wine. “Field Blends creates the kind of experience that builds lasting relationships with the people who ultimately pour, recommend, and teach these wines. Supporting the program together felt like a natural step.”
The 2026 collaboration also reflects a broader recognition across the industry that shared investment and cross-regional partnerships may play an important role in strengthening awareness of American wine.
“Every region represented in this collaboration believes in the power of welcoming professionals into our vineyards, cellars, and communities. Lodi Appellation Inclusion Collective is proud to be part of it,” said Rodney Tipton, Founder, LAIC.
Awardees will be selected through a national application process open to diverse wine and hospitality professionals with at least three years of experience in the industry. Applicants will be considered for all participating regions and may indicate their top regional preferences during the application process.
Each regional visit will be designed in collaboration with Field Blends Community Partners, who serve as local guides and connectors throughout the experience.
“What makes Field Blends powerful is the way it introduces people to a region through its community,” said Maiah Johnson Dunn, Field Blends Community Partner. “The access to growers, winemakers, hospitality and regional leaders changes how someone understands and advocates for a region long after the trip ends.”
Applications for Field Blends Trip Awards open March 16, 2026, and close March 31, 2026. Eight awardees will be selected to participate in the 2026 program, with travel experiences taking place in late June 2026. Field Blends Trip Awards partners include Lodi Appellation Inclusion Collective, Finger Lakes Wine Alliance, NY Wine and Grape Foundation, Seneca Lake Wine Trail, Visit Walla Walla, Washington State Wine Commission, Walla Walla Valley Wine Alliance, and Full Pour Magazine.
For more information, visit https://www.maryamandcompany.com/fieldblends-collab-year to learn more.
About Field Blends
Field Blends Wine Travel, powered by Maryam + Company, is an immersive travel initiative designed to connect diverse wine professionals with American wine regions through meaningful, relationship-driven experiences. Since its founding, the program has brought beverage and hospitality leaders into vineyards, restaurants, farms, and small businesses across the country, expanding understanding of place while building lasting professional networks.
About Field Blends Trip Awards
Field Blends Trip Awards prioritize individuals from underrepresented communities including, but not limited to, Black, Indigenous, Latinx, people of color, persons from racially diverse or intersectional communities, persons with disabilities, and persons from LGBTQ+ communities within the U.S.
Contact: m@maryamandcompany.com
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