Our Tiny Team
(And the village behind us!)
Originally from Dayton, Ohio, I have spent most of my life in Los Angeles working in the entertainment industry as an actor in TV and film. In 2017, my husband and I had an opportunity to move to Los Olivos, California and buy a little farm with goats & chickens. Quite the idyllic getaway from the hustle & bustle of big city living. I had already been passionate about wine for many years and held my WSET Level 2 with Distinction Certification. Future Perfect Wine came to be when I decided to embrace the part of myself that knows intrinsically that passion is greater than fear and that we are all capable of anything when we follow our hearts. And also that life is short, so we should do what we love. But, what if life is long?!?! Even more reason to do what we love!
I’m always amazed by our glorious wine region in Santa Barbara County, California and focus on environmentally sustainable wine. I have been incredibly fortunate to learn under the tutelage of Jessica Gasca, winemaker of Story of Soil. Working with her the last few years in the vineyards, winery, bottling, tasting room, wine club, etc… has been a tremendous mentorship which solidified that my heart and soul were destined to be winemaking. In 2020, the stars aligned and I was able to add Amy Christine – Master of Wine & Peter Hunken – prolific winemaker for 21+ years in SB County (both winemakers of labels: Holus Bolus, The Joy FantasticĀ and owners/vignerons of The Joy Fantastic Vineyard) as invaluable mentors who have helped me fine-tune and focus what would come to be my first, full harvest of the Future Perfect Wine line-up. Woot-woot!!!
My incredibly supportive and good-humored husband, Nate Stricker, is the epic wind beneath my proverbial wings! Nate is my harvest-helper, winery-worker, grape-sampler, punch-down/pump-over person, tasting room emperor, photo-taker and most amazingly, my encourager when wine does what it will and challenges me. And somehow, he clings tightly to an unwavering confidence in my defiantly enthusiastic attempts at creating and sharing all things good, kind and hopeful. Future Perfect Wine would not exist if it weren’t for my brilliant hubs. And even though he has a full-time job, he holds the working title “Assistant to the Winemaker”. š
Meet GILLIAN a.k.a G.Money
Future Perfect’s General Manager
Future Perfect’s First (Off-the-Charts-Amazing) Employee! I could NOT be more grateful or fortunate to have this, incredible woman as Future Perfect’s General Manager! Meet Gillian Arnold in her own words (below) and at the tasting room Tuesdays through Saturdays from 11am – 5pm
I was born and raised in Pasadena, CA into a wine loving family, so wine has been a part of my life ever since I can remember! Dinners, holidays, parties, or just becauseā¦a bottle of wine has always been in the mix, which got me hooked on the Santa Ynez Valley from the jump.
My love and interest for wine turned into a passion and career when I had the opportunity to live and study abroad in the South of France at 19 years old. The love and importance of wine in France was infectious. I spent 6 months in Aix-en-Provence learning the ins and outs of French wine and the culture around it, and knew from that moment I would never look back!
Upon returning and graduating from Miami University with a degree in Small Business Administration and Global Wine Studies, I packed up my life in Ohio and moved to Santa Barbara to start my career in wine, and I cannot imagine a better place to do so. Iāve worked in and managed tasting rooms both in the Sta. Rita Hills and downtown Santa Barbara, earned my WSET II with distinction, and am always in the pursuit of learning something new about the world of wine.
So what brought me to Future Perfect? That same infectious passion I felt in France is beaming through the walls of this Tasting Room, and I cannot WAIT to continue fueling that passion in the Santa Barbara Wine Community. I find the most joy in connecting with equally geeky oenophiles about all things wine (and beyond!), so I am so excited to see your smiling faces and welcome you to this perfect little Los Olivos tasting room.
Stay in touch
Sign up and keep up to date on upcoming wine releases and winery events. You don’t want to miss out!