Growing up as the son of a true Santa Barbara County wine pioneer like Billy Wathen — who cofounded Foxen Winery with Dick Dore in 1985 — Bingo Wathen was never far from the scene, usually working harvests while a student at Santa Ynez High.
“It was always part of my life,” he said. “I knew it was always here for me if I wanted to take that on.”
At first, he did not, studying global studies at UCSB and then Spanish while living in Spain with dreams of travel and writing. Bingo moved back in with his parents in 2013, figuring he would save money by working harvest while plotting his next move. But something was different this time, as he started drinking more wine and getting into the Santa Ynez Valley scene.