About the Show
A Celebration of Heritage, Culture & Excellence
The Story
Valais in the Vines was created to bring the Valais Blacknose community together in one of the most beautiful settings in North America. Set among the vineyards of Paso Robles, California, the inaugural show, our "First Vintage", gathers breeders, enthusiasts, and invited guests to celebrate the breed through competition and connection.
More than a competition, Valais in the Vines is a gathering of people who share a devotion to this extraordinary breed and to the culture that surrounds it. The weekend is meant to be enjoyed. We want a ring worth traveling for, set inside a wine country weekend you would be glad to take even without the sheep.
It is also, plainly, a chance to show on the West Coast. Until now, exhibitors out here have faced a long haul east to put their animals in front of a judge. Paso Robles sits a day's drive or less from most West Coast flocks, which puts a competitive ring within reach without a multi-day trailer run.
It is not a choice between this show and the national. The shearing timelines work out, so an animal shown at the national show can be brought here as well. Exhibitors who want both rings can have both.
For our First Vintage we are not currently offering grading. This year is a competition: an independent judge places animals against one another and awards placings, class winners, and Champion and Reserve. In future years we intend to add grading.
Heritage
A breed shaped in the Swiss canton of Valais, carried forward with care and respect for its origins.
Culture
The traditions, craft, and community that surround the Valais Blacknose, brought together in California's wine country.
Excellence
Recognizing the very best in the ring, and raising the standard for the breed in North America.
The Valais Blacknose Breed
The Valais Blacknose is a striking heritage sheep breed originating in the mountainous Valais region of Switzerland. Known for their distinctive black faces and legs, spiral horns, and thick woolly coats, they are as gentle in temperament as they are memorable in appearance, often called "the world's cutest sheep."
Valais in the Vines celebrates the breed and the breeders building it.
Show Founder & Director
Autumn L. Badelt-Fanning, DVM
Valais in the Vines is founded and directed by Autumn L. Badelt-Fanning, DVM, a veterinarian and the owner of Vineyard Valais in Paso Robles, where she breeds and raises Valais Blacknose sheep.
She is involved in the organizational leadership of the Judges and Graders Guild of the United States. Her work with the breed has taken her abroad repeatedly: two dedicated trips to Switzerland, including Miss Visp, along with the Balmoral Show in Northern Ireland and Blacknose Beauties in the United Kingdom.
Veterinary training, a working flock at home, and time spent with the breed overseas shape how Valais in the Vines is run.