Jancis Robinson wrote an article in FT Magazine yesterday called “For women in wine, things are not getting better.” In this article, we’ll explore this sad situation.
Women and wine don’t look so good – photo from FT Magazine
Natalie MacLean’s Wine Witch on Fire
This year, I read Natalie MacLean’s new memoir, Wine Witch on Fire. In it, she “shines a light on sexism in the wine industry.” I truly loved it. It’s heart-rending and heartwarming. Frances Mayes describes it as “Zesty, vibrant, meditative, edgy, structured, intense – these words Natalie MacLean might use to describe wines all apply to her Wine Witch on Fire. Anyone at a crux will be buoyed by this writer’s grit and grace.”
Here’s a video where Natalie touches upon some of the sexism that she experienced. But the book goes into far more detail. I highly recommend reading it.
Jancis Robinson’s Article on Women and Wine
Robinson highlights a survey was done that “collated the responses of 726 women who work, or have worked, in the UK wine trade. Here are some of the damning statistics and trends that came out of the survey:
- 78 percent feel that sexism, gender bias and harassment are serious issues within the industry.
- 44 percent of respondents said they had considered leaving the trade as a result.”
- Stories of senior sommeliers cornering junior female colleagues in cellars and women waiting staff having to put up with wandering hands and blatant overtures from customers are all too common.
- 92 percent of respondents feel that wine culture is still male-dominated.
- More than three-quarters of respondents feel that women are under-represented in leadership roles in the UK wine trade.
- 54 percent of respondents feel that they are discriminated against in terms of pay and conditions, with maternity leave a particular gripe.
Insightful Forbes Article
A Forbes article entitled 6 Women in Wine Reflect On Industry Misconceptions And Learning Curves, each of the six women talk about their misconceptions. My favorite is this one from Cara Morrison, Chardonnay winemaker at Sonoma-Cutrer: “When I was an assistant winemaker, when the male winemaker would say, ‘This is my assistant,’ most people would assume I was the administrative assistant. When I asked that he add winemaker to the assistant and explained why, he apologized and said it never occurred to him. When I travel on the road promoting Sonoma-Cutrer wines, buyers and customers often have a hard time understanding I am a winemaker, even if I am introduced as such. They stick to their assumptions and ask what I do in hospitality—I politely correct them.”
A Hopeful End Note
We’ll end up with a hopeful note from Guildcomm. “Many of the legal barriers to women’s inclusion in the wine trade have been removed, but the damaging systemic obstacles remain. Although it is more widely possible and acceptable for any person to study wine, viticulture, and enology, to work as a winemaker, or to own a wine business, it is essential to remember that this relative freedom is a direct result of the vigilance, collaboration, and partnership of people of all genders who have been committed to greater equity and inclusion over the last 100 years. There is still much to be done to achieve a truly inclusive world of wine, and the urgency to push for this goal has never been greater, precisely because that goal is in sight for the first time since the Greeks—or maybe for the first time in the history of the world.”