Raising a Glass to Female Winemakers

As the issue of gender inequality is so prominent in our current political climate, we thought it might be a good time to support and celebrate female winemakers. While the beverage industry is full of girl power in other leadership positions—as proprietors, CEOs, marketers, publicists, and critics—the number of women actually making the wine lags far behind men. A study by Santa Clara University found that just 14 percent of California's more than 4,200 wineries have a female winemaker. The number is thought to be similar across Europe, if not less in countries like Spain and Portugal. It's traditional in much of Europe for patriarchs to pass along the family business to a male heir, even if that means it's the son-in-law, not the daughter. The only place that slightly bucks this trend is Chile, where women aren't just faces in the tasting room but are running 1/3rd of the country's wineries and producing incredible wines.

While the fundamental principles of making wine are the same regardless of gender, women tend to approach certain aspects of the process with a different focus or philosophy. Emphasizing balance and elegance over sheer power, meticulous attention to detail in the vineyard and during fermentation, collaborative and inclusive leadership styles – while these aren’t hard and fast rules, they are trends that have been noted in regions where female winemakers are particularly prominent. Plus, studies suggest women are more likely to be "super-tasters," meaning they have a higher density of taste buds, which can make them more attuned to subtle flavors, nuances and textures regarding balancing sweetness, acidity, bitterness, and tannin.

As in our society in general, women are constantly having to work harder to prove themselves but luckily, gender doesn’t determine capability. Through perseverance, innovation, and a supportive community, women are continuing to reshape the industry, proving that talent and passion transcend traditional boundaries.

Here are our featured winemakers for Friday Night Wine School Event:

Sabine Godmé, Sabine Godme Brut Reserve Premier Cru, Champagne, France - The Godmé family's Champagne house was established in Verzenay in 1930 by Michèle and Bertrand Godmé. The couple’s two children, Hughes and Sabine, later divided the 11-hectare estate into two equal parts. Today, Sabine, her husband Jean-Marie Guillaume, and their two children Marie and Matthieu, represent the third and fourth generation of vignerons.

Champagne Godmé is a grower Champagne house, meaning their wines are made entirely from grapes grown on their property. The estate is located in the center of Montagne de Reims, in the Grand Cru village of Verzenay. They also own vineyards in the Grand Cru village Beaumont-sur-Vesle and Verzy and the Premier Cru villages of Villers-Marmery and Montbré.  The Godmé family is a classic example of a small grower-producer in Champagne, and it's entirely a family affair. Sabrine is the winemaker, while her husband Jean-Marie grows the grapes, and their two children help in all aspects of the business.

Sabine and brother Hughes have very different ideas when it comes to winemaking. After they split the property, Sabine was free to make Champagne in the more traditional style that she prefers. Her wines focus on preserving their Grand Cru and Premier Cru terroir's nuance, and she employs a minimalist approach to winemaking, eschewing all overt manipulation. The quality of Sabine's wines and the fantastic attention to detail the family applies from grape to glass.

Bibiana González Rave Alma de Cattleya Pinot Noir, Sonoma County, California- Bibiana is the founder and winemaker of Cattleya Wines. Born and raised in Colombia and trained as a winemaker in France, she moved to California in 2007 to settle into making wines. In her words: "Since my early teenage years, my dream has been to make wine. At a very young age I was fortunate enough to begin learning how to make wine in France. I trained myself while working with some amazing winemakers who showed me the importance of loving the land, how to respect the farming itself, and to focus on the many details that go into making each drop of wine in each and every bottle. While studying in Bordeaux and Cognac I learned the required viticulture, enology and microbiology (“wine science”); but most importantly, I was also exposed to the many rituals involved in winemaking–things like pruning, harvesting and bottling–that feel so special and meaningful each season.

She brought extensive experience to her winemaking projects with time spent in Côte-Rôtie, Alsace, Burgundy, Cognac, Bordeaux and South Africa.  In California, her resume includes many well-known wineries like Pahlmeyer, Au Bon Climat, Lynmar and Qupé.  In 2015, she was awarded “Winemaker of the Year” by the San Francisco Chronicle, just over a year after being named one of Wine Enthusiast’s “40 Under 40 America’s Tastemakers”.

 Eva López Marques del Silvo Gran Reserva, Rioja, Spain – Eva Lopez was raised in a family of farmers and cattle breeders in Zamora, Spain, in the center of the Iberian Peninsula. After finishing her university studies, she had to put what she has learned into practice and continue to respect her family roots. It was at this time that she founded her company CUVÉE and since then, she has worked to enhance the valuable land and vineyards that in the different wine regions of Spain, some of which were in danger of extinction. It took years to explore the land to find old vineyards, some of which had to be restored, giving them back importance rightly deserved.  Working with the local farmers and the best oenologists, colleagues and experts in each selected appellation, “López-Alonso” began, a company she created to produce wines in specific areas to achieve the purity and true essence of the regions they represent. Marques del Silvo is one of the Lopez-Alonso creations - the result of visionary planning and the core belief in quality management and preserving natural heritage, with an ethical and sustainable approach

Marie and Sylvie Courselle Clos Sainte Anne Cadillac Côtes de Bordeaux, France – Maria and Sylvie were born into wine. Their grandfather, André Courselle, purchased Bordeaux's Château Thieuley in 1950 with the intent to create a great vineyard. Their father, Francis Courselle, took over management of the estate in 1972. Over the next three decades he increased the acreage from four hectares to eighty hectares, spread over three vineyards.  His two daughters have proved themselves more than capable of handling the family business - Château Thieuley has earned a reputation for sustainable viticulture and quality winemaking under their leadership. Marie and Sylvie are committed to the environment, to innovation, to the support of French suppliers, and to service and hospitality.

In the 1980s, their father acquired the five-acre plot that would lend its name to this Côtes de Bordeaux. the south-facing, terraced, gravel-blanketed clay slopes of Clos Sainte Anne, and knew they’d found one of the best sites for Côtes de Bordeaux. The well-draining soils and special microclimate along the nearby Garonne River help create a wine with the kind of character Bordeaux lovers can’t get enough of—refined black fruits, oaky spice, earthy flavors, and grippy tannins.

Sofia and Lucila Pescarmona Lagarde Primeras Vinas Malbec, Mendoza Argentina - Founded in 1897, Bodega Lagarde was acquired in 1969 by the Pescarmona family, who’s hallmark would mark its identity as a family winery producing high-end wines, both in Argentina and the rest of the world.  The winery is currently run by the third generation Pescarmonas, Sofia Pescarmona and Lucila Pescarmona, - considered to be part of the new generation of women in the winemaking world in Argentina,together with Susana Balbo and Laura Catena, among others. Both sisters obtained their MBA at IAE Business School in 1991 and 2011 respectively. They are considered to be part of a new generation of thriving young women managing Argentine wineries to a new frontier.

Sofia has managed the vineyard since 2001 and has helped the transformation of the old Lagarde into a new modern facility. Lucila currently overseas the exports of the winery and sits on the board of Wines of Argentina.