Since the dawn of wine history, women have been routinely excluded from positions of power. Despite all these obstacles, women are still able to make a positive impact on wine history. Although there have been some improvements in equity over the last 100+ years, more work needs to be done. Analyzing the nature and successes of women who overcome barriers to their success, we can gain insights into current issues and help design a way forward for a more equal and dynamic wine industry. This article focuses primarily on women in winemaking. But it is important to recognize the many contributions of women throughout the industry.
Although many countries involved in wine cultivation enjoy legal systems that give equal treatment to men and women, the system is still gender-based. Women are often underrepresented in higher-ranking positions within the wine trade. According to the American Association of Wine Economists wineries owned by women are only 5% in California, Oregon and 3% respectively in Washington State. This disparity is even larger for people of colors. Washington State’s number of bonded wineries has surpassed 1,000 in 2021. Only 2 of those are owned exclusively by Black Americans. Nicole Cotton Camp owns Lashelle Wines and Shae Frichette co-owns Frichette Winery with Greg. Even though there were recent revelations about racism and sexism in the West, there was still a false belief that equity had been won.
Historical Origins
A patriarchal society’s success depends on men controlling the bloodline. This is what governs inheritance in a market-based economy and property ownership. Gerda Lerner a historian, and the author of The Creation of Patriarchy explains how this type of societal structure was created. It may have been established as early as the beginning of agrarian societies 12,000 years back. It seems that patriarchal hierarchies have seen a significant rise since approximately 3,500 BC, when Western societies started to formalize commerce and document the exchange of wealth. Patrick McGovern, a Pennsylvania State University archeologist, and his team discovered that the wine trade and those who engaged in it also began to move around the Mediterranean.
Ironically, it’s easy to see how a woman might be the first to discover the miraculous ability of wine to transform the mind, and then to make wine. Paleolithic societies had a majority of female gatherers. This means that we can imagine a woman picking grapes, forgetting them in her cave, and discovering them again after frothing and bubbling. Even though this discovery was scary, we can still imagine Paleolithic people not wasting food. The liquid became too strong for her stomach and she was transported to a strange realm of her mind. Her worries were then banished, as Hugh Johnson wrote in his book The Story of Wine. It’s possible she also felt as if she had connected with an angelic realm. Inevitably she would have shared the experience with her cavemates, who would then have tried to duplicate it over and again. They were able to share the magic of wine and refine the process of wine production. Later, trade was developed, which eventually led them to become connoisseurs.
McGovern has identified where wine was first made in Armenia’s Caucasus Mountains (present-day Armenia) and Iran’s Zagros Mountains (present-day Iran) between 6,000 – 7,000 years. The Sumer Mesopotamian civilization from around the same time is widely considered the oldest civilization in human history. Sumer’s first recorded female ruler was Queen Kubaba (from Sumer), who was a tavernkeeper. She was highly popular, legend says she reigned benevolently 100 years.
Rod Phillips (wine historian and scholar) suggests that the pursuit of wine might have played a major role in the formation of the first settled societies in Western countries. However, regardless of whether this is true or not, wine’s economic and political influence is evident throughout Western history. Given the wine’s ability banish our cares and its ability to create wealth and stability through trade, as well as its status of a highly valued food item, it is only natural that some people would wish to keep the power and privilege it affords. Early wine cultures knew exactly who was allowed to make, trade, and consume wine. Rules proliferated. Rules became more common. The lines of class and sex were more important in ancient Egypt than the exclusions regarding wine. For example, women were permitted to both drink wine and engage in the wine business. The elite of both the male and female genders preferred wine to beer. Although the majority of information regarding the Etruscans (the wine industry that predated Romans in the Italian Peninsula), is from the accounts left behind by the Greeks–their mortal enemies — we can infer that Etruria saw men and women enjoying equal rights in many aspects of society, including property and wine drinking. Since the first documented wine, people have been wrestling with its power, and deciding who will or won’t be included in its bounty.
As the wine business expanded into the Mediterranean and gained economic power for empire building it became more important that men control jurisdiction over inheritances and wealth. It also meant controlling women’s sexuality. It appears that the Greeks were the ones who cut out women of power the first time, and the Romans followed the same effective methods and beliefs as the Greeks.
But even though women have been exempted from wine, since humans began documenting their worlds, an iconic link between wine’s transformative powers, and femininity, has been evident in wine culture and mythology. The Greco Roman period brought wine, previously controlled by multitasking agrarian goddesses into the modern age. It was given a male god named Dionysus (by the Greeks) and Bacchus (by the Romans). Dionysus/Bacchus is a gender-bender. Even though he crossed the line between masculine, feminine, the wine god subtly helped put wine in the full domain of men. The Bacchae of Euripides, a tragedy-tragic theatrical piece, is the best description of this cleverness. Euripides uses The Bacchae to show how women were controlled by propaganda. They are presented as dangerous and abnormal because they are drunken and sexually active. It is also during this period in Greek history that Hestia – the goddess of the hearth – gave up her seat at Mount Olympus for Dionysus. In doing so, she ceded the domains to the men of the home as well as fertility. Women were not allowed to drink again until wine was firmly placed in the hands of men, during the golden age of Rome. It was actually everyone who drank during the height of Rome’s power that led to the most profitable wine trade ever seen. The men held the purse strings.
Female Powerful Leaders
As the age was ending with the antiquity of Rome and its gods, Christianity in Medieval Europe became the dominant religion, the hierarchy that had been a lineage of male Gods evolved into the male lineage priests, kings, and the women were an extension of their property. They are seldom recorded under other names than their husbands and fathers. In noble circles, girl kids were powerful pawns for the fusion of wealth and properties through marriage. Despite these cultural restrictions, some strong-willed ladies managed to make an impact on wine.
Eleanor Aquitaine was one woman whose life had the most profound impact on the world wine. Eleanor, who was probably one of most powerful and wealthiest women in the Middle Ages became the King. This union brought almost a third of France, including Bordeaux, which is the country’s most important port for the wine trade, under English control. This led to a fierce feud between England and France that lasted for hundreds and had profound and fascinating consequences on many of the greatest wines in the world. British trade with Bordeaux became complicated by war and trade embargos. This led to revolutionary improvements in Sherry’s trade and also influenced the birth Port.
Catherine de’Medici is another example. At the age of 14, she was part of a trade between noble families. Most famous for the 16th century massacres of Huguenots, she was cruel, manipulative, and ruthless. Catherine’s rule might be linked to food and wine, but it may not be the only thing. Catherine is said by many to have brought her whole culinary team to France upon her arrival from Italy. France’s culinary scene was greatly influenced in part by her chefs at the court, with their fine sauces and sophisticated Italian cooking methods. She is also thought to have introduced the fork in France to those who, before her, were slicing up meat with knives.
It could also have been during Catherine’s time that Cabernet Franc was brought to Barco Reale di Carmignano DOC, the Medici Tuscan hunting reserve. Barco Reale is now the location of Carmignano DOCG. In this appellation, Cabernet Sauvignon was required to be present between 10-20%. Cabernet Sauvignon likely arrived in post-phylloxera era. But, locals say that Cabernet Franc can be found in Carmignano DOCG and Barco Reale di Carmignano DOC. This claim is supported with the inclusion of the grape into the original appellation.
Loopholes, laws
Feudal Europe, which was inequitable for all, was also a problem for women. While France’s Revolution is widely credited with transforming France and leading the world to a free, fair- and equal society and revolution, the values were only applicable to men. The Napoleonic Code of 1805 – considered the most revolutionary legal document of modern history – was based in part on Roman codes. This gave men total authority over women. The Napoleonic Code had many great achievements: it abolished feudalism, supported religious tolerance, and standardized the legal system. The Code made women invisible and stripped their individual rights. They were tied to their husbands and fathers in every way.
The Napoleonic Code was reformed only in the second century. Because of this, women in France and in all other countries that adopted the code for their laws had to fight an unknown enemy to win anything. Inheritance law provided that property shall be equally divided among legitimate heirs. However because women were assigned as wards to either their fathers or their husbands under a separate section in the Napoleonic Code, there was only one way to own property or a business. That was if you were a widower or spinster. These complicated rights of succession led to fragmentation in vineyard ownership (most prominently in Burgundy), and also saw women excluded almost entirely from winemaking.
After the Napoleonic age, many widows found themselves in a position where they could purchase property or manage a wine business. Since the dawning European history, Champagne has been at war with France in every conflict. Wives are made by wars. BarbeNicole Ponsardin Clicquot saw an opportunity to shape Champagne. She developed the process of riddling or slowly turning Champagne bottles in order to move lees sediment into their necks for disgorgement. Today, Veuve or “Widow,” Clicquot are commonly used to refer to her. It is a reference to her relationship to a man who did not play any role in her accomplishments.
There were many other charismatic and creative widows in Champagne. It was so popular that the notion of the widow became a marketing cliche for the region. Lily Bollinger who ran Bollinger for decades is famous for her famous line: “I drink champagne both when I’m joyful and when my heart’s in pain.” Sometimes, it’s when I’m alone that I drink it. I consider it mandatory to drink when I’m with company. It is my duty to consume it when I’m full. I don’t touch it if I’m not hungry. Louise Pommery is also a widow who was unafraid to pursue quality and can be credited for the creation of the first Brut Champagne.
It was through inheritance that women rose to power in the wine trade up until the 1970s. Ellen Mary Stewart, named for the town of Glen Ellen, was the first woman to own a winery in California after her husband died in 1880. Isabelle Simi, who is generally considered to have been the first female commercial vintner in the United States at age 18, was given the responsibility of running the family’s winery after her brother, and father, died from the flu. She would be able to manage her winery safely through Prohibition without closing its doors.
In the mid-1800s America, it was nearly impossible for a woman with color to run a business and be an influential figure in the wine-growing industry. Mary Ellen Pleasant, an entrepreneur and real-estate mogul who planted European varieties at her Beltane Ranch, Glen Ellen, held significant power. Mary Ellen had a difficult time achieving this goal. Sometimes, she disguised herself as a white person or even as a cook or housekeeper. Mary Ellen was an activist and helped many women be independent and secure during the California Gold Rush. Despite the fact that European vineyards were planted on her ranch, Mary Ellen is a pioneer in American Viticulture. However, most details are lost to history.
It is easier to groom women for leadership and support roles in wineries, as there are no legal barriers that prevent women from inheriting property. It is very rare that women have been taught winemaking by their fathers. This has become more common in recent years, even though it is rarer. Today inheritance is perhaps the best way for women in winery ownership and winemaking to break into this industry. Many prominent and historic families across the globe have daughters in leadership roles. Veronique Buiss-Drouhin is the Maison Joseph Drouhin winemaker in Beaune. Domaine Drouhin is in Oregon. Saskia Prum manages the Mosel as winemaker. Elisabetta Foradori runs the Azienda agricola Foradori winery in Trentino. Luisa Ponzi, Anna Maria Ponzi and Gina Gallo are the partners and chief winemakers at E. & J. Gallo. Kathryn Walt Hall is the proprietor and Walt Wines. It may not seem that radical to see women entering winemaking via family ties today, but it is significant in the context history.
Education: There are new pathways
Women who were not from winemaking families, began to learn formal education about wine in the 1960s. MaryAnn Graf and Zelma Long, both of them having tenure at Simi Winery respectively, along with Merry Edwards who would eventually establish her wines in the Russian River Valley of Sonoma County, were icons among the first females to pursue formal education in wine and food science at University of California-Davis. These women, along with others like them, set an example for others by following their passion and curiosity to make wine their career. While winemaking was a more popular career choice in the 1970s and 1980s than ever before, many women discovered that they were often the only or only female in their class at school.
The 1980s were only a short distance from the present. However, when Cathy Corison began her winery in Napa Valley’s prestigious Napa Valley in 1987, it was almost unheard. Despite a Master’s Degree in Enology from UC-Davis. She also held a high-ranking position at Napa Valley’s Chappellet Winery as the lead winemaker. People told her she would not succeed. Today, it is undeniable that her accomplishments and wide influence are undeniable. Kay Simon, another female leader graduated with a degree as an enologist from UC-Davis. Kay became Chateau Ste’s assistant winemaker. Michelle started her career at Chateau Ste as an assistant winemaker in 1977. Her husband, Mike, founded Chinook Winery (Yakima, Washington) in 1983. Kay continues to be an inspiration for women by her passion for wine and her support of scholarship programs. These winemakers and others like her have paved the way to an era when more women are choosing winemaking.
Women and Wine – Look Forward
Since the beginnings of recorded history, patriarchy aims to subordinate women through laws or cultural structures that keep them from positions of power and influence and also from intellectual and artistic communities. Women have been forced to confront both the Western cultural heritage’s exclusionary structure and inner biases.
Although legal barriers to women participating in the wine business have been removed, there are still many systemic issues. It is now possible to study wine, vine and enology. You can also work as a winemaker or owner of a wine company. However, it is crucial to remember that this relative freedom is the result of the collaboration, collaboration, and partnership between people of all sexes, who have been dedicated to greater equity over the last 100-years. While there is much that can be done to ensure a truly inclusive wine industry, the pressure to get it right is greater than ever.