WINE WOMEN ON SONG
SAM WYLIE-HARRIS spotlights the women who’ve blazed trails at vineyards worldwide as we mark International Women’s Day today
IN a field notoriously dominated by men, more and more women are bursting onto the wine scene, shaping the way we drink and influencing the story behind the bottles served up in restaurants and on supermarket shelves.
And while working the land can be punishing – 6am alarm calls, all that picking and pruning, grape-stained hands – on the up side, knocking on the cellar doors and carving out a career as a winemaker has many advantages.
After all, which wine-lover doesn’t dream of living in a famous wine region, holding the key to a chateau surrounded by vineyards, hosting tastings and wine dinners – or simply being more at one with nature, glass in hand?
And with greater opportunities, from studying viticulture and oenology to marketing and sales, in many ways it’s easier than ever to find your feet in the world of wine.
As Jeany Cronk, founder of Mirabeau, which produces award-winning rosé wines in Provence, South of France, points out: “I had a lot to learn when we started 10 years ago and the support from other women has been invaluable.
“To this day, all our oenologists (experts in the science of winemaking) have been female. In many ways, winemaking comes so naturally to women, who have an innate creativity when it comes to assembling wines,” she adds.
“It’s a joy to see so many more female heads popping up when we sit around the table for regional meetings, clearly a sign of the times of women establishing themselves in a lasting way in what was hitherto a very male-dominated world.”
A pretty soft pink, try Mirabeau Pure Rose 2018, Cotes de Provence, France, pictured
right, (£14.99, Waitrose), with its aromas of citrus and pink grapefruit, elegant flavours of summer berries and balancing acidity.
Of course, it does help if you want to follow in the family footsteps and a history of grape growing. “I’m lucky enough to live 500m from the family farm, so I don’t need to set the alarm clock too early, around 6:45,” says Camille Besson, fourth generation winemaker at Domaine Besson in Chablis, Burgundy.
“I’m an oenologist, so I love spending time in the cellar but now I wouldn’t want to only be involved in the winemaking process. In fact, by working more on the commercial side of things, this has enabled me to know what consumers think about my wines, which has given me an essential insight for my role,” says Camille.
Try her Domaine Besson Petit Chablis 2015, France, pictured below left (£14.95, Cellar Door Wines), which has a lovely citrusy freshness. Elsewhere in France, even though leading ladies such as Lily Bollinger and Madame Clicquot have been inspirational to so many, Elisabeth Sarcelet (awarded the prestigious title of Champagne Winemaker of the Year in 2016) is one of the few female cellar masters in Champagne.
“Taking inspiration from the words of the great French novelist George Sand (pen name for Amandine Lucile Aurore Dupin) when she said ‘champagne creates wonder’, my dream is to create champagne with as small an environmental impact as possible, and to drink it with my grandchildren as a message of hope,” says Elisabeth.
Full of poise, you can’t beat her Champagne Castelnau Brut NV, Champagne, France, pictured above, right (£27.95, Amazon) for its fruity freshness and toasty richness. Meanwhile, Spanish winemaker Rosalina Molina shows what can be achieved when you decide to plant a vineyard at an altitude of 1,100 metres, where the extreme weather (hot summers and cold winters) has the potential to produce concentrated wines with great fruit and freshness.
As well as being one of the highest-altitude vineyards in Spain, Manchuela, southeast of Madrid, is also one of the smallest. And while the native bobal grape pays the bills, Rosalina has a bunch of others to press.
We love her Altolandon Mil Historias Organic Syrah 2017, Spain, pictured below, left (£13.99, Virgin Wines) for its gorgeous notes of plush black fruits, sweet berries and spice. Known as The Lady of Morellino, Elisabetta Geppetti and her daughter Clara Gentili are the female powerhouse behind the label Fattoria Le Pupille.
Aged 20 when she first took over the reins of the family estate, Elisabetta is described as a pioneer in the region of Maremma, southern Tuscany.
A sangiovese that sings from the glass, their Fattoria Le Pupille, Morellino di Scansano 2018 DOCG, Tuscany, Italy, pictured left, (£19.96, Armit Wines) has complex, cherry fruited charms. Heading Down Under, grape-stomping is second nature to winemaker Virginia Willcock, who cut her teeth at her parents’ family vineyard and joined Vasse Felix, Margaret River’s founding wine estate as chief winemaker in 2006.
With an armload of medals and 27 vintages under her belt, Virginia is cited as one of the most influential female winemakers in Australia. As she writes on the Vasse Felix website: “Make the wines you love to drink” – and who wouldn’t drink to that? With its maritime influence,
Vasse Felix Filius Chardonnay 2018, Margaret River, Australia, pictured left (£12.99, Ocado) is a joyous glass with its delicate stone fruit aromas and flavours, fine thread of citrusy freshness and tingly acidity.