Women and Wine

Women have been involved in the wine business for centuries, but until recent years, most gained their positions through family connections or widowhood. Patty Bogle of Bogle Vineyards and Jamie Davies of Schramsberg Vineyards, for example, took over their family wineries when their husbands and business partners died, and Mary Novak grew Spottswoode Vineyard and Winery almost single-handedly after her husband died shortly after they started the venture. Delia Viader claimed her Argentine father's Napa getaway to create her own successful winery; and Gina Gallo, the granddaughter of Julio and grandniece of Ernest is, of course, one of the most visible people of either gender in the wine business.

Today, however, as more women enter the wine business, they, like their male counterparts, are choosing education as the favored route. In fact, UC Davis now has more women than men enrolled in its viticulture and winemaking classes.

WINEMAKING WIZARDS

Many of California's best-known winemakers are women like Heidi Peterson Barrett and Mia Klein, who have achieved cult status for their expensive wines, and whose winemaking services are as sought after by winery owners as their bottles of wine are by collectors.

Women now occupy many behind-the-scenes positions at wineries, and are increasingly taking over the top technical duties. Elizabeth Vianna was running a clinical lab when the wine bug bit. She enrolled in the wine school at UC Davis at age 30, getting her master's degree before joining Napa Wine Company as lab director, then becoming assistant winemaker.

At that custom wine production facility, she worked with top women Winemakers Celia Masyczek, Pam Starr and Heidi Barrett before joining Chimney Rock, where she had interned. She is now winemaker, reporting to former Winemaker Doug Fletcher, who has advanced to vice president of winemaking for the parent company's many properties. Likewise, Nicki Pruss was recently promoted to winemaker at respected Stag's Leap Wine Cellars, where founder Warren Winiarski is legendary for making the cabernet sauvignon that beat the best of Bordeaux, 30 years ago this year at the famous Paris Tasting of 1976.

Janet Myers is the winemaker at Icon's Franciscan and Mount Veeder estates. Like Vianna, she entered the wine business fairly late, earning her master's degree at UC Davis after working in restaurants. She worked at Antinori in Tuscany and in the Margaret River district in Australia before getting her first full-time wine job at Beaulieu Vineyards, Stag's Leap Wine Cellars, then at Martini. She joined Franciscan as associate winemaker in 2003 and was promoted last year.

SOME DOORS ARE SLOW TO OPEN

Women are also increasingly starting wineries on their own. Many have taken the same entrepreneurial path as their male counterparts, leveraging success in other fields into the wine business. Real estate broker Jean Phillips started famed Screaming Eagle, and retailer Ann Colgin created an eponymous cult favorite. Betty O'Shaughnessy, Laura Zahtila and Mary Rocca traded other careers to start wineries.

But while achieving success in many areas, women seem to be lagging when it comes to gaining executive positions at large corporations. Ironically they've done better at European than American firms. Michaela Rodeno is the CEO of St. Supery Vineyards, which is owned by a French firm. Eileen Crane is president of Domaine Carneros, owned by France's Taittinger, and Eva Bertran runs Gloria Ferrer, part of Spain's Freixenet empire.

Marketing-the path that many women have followed into the upper ranks of corporations that provide luxury items-hasn't provided the same opportunities at many wine companies. But in truth, relatively few wine firms mount strong marketing efforts, and few women have been able to make their marks via that route.

Nevertheless, most observers think the time will come when more women will assume high-level corporate jobs. "As women move up and prove themselves, some will make the cut," predicts Icon's Myers, whose company is part of giant Constellation Brands, the world's largest wine company.

FEMININE ASSETS

One question that women in wine are invariably asked is whether their gender has affected their success. "I can't say it's hurt my career," says Myers. "I've heard rumors about it, but I think the women like Dawnine Dyer (at Domaine Chandon) and Zelma Long (first at Mondavi) who blazed the trail were more affected."

Myers says she's been approached by headhunters actively seeking female winemakers. And Delia Viader dares to disclose that she's happy to put her femininity to good use in her chosen business.

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