Women were at the helm of the American wineries in the nascent days of fine wine in Napa Valley. Josephine Tychson founded what is today Freemark Abbey in 1886, and her contemporary Hannah Weinberger became the first recognised woman winemaker in Napa after her husband died in 1882.
Despite those early pioneers, the industry still has progress to make in terms of opportunities for women.
According to research conducted at Santa Clara University in 2020, only 14% of 4,200 wineries in California had women in head winemaker roles. This number has grown only slightly since the same study was conducted in 2011.
Historically, women only became winemakers after their husband’s death or when they were working alongside them. Mary Ann Graf was The first woman to receive an oenology degree from UC Davis in 1965. However, many have followed in her footsteps.
Progress has been made in the last two decades, including more women in industry-wide operations. Organisations like Bâtonnage and Oregon’s Women in Wine support women in wine with mentorship, community building, and job resources. However, there isn’t enough research focusing on the progress and the impact.
‘Any time we operate with poor or incomplete data, we cannot properly identify or solve problems,’ says Amy Bess Cook, the founder of Women-Owned Wineries. ‘When it comes to the topic of women in wine, information has long been lacking.
‘Until institutions invest greater resources to more seriously study the matter, we can only cherry-pick statistics and speculate on the state of women in the industry.’
Freemark Abbey’s Kristy Melton. Credit: Freemark Abbey
Changing perceptions
Cambria Estate Winery in the Santa Maria Valley is a rare winery, almost entirely founded and operated by women. This created the most understanding environment for Jill Russel to grow as a winemaker. However, outside of Cambria, challenges remain.
‘Before, I just wanted to be known as a winemaker. I didn’t like being titled as a female winemaker. But as I’ve been travelling in this role to other states and markets, everyone was surprised that I am a female.
‘I realised that I do need to talk about this. I might bring my husband to a pouring event, and if he is standing next to me, everyone thinks he is the winemaker just because he is a man. It happens when I am with a male coworker as well.’
Kristy Melton, the winemaker of Freemark Abbey, optimistically points out that society is becoming more open to the idea. ‘When I was in my early 30s and earlier in my career, men maybe didn’t think I could do it, or society wasn’t used to the notion, and I would get, you know, unusual comments from consumers or vineyard workers. But those are becoming fewer and fewer. The notion of being a female winemaker is less novel. But there is still a lot of work to be done.’
Sarah Wuethrich of Maggy Hawk. Credit: Maggy Hawk.
Balancing a demanding career and being a mother
Harvest is the most demanding period in winemaking and the most challenging for those women winemakers who decided to become mothers.
Winemaking, in general, is not the ideal profession where work hours and family life can be balanced. Many winemakers rely on help from their partners and families to balance it all, while some choose to leave their careers and raise their children.
‘The wine industry wasn’t exactly supportive at the time when I started my family,’ says Sarah Wuethrich, the winemaker at Maggy Hawk. ‘It wasn’t supportive of navigating new motherhood and a career in wine.
‘I think quite a few women step away because it’s just too overwhelming. The demand of trying to prove your physical aptitude constantly, and if you’re in a higher position, if you’re already established as a winemaker, the demand for travelling and representing your brand while being away from home and your family takes a toll.’
Kate Ayres, the winemaker at Penner-Ash Wine Cellars, says, ‘I am lucky enough to work in a position where I am home to feed my children and put them to bed. But then we rely heavily on family, and there’s a portion of their existence where we are just sort of absentee parents. My five-year-old says, okay, harvest is coming. That means you and Dad are not around a lot!’
Ayres adds, ‘When I look back, I now understand why the same women that I love and respect in this industry right now stepped away while their kids were young and then got back into the industry. I think those times have changed, and now I look at my fellow women up here in Oregon, and we all have small children and hold leadership positions. It’s amazing that in 20 years, the industry has changed this much.’
Winemaker Kate Ayres at Penner-Ash. Credit: Penner-Ash.
Making every voice matter
Before moving to the United States and becoming the winemaker at Matanzas Creek Winery in 2010, Marcia Torres Forno remembers how almost impossible it was for a woman to be a winemaker in her homeland, Chile, where they weren’t even allowed to be in the vineyards.
In Napa Valley, she is deeply involved in every aspect of the craft, employing a responsive winemaking program which combines traditional and innovative techniques.
‘The way we used to manage employees was from the top down,’ says Torres Forno. ‘Now, I appreciate that we are asked for our input to find a solution. You can capture much more when you include people who are actually doing the job.
‘Being considered for our merits and our strength is the right way to do things rather than being considered by gender. When that happens, we will know that we really have made progress.’
Sarah Wuethrich, of Maggy Hawk, thinks that women are better positioned to get into the ‘felt’ aspects of wine and can connect with consumers differently.
‘I think we are very closely tied to their emotional side, and to me, that’s the role that we can maybe inject into this industry. As we know, we are potentially losing a consumer base, there are drops in sales, people are ripping out vineyards… We need to meet consumers where they are.’
Wuethrich adds, ‘There is much more to wine than just talking about the facts and figures; we sometimes miss that. We need to return to a more intangible approach to provide wine as an experience that connects people.’
Marcia Torres Forno of Matanzas Creek. Credit: Matanzas Creek
Keeping legacies alive
In California, winemaking became popular in the 1960s and 70s, with only a handful of women involved. Only three women have been inducted into the Vintners Hall of Fame, including Merry Edwards, whose legacy is in Heidi von der Mehden’s caring hands since her retirement in 2020.
‘As with many male-dominated fields, lack of visible role models in the winery industry can contribute to under-representation of women,’ says von der Mehden.
‘This makes it difficult for aspiring female winemakers to envision possibilities for their career. My personal goal is to help build connections for women in wine through networking and collaboration and to encourage more women to pursue wine production in particular,’ von der Mehden adds.
‘I think about Josephine Tychson every day,’ says Freemark Abbey’s Melton, who keeps the flame alive for this pioneer of women-owned wineries.
‘I have a photo of her in my office, so she is the first thing I see when I walk in to remind me that if she could make the winery work on a tough day without all of the modern luxuries and convenience we have, then I certainly can make it work too. It’s my responsibility to continue her legacy and create a new one for women as we move forward.’
