Women Winemakers

Women have played an integral part in the evolving history of winemaking for centuries. Madame Clicquot took over her husband's Champagne house upon his untimely death. Her passion and risk-taking brought Champagne onto the international stage. Lalou Leroy in Burgundy defied conventional wisdom in refusing to use pesticides and chemicals. She stood her ground in 1993 despite mildew ravaging her vineyards, but she became the most lauded winemaker in the region. From Helen Turley to Cathy Corison, there are incredible stories of women who brought vision, confronted the standards, and rose to become pivotal leaders in winemaking. We are delighted to offer some of the wines from many of the women who are bringing new vision and helping modern winemaking evolve.

Filipa Pato branched off from her father's winery to explore her own work on sustainable winemaking. Luis Pato had already created a name for himself, and she had her own ideas. Her philosophy is 'authentic wines without makeup', and her efforts have shown a bright light on the region of Bairrada, Portugal. Her work includes finding ways to reduce the need for any additives, including making a sunscreen out of aloe for her grapes. She focuses on the native grapes of Baga and Bical. Pure flavors and wonderful balance.

Angela Fronti adamantly did not want to work in the family business of providing agricultural services and supplying bulk wine to other other wineries, when she was growing up. Instead, she dreamed of producing her own wine. Having earned a degree in winemaking, she found work at other wineries elsewhere in Tuscany, but she felt drawn to her family's vineyards in Radda and took over their management, producing her first wine under the Istine label in 2009. Angela only works with autochthonous varietals, using traditional winemaking techniques, and her wines have been certified organic since 2016.

Rosalina Molina and her husband, Manolo Garrote, had a vision to revitalize winemaking in their native La Mancha. Starting small in the late 1990s, they have built an estate of 60 hectares. From the beginning, they have been committed to organic agriculture and traditional winemaking methods. Together, they share the labor of managing the estate, with Manolo in charge of the vines, and Rosalina running the cellar.

And there are more...Elena Moschetta of BiancaVigna, Christine Netzl of Weingut Netzl, and María Rivero González of RGMX are just a few of the amazing women who have charted their own paths. Join us on Wednesday, March 11 from 4pm to 7pm to taste their wines and celebrate their contributions to the industry!

Tickets for our regular Wednesday tastings are $15, and the wines in the lineup are all 10% off during the tasting.