I am excited to share the cover story I wrote for the August issue of Beverage Industry News.
Ready-To-Drink (RTD) cocktails first saw success in the 1990s and 2000s with sweet, easy-drinking...
I recently wrote about having dinner with representatives from two wineries in Spain. What was all the more special about this dinner, aside from the delicious wines and exquisite food from Auburn Restaurant, was the company. I had the pleasure to dine with two women from two different regions who are both in positions of power at winery cooperatives. I shared their stories in the Napa Valley Register which you can read here.
*************
I recently had dinner with representatives from two wineries in Spain. One winery is in Rias Baixes on the northwest corner and the other in Calatayud on the northeast corner. What both wineries have in common is that they are both cooperatives and both have women holding positions of power.
The wine world has long been dominated by men, and Spain, as much of the old world, has had a tradition of machismo. But women are making a name for themselves. Enrollment of women in Spain’s university winemaking programs has increased by more than 40 percent over the last 20 years. No longer stuck in the lab or in marketing, they are making the wine and running the wineries. And, I had the pleasure to sit down with two of these women and learn about them, their stories and taste their wines.
We are living in an exciting time for women. The recent mid-term elections were a victory for women. More than 100 women won their races for the House and at least 118 women will serve in the 116th Congress. South Dakota and Maine have their first female governors and Tennessee has its first female senator. It is a referendum on women.
Following on the heels of these historic wins, Hall Winery hosted a panel entitled “High-Powered High Heels.” Moderated by Academy Award and Golden Globe Winner and Goodwill Ambassador Mira Sorvino, four powerful and successful women shared their stories and discussed the road forward. The panel consisted of Former U.S. Ambassador & Vintner at Hall Family Wines Kathryn Walt Hall, Actress Annie Stark, Emmy Award-Winning Computer Engineer Leshelle May and Founder and CEO of the Maris Collection Lee Ann Sauter.
