Where Are the Women in Wine?
Where Are the Women in Wine?
With Fikayo Ifaturoti, Henna Zinzuwadia, Melinda Kearney and Helen Johannesen
By HURS Team
The $340 billion industry is largely male-dominated and overall lacks in diversity. Men still outweigh women when it comes to Masters of Wine, Master Sommeliers and senior positions in wine companies and boardrooms. And among all winemakers in the U.S. only 17.8% are women, while women make up the majority of wine drinkers. But it seems the traditional wine industry is slowly moving towards long awaited change.
The world of wine has expanded past the dusty and elitist image it once had. With new players entering the market, there’s something for everyone. From natural wines to wines sold in cans to low-alcohol and alcohol free wine. Additionally, the choices you make within this spectrum go beyond just your taste preferences. Your beverage choices can almost become an aesthetical choice that represents the lifestyle and style tribe you identify with. Lastly, along with many other industries, the world of wine has become more accessible. From being able to research and purchase online through apps dedicated to exploring different types of wines and under-the-radar wine regions. All these developments have allowed wine drinkers to become their own wine experts. It’s still not the same as the real thing, though.
FIKAYO IFATUROTI
Fikayo Ifaturoti is a 'zerotypical' wine expert. The ex-pharmacist went from working as a sommelier at the renowned private member’s club for wine lovers, 67 Pall Mall to overseeing London restaurants for Pol Roger Portfolio. As a way of connecting her love for wine with her Nigerian heritage, she curated ‘Itunmo’, an immersive African culinary experience with wine pairings, traditional live music and a silent art auction, with works by Black and African artists.
HENNA ZINZUWADIA
Henna Zinzuwadia is the Co-Founder and Director of Wine at Bori Table (a pan-African supper club that runs on Tuesdays in Shoreditch, London), National Sales Executive for MJ Wine Cellars who highlight female winemakers and black and minority ethnic owned wineries, and was recently nominated GQ’s Best Sommelier 2022.
MELINDA KEARNEY
Melinda Kearney is a wine industry veteran from Napa Valley where she heads winemaking, sales and marketing for her brand Lorenza Wine which she co-founded in 2008 with her daughter, Michele Ouellet. Lorenza focuses on crisp, Mediterranean style white and rosé wines from fruit sourced largely from ancient vines, organically and sustainably farmed in sandy soil in the Lodi, California AVA. As a consultant for the last 20 years, she has developed sales and branding strategy for a stable of luxury winery estates.
HELEN JOHANNESEN
Helen Johannesen started working in the restaurant industry while in college in Madison, WI. Her involvement at L’Etoile and the fine dining and farm-to-table driven experience inspired her to continue growing in the food and wine industry. She’s now a partner at Jon & Vinny’s in Los Angeles, and the owner of Helen’s, the gem box retail wine shop nestled in the back. She also hosts wine classes and has a curated wine club, and was titled Best New Sommelier by Food & Wine in 2016.
We asked four women working in wine about preconceptions about the wine industry, the biggest shifts in the world of wine and their hopes for the future.