Queens of Wine: Five Female Giants Discuss Women, Wine, and Their Careers

Women have played a role throughout wine history, but many gained status through husbands or fathers. Since the 1960s, the number of women making their way into the industry on their own merit has greatly increased. Even without prominent family ties, women have become winemakers, winery owners, grape growers, researchers, writers, managers, sommeliers, educators . . . in fact, experts in all areas of the business.

However, those women given initial opportunity for entry to the wine world through their male connections are also included here, provided they made distinctive contributions of their own.

Our five Queens of Wine are all alive! Only one is in California, while the remaining reside in Michigan, Texas, England and South Africa. Featured women comprise one trailblazer, one winemaker, one Master Sommelier, one wine writer and uniquely, a wine artist.

I asked these pioneers in their fields not only to discuss their careers, but to assess women’s palates—or declare that they disdain such generalities. Although research has shown that 25% of humans, mostly women, have an extremely high density of taste buds, the research does not take into consideration the role of the nose; therefore, the suggestion that women have more sensitive palates for wine is increasing in popular thought, but still controversial.

1. QUEEN OF WINE TRAILBLAZERS: MARGRIT MONDAVI

On women’s taste in wine, Margrit Mondavi comments, “Women have an exceptional palate discovering details cemented in wine, and since we most all the time prepare the meals, we combine wine and food very well.”

Who should know better than this Swiss-born legend, Margrit Mondavi? The goal of this article is to showcase individuals whose own innovations started with a vision, which eventually materialized to the benefit of the wine world. Margrit Mondavi is a prime example of such a woman.

Hers was not just an eye for the aesthetic, but a full-blown passion borne of her own talent. Mondavi was and is now, a working artist. Born and raised in Appenzell, Switzerland, by parents who greatly encouraged their children’s artistic bents, young Margrit Biever feasted on her mother’s fine cooking, listened to operatic arias and studied art at Minusio. She learned to appreciate a broad range of wines through her father’s stories of wine regions and vintages, not to mention his abundant wine cellar. Margrit easily fell into a life of sensory pursuits.

Mondavi’s dream was to marry wine with art, music and food. Upon joining Robert Mondavi Winery in 1967, she planted the seed of her vision early, by organizing modest art shows incorporating wine and food, to the delight of visitors. Because management appreciated her efforts, this tradition gradually evolved into permanent cultural programs to encourage and support painters, sculptors, photographers, musicians, chefs and winemakers, bringing pleasure to all who visited. Mondavi was given free reign to conceive new art series and exhibits.

Mondavi’s accomplishments include establishing the Summer Music Festival, the Great Chefs of France and Great Chefs of America programs at the winery. These ground-breaking ideas attracted musical artists such as Ella Fitzgerald, Harry Belafonte and Tony Bennett; and celebrity chefs such as Julia Child, Paul Bocuse, Alice Waters and Joel Robuchon to Mondavi.