A question of women in wine

Thursday, 2 July, 2015
Louise Hurren, Snooth.com
How many female winemakers and vineyard owners do you know? A few months ago, Christy Canterbury introduced some ladies of the Langhe. Female winemakers in Piedmont have changed the conservative winemaking landscape to one that is inclusive of women.

France is no different. This piece examines five scintillating wines from a group called the Femmes Vignes Rhône, also known as Women Winemakers of the Rhône Valley. It's a play on the French phrase “femmes vigneronnes”. Women are fighting to change old attitudes in wine, and they are winning.

This 30-member association was created in 2004 by a wine producer Anne Hugues of Domaine de la Royère and the Rhône Valley winegrowers organization, Inter-Rhône. The group's aim is to promote the role of women within the (traditionally rather masculine) wine world. Its members attend events for wine trade professionals and the general public, in France and abroad, spreading knowledge about Rhône Valley wines with a friendly, down-to-earth approach.

The group represents the appellations of Côtes du Rhône, Côtes du Rhône Villages, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Visan, Vacqueyras, Gigondas, Beaumes de Venise, Coteaux du Tricastin, Hermitage, Crozes-Hermitage, Cornas, Côtes du Ventoux, Côtes du Luberon et Costières de Nimes. Members include wine growers, oenologists, sommeliers, wine merchants, sales and marketing specialists and journalists.

To read more online, click here.