women in wine expo 2019

WINE BUSINESS MONTHLY

First-Ever Women in Wine Expo in Europe 

Inaugural Women in Wine Expo brings global wine professionals together in Rotterdam & Brussels to close industry gender gap

by Press Release
June 25, 2019

Rotterdam, Netherlands — 6.25.19 — Women from ten different countries gathered in Rotterdam and Brussels on May 23 & 24 with the collective goal of creating a future without a gender gap in the wine industry. In addition to live attendance, videos were submitted from women around the world, voicing support in spirit.

“We’ve brought these like-minded women together to generate more coverage for women in wine in distributors’ and importers’ catalogs, on wine lists and in the press. The gender gap is a global issue in this very global industry, and we must work together to close it.” says Senay Ozdemir, Women in Wine Expo founder.

While the number of women wine professionals continues to rise globally, women worldwide are still paid just 63 percent of what men earn (World Economic Forum), and often under-represented as lead winemakers, sommeliers and in leadership positions in wine companies.

Ozdemir’s vision came to life over a two-day event in Rotterdam and Brussels, two key markets in the European wine trade, representing the 15th and 18th largest markets worldwide by volume (Euromonitor, 2018), along with wine consumption at 24.1 liters per capita in The Netherlands, and a whopping 31.9 liters per of wine consumed per capita in Belgium, one of the highest per capita wine consumption rates worldwide (OIV, 2016).

Speakers included winemakers, sommeliers, buyers, influencers and other industry professionals addressing themes including career development, starting businesses abroad, overcoming hurdles common to women winemakers seeking international export opportunities, and even whether and why women in wine organizations are necessary.

“We’ve seen the creation of new women in wine organizations in the US, with more women joining the industry facing economic inequality as well as gender, age and race discrimination. These new groups present an opportunity for abundance. We don’t want to share the pie, we want to grow it,” says Melissa Sutherland, of Panebianco Wine Imports and the Women in Wine Leadership Symposium.

One of the most powerful messages came from stories shared by Manana Akhvlediani, a Georgian winemaker, and Cisca Ansem, a Dutch woman making wine in Hungary. Both women spoke to what it meant to change careers after turning 50, finding themselves and creating a life they love through wine in the face of age and gender discrimination in addition to the challenges of building and growing a winery.

“Age means nothing. You must be young inside, and you must love what you’re doing. I can’t explain how much I love making wine. Before, I was living in a world that was grey. Making wine created the opportunity to live in a world of very many colors,” says Akhvlediani.

The Women in Wine Expo 2019 is the first of its kind in Europe, attracting participation from other long-standing women in wine organizations such as US-based Wonder Women in Wine, the Women in Wine Leadership Symposium and Germany’s Vinissima, one of the largest organizations for women in wine, established in 1991.

“In the beginning, the men laughed at us, and we doubted ourselves, asking ‘do we really need this?’ And the answer was yes, we need it! When you gather all of these women in wine, there is so much power, everyone goes home with the strength, courage and support they need to lead their businesses successfully,” says Stefanie Driessigacker, managing director of Vinissima.

Ozdemir is planning the 2020 Women in Wine Expo as support continues to pour in, with dates and location to be announced soon.

For more information on the Women in Wine Expo:
https://www.houseofredandwhite.com/women-in-wine-expo