While the majority of wine-drinkers are women (according to statistics published in 2020, women make up 59 per cent of wine-buyers) there’s always been this image of the oenophile as a man. Traditionally, sommeliers have been predominantly male, and for one reason or another, the industry has a reputation for being snobb; the term, ‘wine snob’ is even in the Oxford English Dictionary, with the earliest reported use being in the 1950s. Yet in recent years, a group of trailblazing women from a plethora of backgrounds have been shaking things up.
In some respects, it’s unsurprising that there’s been a tidal wave of change. After all, between global warming, the pandemic and the cost of living crisis, the industry has faced unprecedented disruption in recent years. Rising temperatures have affected crops, the pandemic shuttered hospitality while concurrently seeing a boom in home alcohol consumption, and global financial upheaval has impacted costs of everything from rent to materials.
For most female sommeliers, their start in the industry came via restaurant work, rather than an extensive family cellar. “I started working in restaurants when I was 15,” shares Honey Spencer, co-founder of the restaurant Sune alongside husband Charlie. “I got my love of cooking and looking after people from my mum, so a career in restaurants was the most natural thing in the world. When I started to learn about wine I saw the opportunity for a life that was fun and fulfilling, but also intellectual. I’ve never looked back.”
Yet the biggest factor in the rise of female sommeliers and ‘winefluencers’ is perhaps social media. A true leveller, it has allowed the democratisation of wine, opening it out to a much larger demographic of people. These savvy women have been able to capitalise on this, utilising Instagram and TikTok to share their own insights into wine, all while their follower count ticks upwards and upwards.
“I think social media has had a huge impact on the visibility of women in the industry,” shares Aleesha Hansel, a wine and drinks writer. “There has never been a better time for women to join. Most are also more than happy to help.” “Social media has undoubtedly helped my career,” agrees Hannah Crosbie, author of the upcoming book, Corker. “I doubt I’d be here without it. Through social media I’m able to reach an audience that wine hasn’t previously. I’m constantly blown away by the creativity of communicators on Instagram – how do you accurately portray something that’s so dependent on smell and taste, visually? I think social media has brought wine to a whole new audience and continues to reach new people all the time.”
Naturally, it’s also vital for these entrepreneurial women to get their break in the first place. “The world of social media has been massively inspirational to me,” says Sandia Chang, founder of online champagne retailer Bubbleshop and co-founder of two Michelin-starred Kitchen Table. “I follow sommeliers from top restaurants to small wine bars across the world to see what they’re drinking, what they’re recently excited about and also creative ways to develop their wine programme.” This sense of online community has helped many of these women grow their audiences too, particularly amongst fellow women. “The networking aspect is huge,” says Henny Zinzuwadia, sommelier and founder of AYO Collective. “There are so many people who I’ve made valuable connections with through social platforms and you are able to reach such a vast number of people through it.”
There are also some amazing ‘women in wine’ groups popping up, including Curious Vines, set up by fine wine collector Queena Wong, which hosts regular in-person get-togethers, workshops and a mentorship programme, and has almost 1,000 members. “There’s such power in numbers, having such a huge community like Curious Vines means we’re able to identify problems that many of us face. Without it, we’d feel like we were struggling on our own,” shares Hannah, who is a member.
Yet this doesn’t mean that female sommeliers haven’t experienced sexism within the industry. A report by Curious Vines last year revealed that 78 percent of ‘women in wine’ have faced sexism, with 1 in 3 enduring harassment and 76 per cent witnessing a gender pay gap. “I think the truth is most women at some point have experienced sexism in this industry,” says Henny. “I didn’t experience any sexism in my career until I became a mother,” adds Sandia. “I was once questioned about my passion for wine now that I have kids.”
Another way that several of these women challenge the wine industry’s status quo is through their race. “I have to say that for me personally, it is a little difficult to single out sexism as I also happen to be a woman of colour, so I can't really say for definite if the negative experiences I've had are down to one or the other,” shares Aleesha. Yet this point of difference is exactly what has helped some female sommeliers find their own niche, such as Henny, whose AYO Collective platform hosts culinary and wine experiences with African and South American food: “I always felt there should be more representation for the eastern culture and wine, especially with the cuisine as there’s a whole array of flavours to explore”.
Class, too, inevitably comes into it, as Hannah explains: “So many aspects of wine are so subtly classed — they assume a certain level of education, both cultural and academic. Even something as simple as a tasting note can shut out a whole section of people from lower socioeconomic backgrounds: how many people know what ‘quince’ smells and tastes like?” It’s a fair point.
“Despite the challenges, there’s a lot of incredible team support out there and inclusive spaces that exist,” says Henny. “The majority of the time, I do feel like it is a progressive industry which recognises talent and passion above all.” Honey agrees: “I’m always surprised by how wine evokes memories for people, taste is such a wonderfully emotional and subjective thing. It’s spellbinding to watch people have their ‘moment’ with a special bottle.” Cheers to that.
