The “W” in Winemaking can stand for “Woman”

This is a man’s world — so says the song (co-written, in a contested form, by James Brown and his, then, girlfriend and backup singer Betty Jean Newsome) — and nowhere is that more true than in the world of winemaking.

Where so many wineries are family businesses passed down through generations, it’s sobering to see how many of them have been passed down from son to son to son. When a daughter is in the line of succession, you’ll see her husband step in as winemaker. Even today, it’s common for us to see a set of siblings inherit a vineyard and winery and have a brother in charge of making the wine while a sister is in charge of marketing or “hospitality.”

Of course, the thing is … winemaking is not a gendered activity. Women can make wine … and do.

This Friday, we pour some wines from women winemakers. Please join us for another free walk-up tasting. We’ll see you some time between 5:00 and 6:30 PM.