Donatella among the most powerful women in wine in the world

Donatella among the most powerful women in wine in the world

The English blog Humble Grape Wine lists the women who influence the worldwide wine industry and, surprise surprise, I’ve been included

Read for you by Donatella Cinelli Colombini
“Self praise is no recommendation” is a rough translation of a local saying but appreciation is always a pleasure to receive, especially if unannounced and disinterested, as in this case. Well, because the blog in question belongs to an independent wine importer and creator of events, who has in portfolio a Brunello from another winery. So let’s dress peacock feathers and go and take a look at the Humble Grape Wine list regarding the women who count in the wine world.

In the first part there is a woman from Roman times who had been forbidden to drink wine, (the kiss on the mouth starts from there) up until the recent revaluation of female wine consumers, experts and producers. The Humble Grape Wine list concentrates on “pioneers”, on those women who have worked hard so that the female segment had more visibility and opportunities. WOW!!
It begins with the UK and Fiona Beckett <<together with Jancis Robinson she is one of the most influential wine and food journalists in her country, she writes for the Guardian, Times, Decanter>> and for many many blogs. Follows Serena Sutcliffe head of the wine department at Sotheby’s. Juel Mahoney is decidedly our favourite, after founding Vinissima (specialised in Italian wines); her blog is ……….. Wine woman & song. We like the next in the list too: Helena Nickling Aka Winebird , she has created an original way of under standing wine, Nebbiolo is “ladyboy” of grapes, Pinotage in South Africa is rock, Riesling is Claudia Schiffer in wine … undoubtedly surprising comparison but very efficient indeed.

For the Italian women in wine the list is much shorter and I come after Gaia Gaja. As if to say, the giant and the gnome. Compared to the sweet Gaia who travels the world with her bottles of Barbaresco made by her genius father, my Casato Prime Donne, with its all female staff, is really something minute. But what a pleasure to be there!
Then there is Greece with Sofia Perpera and then the US where there are 9 women listed, some of them really important for women in wine.
Julie Johnson wine producer and wine maker in Napa Valley, is also founder of “Women in Wine Sense” a network of impassioned women who work in wine who want to learn. Then Deborah Brenner author of “Women of the Vine” who has created an alliance among producers, prize winning wine makers and wineries producing biological wines. A book that has been considered socially useful and has received great write ups and awards such as the “2010 NYC National Association of Women Business Owners Signature Award”.

For Asia two very authoritative Masters of wine. Jeannie Cho Lee speaks of China in many foreign wine magazines among which Wine Spectator and Decanter. Then three is Debra Meiburg who has an enormous influence on the Hong Kong market where even the taxis show her video on wines.

The list continues in the following posts of Humble Grape Wine