March is National Women’s History Month, a time to celebrate the contributions women have made to the United States and recognize how their achievements in a variety of fields positively contribute to and enrich different industries. Here in Northern California’s wine country, we are proud to recognize the women who bravely followed their passions and pioneered a path in viticulture and viniculture, and to highlight current women winemakers who are showing the world new approaches to growing, crafting, and appreciating wine.
Of the more than 4,000 bonded wineries in California, approximately 14% of them reported a woman as their lead winemaker, according to an updated 2020 study by Lucia Albino Gilbert, Ph.D., and John Carl Gilbert, Ph.D., emeritus professors at Santa Clara University. Napa Valley leads the way, with approximately 12% of winemakers being female. To date, three women have been inducted into the Vintners Hall of Fame.
For much of history, women were not allowed to participate in the world of winemaking, whether the vineyard, cellar, or winery. Either by way of overt declarations or subtle insinuations, they were simply not welcomed.
As wine became a valuable possession and commodity for trade, vineyards (and all property) were passed down from male owners to their sons. All avenues to power, profit, and property were awarded to men via inheritance, as wives and daughters were considered property of husbands and fathers. The first women who did move into positions of power usually did so via the death of a spouse. In 1880, Ellen Mary Stewart (for whom the town of Glen Ellen is named) had to petition the Sonoma County courts to let her run her winery business after the death of her husband. Similarly, in 1882, Hannah Weinberger became the first woman winemaker in Napa Valley of Weinberger Winery after her husband’s death. In 1904, Isabelle Simi, generally considered the first female commercial winemaker in the United States, found herself in charge of the family winery at the age of 18 after both her father and brother succumbed to the flu. Fortunately, the modern era offered educational opportunities in winemaking, and in 1965, Mary Ann Graf was the first woman to receive an enology degree from UC Davis. She eventually became winemaker at Simi Winery in Healdsburg in 1973.
With winemaking programs at UC Davis and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, enrollment slowly began to include more women. From these notable universities, many women have been the first to push open doors closed to them for so long. Many are worth mentioning, but here are a few that paved the way in California for women to pursue the art and science of winemaking.

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The Trailblazers

There are many important women who boldly decided to forge a future in winemaking, but a few are notorious for their achievements in Sonoma and Napa Valleys.

Heidi Barrett

Raised in the Napa Valley in a winemaking family, Heidi has become one of the most sought after independent winemakers. After graduating from UC Davis in 1980 with a B.S. in Fermentation Science, she began working for Franciscan Vineyards and Silver Oak. In 1988, she became an independent, freelance winemaker for a number of small wineries. Since that time, Heidi has developed a luxury client list, and was the winemaker for the notorious cult brand Screaming Eagle. Reflecting on winemaking, Heidi says, “You can’t just step in and be the winemaker unless you have a lot of experience in the cellar. I wanted to make sure that when I finally had the title of winemaker, I had earned it.” Heidi’s words highlight that while women had broken through barriers to become winemakers, many women were not as welcomed in the vineyard or cellar.

Photo courtesy of Fantesca Estate & Winery

Cathy Corison

You can’t discuss women in the wine industry without recognizing Cathy Corison. She was the first woman to open her own winery in the Napa Valley. Despite the intimidation and general lack of confidence that her venture would be successful, Cathy was determined to prove them all wrong. She was one of the first women to receive her master’s degree in Enology from UC Davis, during a time when the classrooms were filled with men. In 1987 she made the first vintage of Corison Cabernet Sauvignon and established herself as a leading winemaker. Cathy describes her winemaking techniques as very traditional, using only small French oak barrels sourced from several forests for complexity. In recognition of her excellence as a winemaker, Cathy was named the 2011 Winemaker of the Year by the San Francisco Chronicle. Cathy doesn’t just rest on her laurels; she is an active, hands-on winemaker who spends much of her time and energy out in the vineyards, involved with every aspect of the meticulous process that is winemaking. The famous wine critic Jancis Robinson gushes, “Cathy Corison is my heroine. She makes such great wine - the essence of Napa Valley minus the bludgeoning force, plus a sensible price tag.”
A trip to Corison winery is a must, but if you can’t visit, you can taste the passion and dedication of Corison wine with a bottle of the 2018 Corison Cabernet Sauvignon, St. Helena. Cathy describes the 2018 Cabernet as “the darkest, inkiest vintage in my memory, the result of an extremely long, cool ripening season with cold nights. Happily, natural acidity persists during ripening under these conditions and wildly complex flavors and aromas result.  Because the weather was perfect at flowering, we had a bumper crop of deliciousness, making everyone happy.”

Photo courtesy of Corison Winery

Pam Starr

Pam Starr has been the co-owner, manager and winemaker of Crocker & Starr since its inception in 1997. A pioneer in all levels of winemaking, she helped revive the vineyards on the Crocker Estate in St. Helena and established a winery to create world-class wines. After working for 18 years as a winery employee, Pam took the reins to become owner, manager and winemaker. She graduated from UC Davis in 1984 with a degree in Fermentation Science.

Photo courtesy of Crocker & Starr Wines

Helen Turley

Helen Turley, a highly regarded winemaker and wine consultant, is a graduate of Cornell University. In 1977, she began working in the lab for Robert Mondavi Winery, followed by a short period at Chappellet Winery. In 1991 she planted a vineyard in the Sonoma Coast wine region, which at the time was largely undiscovered, and considered too cool to produce high-quality wine. This project developed into Marcassin, one of California’s most respected Pinot Noir and Chardonnay labels. For many years, she produced award-winning wines for Turley Wine Cellars, which is owned by her brother and was a consultant to numerous high-end wineries and cult brands. She has received numerous accolades for her wines over the past three decades and is the recipient of the Distinguished Service Award from Wine Spectator for 2010. Most recently, she has been named to the California Hall of Fame.

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The New Generation

A very common catchphrase for the philosophy of winemaking is “good wine is made in the vineyard.” Vineyard management, soil, and grape quality all affect the final product. Yet few women serve as vineyard managers or cellar masters. Slowly, that is beginning to change.

As Director of Vineyard Operations for Cliff Lede Vineyards in Napa Valley, Allison Wilson is responsible for farming and management of the winery’s three estate vineyards in the Stags Leap District, Carneros, and Calistoga AVAs. She works closely with the internal winemaking team as well as with external growers to acquire the best fruit. Alison graduated from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo as a Fruit Science major in 2012.

Photo courtesy of Cliff Lede Vineyards

Brenae Royal is the Vineyard Manager at Monte Rosso, famed vineyard for Louis M. Martini winery. As a young black woman in a field dominated by men, Brenae brings a fresh outlook and new perspectives to a traditionally older, male role in winemaking. She applies her scientific background and love of farming with new technology to bring out the very best fruit. Her hard work is evident in every bottle of wine from Monte Rosso. “There’s a responsibility that I feel to use my voice, because I do know that a lot of people have reached out to me about how I inspire them and other things,” she says. And I want to continue to do that because it’s not just going to make the present day better for us, but it’s going to make the incoming wine professionals of color more comfortable as well.

Photo courtesy of Louis M. Martini Winery

Dana Grande is the Grower Relations Manager at Jordan Winery, a role she developed after years of experience. Her in-depth knowledge of each vineyard and location allows her to select the best fruit that the winemaking team needs. “It takes a lot of time and experience to know the potential of a vineyard.”

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The Next Chapter

If you like bubbles, you’ve probably enjoyed a bottle of Chandon. Pauline Lhote is a French female winemaker who oversees all sparkling wine production at Chandon. Lhote grew up on a farm in Champagne and earned a degree at the University of Reims Champagne-Ardenne in Reims. She was the assistant winemaker for over ten years before being promoted to winemaker in 2015 and winemaking Director in 2016.

Photo courtesy of Chandon

Lauren Kopit is the Winemaker at Sterling Vineyards, a fantastic winery that serves up gorgeous estate views alongside remarkable wines. Graduating from UC Davis with a Masters of Science in Viticulture and Enology, she worked three harvests at Napa’s Odette Estate Winery, followed by a role as vintage cellar hand at New Zealand’s Church Road Winery, before joining the Sterling Vineyards team in 2014. Lauren’s wines have received numerous 90+ point scores and awards, crafting complex Cabernet Sauvignons from Diamond Mountain and Calistoga AVAs.

Photo courtesy of Sterling Vineyards

Dalla Valle Vineyards is a preeminent Napa Valley winery operated by the mother-and-daughter team of Naoko and Maya Dalla Valle. Founded in 1986 by Naoko and her late husband Gustav Dalla Valle, Dalla Valle Vineyards has earned acclaim for their small-lot handcrafted wines – a red wine blend, a Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc blend, and 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. Winemaker Maya Dalle Valle joined her family’s prestigious winery after earning her master’s degree in Viticulture and Enology from Cornell University, and a Master of Business and Science in Vineyard and Winery Management from Bordeaux Sciences Agro.

Photo by Leigh Ann Beverly

Victoria Coleman, winemaker for Lobo Wines, is the first black female winemaker in Napa Valley. She is a graduate of the UC Davis enology program and began her winemaking journey at Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars as a production assistant. In 2008 she gained invaluable experience working with Erick Tourbier at first-growth Chateau Mouton Rothschild in Bordeaux, France.

Photo courtesy of Lobo Wines

Alice Warnecke Sutro is the artist/winemaker of SUTRO wines, a woman-owned and operated winery in Healdsburg. SUTRO produces just 1,200 cases of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Sauvignon Blanc, crafted to allow the volcanic terroir of Warnecke Ranch and Vineyard to shine through. Her Aunt Margo Warnecke Merck manages the vineyard, and Alice strives to maintain an all-woman staff “in order to equalize the historic lack of opportunities in the wine industry for women, especially for moms.” Alice also launched the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee of the Alexander Valley Grape Growers Association Board. Alice knows the value of representation, stating that “I wouldn’t be here without the women who were trail blazers before me in the wine industry. Witnessing woman-founded or woman-run wineries, woman winemakers, female oenologists and viticulturalists motivates me to continue to reach for my wine dreams. I am not a trail blazer nor am I by any means well-known, but I am an artist. Part of an artist’s work is to shed light on the less examined parts of life. This hub is meant to be a living collection of resources for inspiring women in wine, and for continuing my discovery of what it means to be a woman and a mother in the wine industry.”

Photo courtesy of SUTRO Wines

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While it’s taken some time, women are making great strides in the wine industry, from representation in the boardroom, to vineyard and cellar, to crafting delicious, award-winning wines!