Michaela Morris, co-founder od the Vancouver-based cellar management company, House Wine.

Credit: Doug Shanks

ON THE COVER: Wine & Women

In her 2006 book, Women of Wine: The Rise of Women in the Global Wine Industry, Ann B. Massacar argues that, for thousands of years, viticulture and misogyny were inextricably linked. From the time Moses planted vines on Mount Ararat, post-flood, women were systematically denied access to wine (and the men’s-club atmosphere that rose up around it). So powerful was this social exclusion that the male-dominated global network within the industry was closed to women until the late 1970s, when a labour shortage forced California’s Napa Valley to hire them. 

The New World may have begrudgingly set the trend, but the traditions of Old World Europe were slow to give way. Patently insane beliefs — for instance, that menstruating women, if left in a cellar, would ruin a cuvée in its casks — still held sway with some winemakers. Unbelievably, the oldest confrérie (brotherhood of wine-producers) in France’s Bordeaux region finally admitted the first female members to its 800-year-old order in 2000. 

Although it was arguably a last bastion of male hegemony in the West, viticulture has begun to accept women on an equal footing, so much so that many up-and-coming women in the industry believe their gender is inconsequential in the context of their careers, while others assert it may even be a positive. Nowhere will that refreshing outlook be more evident than at many of the Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival’s events, running April 19-25 at various venues across the city. WE spoke with women from diverse areas of the wine industry who will be front and centre at the event.

THE VISIONARY

“Argentina has a woman president,” says Laura Catena, president of Argentina’s internationally renowned Bodega Catena Zapata winery, “so the industry is just like the rest of the country when it comes to women in charge: It’s come a long way in a very short time.”

On the phone from her home in San Francisco, where she also works full time as an emergency room doctor, Catena admits that Argentinean wine producers shut women out until reformers in the 1980s ushered in a new era for her country, both politically and socially. Expanding on the national pride of the democratic movement, Catena’s father tried his hand at revolutionizing Argentinean wine production in hopes of bringing his country to international prominence. 

The fusion of father and daughter’s scholarly and scientific methods meant they were willing to experiment with Argentina’s diverse micro-climates, running trials with different vineyards, different areas, different ripening times, and, ultimately, different elevations. This would eventually lead to the award-winning Malbec from the Adriana vineyard — at 5,000 feet above sea level, the highest commercial Malbec vineyard in the world (until the winery begins harvesting from even higher trial vineyards).

“Maybe it’s because of my job in the E.R., or my father, but I never felt that I was anything less because I was a woman,” says Catena. “We may not be totally equal at the vineyard yet — there are more men than women — but we’re getting there. And, really, it’s the person’s skills that count, not whether they are a man or a woman.”

THE AMBASSADOR

An effervescent blonde from Germany’s Mosel region, Sonja Christ is the reigning German Wine Queen. The 61st in her “royal” line, and the daughter of hoteliers and boutique winemakers, Christ beat out 12 competitors last October to secure her ceremonial crown, in a televised competition during which she was grilled by a panel of 75 German wine specialists. 

The title of German Wine Queen is known and respected across all 27 European Union member states, but is something of an enigma in North America, where beauty queens seem to be chosen specifically for a fundamental lack of knowledge. 

“In North America, I tend to downplay the title,” Christ says in flawless English (she also speaks French and a little Italian). “I don’t want to be pigeonholed right off. I tell them I’m an ambassador, not ‘The Queen.’ When they see that I know a lot about German wines and the regions, and the reasons for why wines taste the way they do, then they respect me. 

 “It’s not like it was in the 1950s. I’m not only there just to sit there and look pretty.”

THE ENTREPRENEURS

Aspiring actress Michaela Morris was so seduced by the wines and romance of France’s Burgundy region that she sought out — and got — a job in the wine industry. Classical trumpet player and music student Michelle Bouffard worked in restaurants to support her studies, and was taken by Burgundy as well, eventually taking courses to become a sommelier. The two met and became fast friends while Morris was training Bouffard to take over her position at Vancouver shop Marquis Wine Cellars. As their friendship matured, so did a vision for their own business. In 2003, House Wine was born. 

As consultants, the duo have taken their company from tastings and corporate events to residential-cellar management, organizing private collections and recommending and buying specific wines for clients. “We’ve essentially created our own jobs,” Morris says on a conference call with Bouffard, who’s on the line from Quebec City. “Being creative people, the best part is that what we do has evolved and continues to change over time,” adds Bouffard.

It hasn’t been easy carving out their own unique niche. The main obstacle they faced (other than late nights, early mornings, and working weekends) was another trip to Burgundy. “Both of our companies were sending us off to Burgundy at the same time, and someone had to stay behind and keep the business going,” says Morris. “It’s always about Burgundy!” she exclaims, laughing.

But when it comes to the wine business itself, it’s been smooth sailing. “Maybe I’m naive, but I think, for the most part, it’s been a benefit being female in a male-dominated industry,” says Morris. “And on those rare occasions when we do run into inklings of the old boys’ club, it’s individuals rather than an industry-wide attitude.” 

Bouffard agrees. “We’re always respected. I’ve never felt that someone didn’t respect us because we’re female.”

The Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival will feature over 1,700 wines from 197 wineries, representing 14 countries. Apr. 19-25 at Vancouver Convention & Exhibition Centre (1055 Canada Place) and various other venues. For schedules, event info, and tickets, visit PlayhouseWineFest.com