Women of the Vine

Deborah Brenner

Description

This book takes you on a very different journey to wine country, inviting you to enjoy the remarkable stories of twenty dynamic women in the world of wine. These women share their lives, wine tips, pairings, and most important, enthusiasm for wine while imparting their rich life lessons and wine expertise—a wonderful way to share your love for wine with the enterprising women who help bring it to your table.
Foreword by Gina Gallo.

Acknowledgments.

Introduction.

Part One: The Wine.

1. From Vine to Wine—the Job of a Winemaker.

Part Two: The Women.

2. Milla Handley: Winemaker, Handley Cellars.

3. Kristin Belair: Winemaker, Honig Vineyard and Winery.

4. Amelia Ceja: President and owner, Ceja Vineyards.

5. Andrea Immer Robinson: Master sommelier.

6. Gina Gallo: Winemaker, Gallo Family Vineyards.

7. Marketta Fourmeaux: Winemaker, Château Potelle Winery.

8. Heidi Peterson Barrett: Winemaker, Screaming Eagle and La Sirena.

9. Stephanie Browne: Founder of Divas Uncorked.

10. Merry Edwards: Winemaker, Merry Edwards Wines.

11. Kimberlee Nicholls: Winemaker, Markham Vineyards.

12. Stephanie Gallo: Director of marketing, Gallo Family Vineyards.

13. Ramona Nicholson: Owner, Nicholson Ranch Vineyards, and president of Napa/Sonoma chapter of Women for WineSense.

14. Dr. Ann Noble: Creator of the Wine Aroma Wheel, U.C. Davis professor emerita.

15. Paula Moschetti: Winemaker, Frog’s Leap.

16. Lee Miyamura: Winemaker, Meridian Vineyards.

17. Michele Ostrove: Founder and editor-in-chief of Wine Adventure magazine.

18. Stephanie Putnam: Winemaker, Far Niente.

19. Leslie Sbrocco: Wine writer and author of Wine for Women.

20. Darice Spinelli: Winemaker, Nickel & Nickel.

21. Signe Zoller: Consultant, Zoller Wine Styling, and winemaker.

Glossary of Wine Terms.

Further Reading.

Index.

Sujets

• Alcoholic Beverages
• Beverages
• Wine Enthusiast Magazine
• Wine Spectator
• Cooking

Informations

• Publié par: Turner Publishing Company
• Date de parution: 22 janvier 2007
• Nombre de lectures: 1
• EAN13: 9780470097908
• Langue: English

Extrait

W omen of the Vine
W omen of the Vine
INSIDE THE WORLD OF WOMEN WHO MAKE , TASTE , AND ENJOY WINE
D EBORAH B RENNER
Foreword by Gina Gallo

J OHN W ILEY & S ONS , I NC .
This book is printed on acid-free paper.
Copyright © 2007 by Deborah Brenner. All rights reserved
Wine Aroma Wheel on page 18 copyright © 2000 by A. C. Noble. All rights reserved
Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey
Published simultaneously in Canada
Design and production by Navta Associates, Inc.
Illustration credits: page 8, image courtesy of Deborah Brenner; page 29, courtesy of Handley Cellars; page 41, courtesy of James Fountain; page 49, courtesy of Amelia Ceja; page 59, photograph by John McJunkin, copyright © Andrea Robinson; pages 71 and 133 courtesy of E&J Gallo Winery; page 81, courtesy of Marketta Fourmeaux; page 93, courtesy of Heidi Peterson Barrett; pages 105 and 108, courtesy of Tanit Photography; page 113, photograph by Ben Miller; page 125, courtesy of Markham Vineyards; page 143, photograph by David Ditta; page 151, for A. C. Noble, University of California, Davis, Department of V&E; page 161, photograph by Meg Smith, copyright © 2001; page 175, courtesy of Central Coast Adworks; page 183, courtesy of Wine Adventure magazine; page 191, courtesy of Far Niente; page 199, courtesy of KQED Television; page 207, courtesy of Nickel & Nickel; page 217, courtesy of Cathy Gritzseld
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, [phone], fax [phone], or on the web at www.copyright.com . Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, [phone], fax [phone], or online at http://www.wiley.com/go/permissions .
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:
Brenner, Deborah, date.
Women of the vine : inside the world of women who make, taste, and enjoy wine / Deborah Brenner ; foreword by Gina Gallo.
p. cm.
Includes index.
ISBN-13 978-0-470-09531-7 (cloth : alk.paper)
ISBN-10 0-470-09531-8 (cloth : alk.paper)
ISBN-13 978-0-470-06801-4 (pbk. : alk.paper)
ISBN-10 0-470-06801-9 (pbk. : alk.paper)
1. Vintners. 2. Women vintners. 3. Wine and wine making. I. Title.
TP547.A1B74 2006
641.2'20922—dc22 2006025186
Printed in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
C ONTENTS

Foreword by Gina Gallo
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Part One The Wine
1 From Vine to Wine—the Job of a Winemaker
Part Two The Women
2 Milla Handley
Winemaker, Handley Cellars
3 Kristin Belair
Winemaker, Honig Vineyard and Winery
4 Amelia Ceja
President and owner, Ceja Vineyards
5 Andrea Immer Robinson
Master sommelier
6 Gina Gallo
Winemaker, Gallo Family Vineyards
7 Marketta Fourmeaux
Winemaker, Château Potelle Winery
8 Heidi Peterson Barrett
Winemaker, Screaming Eagle and La Sirena
9 Stephanie Browne
Founder of Divas Uncorked
10 Merry Edwards
Winemaker, Merry Edwards Wines
11 Kimberlee Nicholls
Winemaker, Markham Vineyards
12 Stephanie Gallo
Director of marketing, Gallo Family Vineyards
13 Ramona Nicholson
Owner, Nicholson Ranch Vineyards, and president of Napa/Sonoma chapter of Women for WineSense
14 Dr. Ann Noble
Creator of the Wine Aroma Wheel, U. C. Davis professor emerita
15 Paula Moschetti
Winemaker, Frog’s Leap
16 Lee Miyamura
Winemaker, Meridian Vineyards
17 Michele Ostrove
Founder and editor-in-chief of Wine Adventure magazine
18 Stephanie Putnam
Winemaker, Far Niente
19 Leslie Sbrocco
Wine writer and author of Wine for Women
20 Darice Spinelli
Winemaker, Nickel & Nickel
21 Signe Zoller
Consultant, Zoller Wine Styling, and winemaker
Glossary of Wine Terms
Further Reading
Index
F OREWORD

BY GINA GALLO
A wise old observer of the world once said, “Wine is a story that leads everywhere.” Deborah Brenner has picked up the story of wine at the start of the twenty-first century and has followed it in two directions. She has looked into our history and traditions. At the same time, she gives us an insight into the future of wine through the words of some of the women who are creating that future with their daily work.
When Debbie called to see whether my cousin Stephanie and I would participate in this project, I asked a lot of questions, since “women in wine” is not a new topic. Her approach was a little different. She has a journalist’s urge to understand how things work, a writer’s need to tell stories, and a woman’s perspective on how the pieces of a life fit together. She would use interviews as her text, a historian’s technique for documentation, and pull from those interviews the threads she needed to weave her story.
To enhance the interest in the stories, Debbie adds useful information for readers beginning to explore their own worlds of wine. The result is a tapestry of tales well told, highlighted by suggestions for enjoying wine on your own.
The world of wine is neither a man’s world nor a woman’s world; the patterns of access or exclusion have followed the local cultural norms or acted as signs of the times as women’s roles have waxed and waned. But now, as we enter a true Golden Age for wines, women are increasingly visible as leaders in every aspect of wine-growing and winemaking. Wines have never been better or more accessible as part of a life well lived. On the other side of the equation, more and more women are bringing wine to the table to share with family and friends.
Deborah Brenner’s work uncovers some of the personal, family, and business dynamics of today’s women in wine, but this is not a book about gender. There was a habit among wine writers some time ago, a habit now in decline, to characterize wines as “feminine” or “masculine,” making a modern metaphor out of an antique stereotype. One was elegant and nuanced, the other bold and well structured. There has been a continuing search among marketing people for a “woman’s wine.” That’s not what this book is about, either.
This book is about women who work with the wine, making an endless variety of wines from one good ingredient: grapes. It is about women who have families (or not), who are part farmer, part scientist, part chef, part CEO.
There are lessons in the stories if you look for them. You will find little pleasures here, too. Sit back, pour a glass of wine, and enjoy. Cheers.
Healdsburg, California
A CKNOWLEDGMENTS

Silent gratitude isn’t much use to anyone.
—Gladys Bronwyn Stern
Taking the quote above as my cue, I want to thank all the people who worked with me and believed in this project. Like the wine-makers in this book, it is quite amazing to see the growth of something beautiful from start to finish. And, just like winemaking, it is a collaborative effort and not only the result of one person’s labor.
This is a list, and the order is in no way intended to reflect a status of importance. I think it would be impossible to quantify that in any way.
I would like to thank my parents for teaching me that you can achieve whatever you want, as long as you are willing to work hard for it. I thank them for supporting my decisions to pursue my dreams and, as Milla Handley said in chapter 2 , for knowing when to sit back and let me become an individual.
I want to thank my boyfriend, Jack, for encouraging me to pursue my passion in wine (one we share together) and always believing in me. He is my biggest fan and has kept me balanced through some very tough times.
This book wouldn’t have been published if it weren’t for my friend Sue Blessing—a true blessing indeed. She came into my boyfriend’s restaurant one night out of the blue, hoping to catch me for a glass of wine. I had just come back from Napa and Sonoma and was so excited about researching women winemakers. I sat with Sue and told her about my vision. She immediately embraced the idea and helped me to formulate a proposal to take to John Wiley & Sons. With enthusiasm and tenacity, Sue held on to the idea until she found the right person to take on the project.
Kitt Allan and Camille Acker were those people. I met with them at Wiley, and very soon afterward, the real journey began. I thank Kitt for taking a chance on me and seeing my potential. I owe Camille big thanks for all o