Lifestyle

Celebrating women winemakers

The month of March was a crazy month as our lives changes and we were forced to social distance. But just before we went into lock down, I had the pleasure to attend an event in Santa Barbara Wine Country with more than a dozen women winemakers as we celebrated International Women's Day. Santa Barbara has a higher percentage of women winemaker than most wine regions in the world which I wrote about in the Napa Valley Register and am sharing here. When we look back a year from now at how our lives changed drastically, we will remember March 2020 for the coronavirus, “social distancing” and “sheltering in place.” But March 2020 is also Women’s History Month, which kicked off with International Women’s Day on March 8. And what better way to celebrate than with 24 women winemakers and a dozen female chefs gathered for the fourth annual “Women Winemakers Celebration: A Toast to Women in Wine and Food” at Roblar Farm in Santa Ynez, California and benefiting the Women’s Fund of Northern Santa Barbara County. The wine industry has historically been male dominated. Yet throughout history, there have been women of significance. Madame Clicquot was first woman to run a Champagne house in the early 1800s; Hannah Weinberger was the first female winemaker in Napa Valley during the 1880s; MaryAnn Graf became the first woman to graduate from the viticulture and enology department at UC Davis (majoring in fermentation science)in 1965; Madeline Triffon was the first American female Master Sommelier in 1987; Sarah Morphew Stephen was the first female Master of Wine in 1970.