2015 Women of the Vine Global Symposium – Guest Post by J’nai Gaither

J’nai Gaither is one of my colleagues in this wonderful world of wine.  I’m thrilled to post her article about the exciting 2015 Women of the Vine Global Symposium.  For more about J’nai please scroll to the end of the post.

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Let’s face it. There is a dearth of women in the world of wine and the industry is somewhat prejudiced against women. Even in luxury mags like Departures and the Robb Report, wine is targeted toward men. In restaurants, servers and sommeliers proceed to hand the wine list to the male at the table, even though women are graduating from college with enology degrees at higher rates than ever before.

The kicker? Some of the most storied wine labels have women at the helm including Heidi Barrett, formerly of Screaming Eagle; Zelma Long of Long Vineyards and formerly, Chandon Estates and Simi winery; Susana Balbo of Crios and Dominio del Plata; and the prolific talents of Gina Gallo. And those are just women in the role of winemaker. There are myriad other roles that are integral in ensuring a winery runs smoothly, from cellar master and vineyard manager to CEO and president.

The inaugural 2015 Women of the Vine Global Symposium, taking place March 13-15 at Napa’s Meritage Resort during Women’s History Month, will bring all roles to the fore, highlighting the talent and diversity of women in this fascinating field– giving women the chance to network across industries– from marketing to publishing to retail.

Women of the Vine is the brainchild of Deborah Brenner, a marketing executive-turned-author, whose calling was to champion and advance women in the complex world of wine. In 2007, she wrote a book: Women of the Vine: Inside the World of Women Who Make, Taste and Enjoy Wine. It went on to garner tons of acclaim and inclusion in Wine Spectator‘s Critical Reads section as one of its Best New Books. The 25 profiles of women coming from all facets of the industry was the culmination of years of exhaustive research and travel, to bring readers ever-closer to the women who make up the industry. This inaugural Symposium was borne from that book as a way to connect all women in wine for purposes of networking and collaboration.

As this Symposium is the first of its kind, it’d be okay to expect some growing pains or glitches, or even a less-than-stellar lineup until years down the road when it gets its sea legs. Not here. You could say that Brenner has had eight years to perfect this event, and the panel of speakers and guests suggest planning has paid off.

Some of the notable attendees/panelists include Debra Meiburg, MW; Susan Sokol-Blosser of Sokol Blosser; Elizabeth Vianna, winemaker of Chimney Rock; Meridith May, publisher of Tasting Panel magazine; Leslie Sbrocco, Today Show contributor and president of ThirstyGirl; Virgine Boone, editor of Wine Enthusiast mag and many more. The two jam-packed days will host panels like “Life, Drink it Up: One Woman’s Journey to Make Her Passion Her Career” and “Branding that Works: How to Stand Out Amongst the Competition.” In addition to the stellar panels, delicious lunches and fabulous networking, the culminating event is a grand tasting of over 40 wineries with women who run the show.

The cost to attend the Symposium is $699. The Meritage Resort & Spa, the host hotel, is offering a discounted room rate, and Avis car rentals will offer a discount as well. If you have ever dreamt of making a career change and living the wine life of your dreams OR if you want to improve your positioning in this ever-changing field, it would behoove you to sign up soon. Only a few tickets remain.

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J’nai Gaither is a copywriter and freelance food and wine writer in Chicago. Her love of food began as a child in the Windy City, going to fancy restaurants with her mom every few months. As a 20-year old, she fell in love with the complexity and intrigue of wine, and decided to pursue her passion to the hilt – taking wine classes, obtaining certifications and frequent eno-tourism. She then found that she could barely contain her excitement when discussing her food and wine passions, and figured the best forum to extol virtues of gastronomy was to write about it…and so her foray into food and wine journalism began. Her articles have appeared in Plate magazine, Grub Street Chicago, Eater Chicago, the Minority Wine Report, and other publications.