When I sat down to write this month’s column, I thought it was fitting that it was International Women’s Day, as I had just attended a virtual toast, Raise Your Glass for Equality, presented by Women of the Vine & Spirits. The event began with a montage of, the only way to frame it is, disparaging quotes from men in history, who at the time, felt like women had no rightful place of prominence. One of the worst quotes, from chess grandmaster, Bobby Fischer, read, “All women, they’re stupid compared to men. They shouldn’t play chess.” Following each dismissive quote, there was a different message from groundbreaking women who shattered the sentiments and ceiling.
Author Lee Woodruff led the 30-minute toast when she opened with, “An equal world is an enabled world,” which set the tone for the event. She called upon participants from across the globe to educate and celebrate the women we admire, and declared, “Equality is not just a female issue, it’s a social-economic imperative.” One of the most poignant moments came when another montage took over my computer screen. This one featured school-aged girls from around the world, who shared their experiences with gender bias in their respective countries, and their own plans to forge a better and more equitable future.
In our own issue, dedicated to women business leaders, there are many who continue to work towards shifting gender dynamics in the wine industry. While the number of female vineyard workers across Napa and Sonoma valleys rose from 5% to 30% between 2013 to 2017, historically only 25% of all vineyard management positions were held by women. To shift such norms, Whitney Yates, co-winemaker-vineyard manager of Yates Family Vineyard on Mt. Veeder, founded VitWomen, to support the movement. Fifteen years since the group’s inception, the organization has grown from 20 members to more than 150, all aimed at fostering a supportive forum for women to share viticultural ideas and insights.
VitWomen member Ashley Anderson Bennett, who has worked at Cain Vineyard and Winery for 21 years, and currently holds the post of associate vineyard manager, has played a part in the rise and social awareness of sustainable viticulture practices. At Cain she has put organic viticulture practices at the forefront for the 88 acres of terraced hillside vineyard she oversees. Allison Cellini Wilson, who has been with Cliff Lede since 2015 and serves as director of vineyard operations, attributes women in the industry with the rise in collaboration between growers and farmers. She told Forbes magazine, “I do not think it’s a coincidence that this increase in collaboration comes during a time that more women are pursuing careers in the wine industry.”
In 2011, I spoke with entrepreneur Katie Hamilton Shaffer who at the time, had a fledging idea—to launch an online network dedicated to philanthropic living for wine lovers and foodies, which she dubbed Feast it Forward. (Think pay if forward.) Ten years later, Shaffer’s sketch on a cocktail napkin morphed into a 15-winery tasting room, live studio showroom and web-based lifestyle and food network, in downtown Napa. The experiential Feast it Forward space, which Shaffer conceived of and built, is eye, nose and ear candy for anyone who has ever raised a fork and glass to mouth. The website nutshells the concept as, “… a place built on food, wine and philanthropy with a side of music…visit the studio, experience the lifestyle, watch a live show, chill out on the deck, attend an event, curate kindness.” Shaffer is one of the few women I’ve met who had skyscraper-high dreams for her business, and far exceeded them.
But perhaps one of the most prominent Napa County woman of the times, is Karen Relucio, M.D., public health officer and deputy director for the Napa County Health and Human Services Agency, who was named Woman of the Year in March. For the better part (or more aptly, the worst part) of the year, Relucio was a regular guest at our supper table, with her Facebook Live updates, where she revealed our fate for the week, and discussed everything from COVID case counts and color-coded state rankings, to the ever-changing pendulum of closures and vaccine rollout plans. On the surface, she may seem like an unlikely business leader, not technically working for a business, she has unequivocally done her part to assist in the safe reopening of our businesses throughout our on-and-off-again world.
With International Women’s Day behind us until next year, I can say, that as a woman, mother, and citizen of the world, I’ve never felt more palpably, the need to elevate equality in its infinite forms. One day I hope my 7-year-old daughter will know of a world that embraces all people equally, regardless of gender-identity, race and age. As worded poignantly during the Women of the Vine & Sprits virtual toast, “If you can’t see it you, can’t be it.” Let’s all raise a glass to that.
