Femmes du Vin: Canada’s First Events to Empower and Inspire Women in Wine

By Janet Dorozynski, DipWSET, PhD

When I first became seriously interested in wine in the mid-90s there were few women at tastings and wine shows, very few female sommeliers and only a smattering of women wine makers, writers or in positions of power in the wine business. Sure there were powerhouse women like Jancis Robinson, Serena Sutcliffe and Corinne Mentzelopoulos on the international stage, and we had the odd female writer and agent and a smattering of women winemakers in Canada, but by and large the wine business and industry overall was dominated by men. I recall going to many tastings and classes, in Brussels where I first started studying wine, and being the only women in the group. And I won’t deny that it was unnerving at times and am sure other women starting off back then probably felt the same way at one time or another. Coming from a feminist academic background where I studied and taught about the intersection of business, politics and women in society, I was well  aware of the gender dynamics of the public and private along with the conscious and unconscious limitations women faced in all aspects of life.

Femmes du Vin

Fast forward twenty years and even though things are still not perfect and men dominate decision-making and ownership positions in the wine industry, I think we can say that significant changes have occurred. While there is no denying that women continue to face challenges in terms of harassment (sexual and otherwise), unequal pay, lack of representation in senior management positions in winemaking/viticulture, operations and buying, not to mention as speakers at most wine industry conferences in Canada and internationally (though they tend to be overrepresented in human resources and the marketing and PR aspects of the wine industry), there are more women involved in all facets and levels of the wine business than ever before. There has also been an outpouring of women in wine groups, social media and conferences that have sprung up in the US and France over the past few years and I’m happy to see that Canada is finally getting our first ever women in wine event Femmes du Vin that will take place in Ontario and Nova Scotia over the next few weeks.

Emily Pearce-Bibona

Emily Pearce-Bibona

Emily Pearce-Bibona, who is a sommelier at Toronto’s The YORK Club and Master Sommelier and Master of Wine student, created a grass roots Femmes du Vin event out of her home in Toronto in 2016 which was a casual gathering and safe space for women in the wine industry to meet and discuss the challenges in a still largely male dominated industry and to celebrate just how far we had come.  It was a place for women wine writers, agents, winemakers, educators and students of wine to come together in a positive environment that allowed students and young women in the industry to have access to seasoned industry professionals and cultivate mentor/mentee relationships and job opportunities and placements.

Three years later Femmes du Vin is going public and has blossomed into what will likely become the largest event for empowering and inspiring women in wine in Canada. According to founder Pearce-Bibona “the grass roots social network event base in Toronto has expanded to include seminars so that women in our industry can positively learn from each other. We’ve also expanded to Halifax – our first east coast event – with a lens towards bringing the Femmes du Vin spirit across the country in 2020 and beyond”.

Julie DuPouy

Julie DuPouy

The events in Toronto and Halifax feature a series of panel-style seminars, tastings and educational opportunities. The Toronto event kicks off on August 18 at  the Artscape Wychwood Barns with four seminars focused on professional development in the wine world, working as an agent and executive, the business of being a sommelier and, wine writing and judging. Featured panelists for the Toronto session include well known sommeliers Veronique Rivest and Elyse Lambert MS from Quebec and Julie DuPouy from Ireland, wine writers and educators Michelle Bouffard and Michaela Morris, along with wine marketers and agents Magdalena Kaiser and Sheila Flaherty as well as others.

Gillian Mainguy

Gillian Mainguy

The Halifax session takes place on September 16 at the Neptune Theatre with two sessions focused on the business of being a sommelier with noted local and Canadian sommeliers Heather Rankin of Obladee and Brie Dema of Fogo Island and others, along with a session on being an agent and other wine industry careers featuring Gillian Mainguy of Benjamin Bridge, Adele Lyon and many others.

In between the seminars, there will be tasting opportunities featuring wines from across the globe with plenty of chances to connect with and learn from the many talented women involved. Femmes du Vin is also creating a scholarship fund to support one woman’s efforts to grow in the industry and, what may be even more exciting is that so many wineries, wine agencies and industry associations and organizations have pledged their support to be part of these inaugural events. Kudos to the long list of sponsors highlighted below for an event that is long overdue for both the wine industry in Canada and the women working in it.

Follow Femmes du Vin on Instagram @femmesduvin for more information on the lineup of presenters and to register and learn more about the events see here:

Toronto Tickets

Halifax Tickets

Femmes du Vin 2019 Sponsors:

Toronto:
Presenting Sponsor: Vancouver International Wine Festival
Media Sponsor: Restaurants Canada
Gold Sponsors: Ravine Vineyards, The Grange of Prince Edward, Karlo Estates, Sandbanks Winery and Trail Estate of the Prince Edward County Wine Association
Silver Sponsors: Advini, Adamo Estate Winery, Benjamin Bridge & Lifford Wines & Spirits, Halpern, Wines of California, Piera Martellozo & Majestic Wines, The Vine Agency
Bronze Sponsors: Jackson Family Vineyards, Noble Estates, Wines of Argentina, Wines of New Zealand

Halifax:
Presenting Sponsor: Vancouver International Wine Festival
Media Sponsor: Restaurants Canada
Other Sponsors: Benjamin Bridge, Lifford Wines & Spirits, Bodegas Montecillo, Devonian Coast, Mercator and Gaspereau Valley Vineyards, Lightfoot & Wolfville, Piera Martellozo, Wines of Argentina, Wines of California, Wines of New Zealand