Some of the wineries, winemakers, and topics we have covered over
the years for Wine Tribuataries often find their way as links on other
wine sites. We decided to include some as a way to pay tribute to the
wines and people who who have shaped the wine industry.
Women & Wine - A Brief History Part 1
by Tim Hayes & John Koetzner
James Brown sang "It’s A Man’s Man’s Man’s
World," and to some
the wine industry has been dominated by men for centuries. Yet, our local
wine country heritage is filled with women who have shaped it from its
earliest days and a whole new generation of women in wine are coming on
the scene.
One of our early women pioneers was Isabel Simi. As a teenager, she
inherited the historic Simi Winery on Healdsburg Avenue prior to
Prohibition and established one of the first tasting rooms. Still a
fixture on the local wine scene into the late 1970s, visitors could still
see her and visit with her in the tasting room, even though she had sold
the winery.
The first woman winemaker around, Mary Ann Graf, was also part of the
Simi story. She gained recognition nationally and internationally through
her winemaking back in 1974. Graf left Simi and started Vinquiry, along
with Marty Bannister, in 1979, establishing a business which does
chemical, microbiological and sensory analysis of wines.
Another of the pioneers in winemaking has been Zelma Long. She also
shares a part of the Simi story. Noted for her fine winemaking skills,
she
has risen to prominence as one of the premiere figures in the wine
industry for the past two decades, winning national and international
awards for her endeavors. Although she ascended to become President of
Simi and more recently took over similar leadership duties for both Simi
and Domaine Chandon, she continues to make wine for her own label and
continues to lead in our local wine industry.
The 1970s through early 1980s was a period where more opportunities
seemed to abound for women and other local women winemakers also had their
start during this period. For example, winemaker Margaret Davenport got
her start in the lab at Simi, but made the move to winemaking in the early
1980s with Wente Brothers and returned to take a winemaking position at
the prestigious Clos Du Bois Winery in 1987.
Over at Windsor Vineyards, Carol Schelton started producing award-winners
back in 1981. A typical day at the Harvest Fair includes many of her fine
wines which reap numerous awards, often topping the field of entries.Although
Milla Handley has her Handley Cellars winery in Mendocino County, which
she established in 1983, she grows some grapes in the Dry Creek Valley.
During a visit to last year’s Harvest Fair Awards night, we saw
her pour her award-winning Sauvignon Blanc for the crowd, enjoying the
last stop it would make from the time it had been grapes on the vines
until it was a bottle of her wine.
Other Dry Creek Valley connections come in the way of more recent
additions to the local winemaking fold in the 1990s. Juliana Iantosca,
the current winemaker at Lambert Bridge Winery started her work as a
winemaker in the Sierrra foothills at Stevenot back in 1979, moved to
William Wheeler and then joined Lambert Bridge in 1993.
Then, there are those women who have followed in the footsteps of the
family tradition. Rashell (Shelly) Rafanelli is now Assistant Winemaker
at
A. Rafanelli Winery, becoming the third generation to make wine along
the West Dry Creek Road location. Her mom Patty Rafanelli is a longtime
veteran of the wine production and promotion for the family’s business.
While Gina Gallo’s roots are not quite as humble, she has also joined
the ranks of women who have put their mark on local winemaking, and she
represents a third generation from winemaking giants who influenced the
whole industry, and she is among the new generation of women who will
lead our local wine industry into the next millennium.
We have not come up with an exhaustive list of women who have shaped the
wines we drink locally, yet we need to acknowledge that women have
been involved in vineyard ownership and management since the industry
began. Many of our favorite local wineries are quick to point out the
women who have been the backbone of their family operations. Plus, there
are numerous women who work in cellars, run bottling lines, manage tasting
rooms, do marketing and public relations, lead wine associations, and
other assorted duties that have built the industry. The Healdsburg
Tribune had Millie Howie, a wine writer who has written about wine
for over two decades, and who continues to write for numerous publications.
[Millie Howie returned to the Tribunee in 2000.] All of these women have
contributed to the bounty of our county’s agriculture by making
the wine industry thrive.
Next time, some of these local women in wine will tell us how they
see our local wine industry. One thing is for certain: if James Brown
were
around town, he would be singing a different tune.
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Upcoming
Events
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Wine Tributaries presents
a listing of upcoming wine events that are worth exploring in different
wine country regions.
"Taste of Copia" Oregon. For the
months of June and July, Copia will run luncheons on Fridays that
pair Oregon wines with food and desserts. There will be daily wine
programs as well.
More
>>
Sonoma County Showcase runs from July 15-17, 2004.
This is the premier wine event in Sonoma County. Enjoy winery luncheons,
dinners, bidding in a barrel auction, food & wine pairings,
and more.
More
>>
Valley Shakespeare Festival at Retzlaff Estate Winery in
Livermore on August 5-21.
More >>
Kendall-Jackson 8th Annual Heirloom Tomato
Festival September 11, 2004
More
>>
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