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Women of the Vine & Spirits Kicks off 2018 with a Full Line-up of New Programs and Events

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The growing organization, founded in 2015, set to make this year its most impactful yet

January 8, 2018 (New York, NY)Women of the Vine & Spirits® (womenofthevine.com), the leading women’s organization dedicated to the empowerment and advancement of women in the alcohol beverage industry, to fill 2018 with programs and events designed to support women in the industry.

“Each of our initiatives in 2018 speak to our core mission to provide networking opportunities and educational platforms for advocating gender diversity across leadership teams, as well as career advancement,” said Deborah Brenner, Founder & President, Women of the Vine & Spirits.

“This is the year for women, and we are so excited for what is to come for our organization and members in 2018, and we are especially proud to take part in this movement of change and empowerment happening across the country and across all industries,” Brenner added.

The organization recently unveiled a new website look and feel, designed to reflect the energy and direction the organization is taking in 2018. The new website encourages members to engage with one another and has many new features providing resources and networking opportunities where members can join and create groups, access live and recorded webinars, join the book blub, download resources, and as always connect with other members through the directory.

SPRING

Recently announced and kicking off this month, is the Brand Ambassador Program. Several women have already been named Women of the Vine & Spirits Brand Ambassadors and will be organizing local meet ups, book club gatherings, networking events, social media outreach and more to increase awareness, engagement and participation in the Women of the Vine & Spirits movement.

Women of the Vine & Spirits has partnered with Women Chefs and Restaurateurs to host a special dinner, “Women Curating the Future of Food… A ‘Plantiful’ Dining Experience” at the James Beard Foundation House on International Women’s Day, March 8. The organization will be sponsoring the wine pairings through various donations made by Women of the Vine & Spirits Corporate Members. All wines being served are from wineries where the winemaker and/or proprietor is a woman.

The Fourth Annual Women of the Vine & Spirits Global Symposium will be held in Napa, March 12-14. The Global Symposium continues to be one of the most enthusiastically sought-after, vibrant experiences in the alcohol beverage industry. Because of its unique, elegant and advantageous content, abundance of take-home value and high-quality networking opportunities, tickets are highly coveted and sell out quickly. General Registration tickets go on sale January 17 and open to members-only. Gretchen Carlson, one of the nation’s most successful and recognized news anchors and a tireless advocate for workplace equality and the empowerment of women will be headlining the Symposium as a Keynote speaker along with notable industry professionals including Annette Alvarez-Peters, Asst. Vice President/GMM – Beverage Alcohol, Costco; Barbara Banke, Chairman & Proprietor, Jackson Family Wines; Nicole Brassard-Jordan, Division Director, Marketing, Merchandising and Warehousing, New Hampshire Liquor Commission; Laura Catena, Founder, Catena Institute of Wine; Ashley Joy Ceraolo, Senior Vice President Marketing & Beverage, California Pizza Kitchen; Gwen Chappell, Director of Strategic Sourcing, Global Procurement, MGM Resorts International; Rick Gillis, President, Young’s Market Company; Kelly Hendriksen, Senior Manager Brand Development, Ruth’s Hospitality Group Inc.; Jan Jones Blackhurst, Executive Vice President of Public Policy & Corporate Responsibility, Caesars Entertainment; Tracy Redmond, Bar & Beverage Senior Manager, Applebee’s Services, Inc., and many more.

SUMMER

As part of its 2017 expansion into Europe, the organization will host the first-ever European Summit in London on June 28. The one-day event will feature speakers and topics focused on the unique issues and opportunities women in the alcohol beverage industry face in Europe. Headlining the Summit will be Maggie Henriquez, President, LVMH Estates & Wine Division and President & CEO, KRUG Maison de Champagne. Summit planning is being guided by European Advisory Board members, Stephanie J. Macleod, Master Blender, John Dewar & Sons Ltd., and Jancis Robinson, OBE, MW, Wine Critic, Journalist and Wine Writer, who will both be in attendance.

Launching June 6, Women of the Vine & Spirits is excited to announce its first All-Female Bartender Competition. Today, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are 579,700 bartenders in the US and 60% are women, bringing that total to 347,820 female bartenders. Contestants will submit their signature cocktail recipe, cocktail photo, and clever recipe name with a splash and twist of women’s empowerment (ex: Rosé the Riveter) to the Women of the Vine & Spirits contest web page. In addition to weekly drawings, the Grand Prize winner and two finalists will win a trip to the Fifth Annual Global Symposium in Napa, March 11-13, 2019, with the Grand Prize winner also receiving a check for $5,000. Cocktails will be judged on taste, presentation, creativity, originality, public voting appeal, and cocktail name by a panel of judges including Béatrice Cointreau, Owner & Chief Executive Officer, Champagne Tresor de France. The competition is aimed at bringing attention to women in the alcohol beverage industry and highlighting the talented female bartenders across the country.

In addition to these various activities and initiatives happening throughout the year, Women of the Vine & Spirits supports women at every level in the alcohol beverage industry with year-long membership privileges that include: education, advocacy, training, mentorship, entrepreneurship and networking as well as tools, services and opportunities for career advancement and personal development. Included as part of these tools and services are the Women of the Vine & Spirits Members-only Book Club and Webinars.

For more information about these programs and events, visit womenofthevine.com.

Women of the Vine & Spirits Corporate Members include Founding Member, Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits and Diamond Members: Bronco Wine Company; Caesars Entertainment; Constellation Brands; E. & J. Gallo Winery; Moët Hennessy USA; and Ste. Michelle Wine Estates. For a full list of Corporate Members including those at the Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Associate level, visit the Corporate Members tab at womenofthevine.com.

To become an individual member of Women of the Vine & Spirits, please visit womenofthevine.com. For those interested in Corporate Membership opportunities, please email info@womenofthevine.com or call 888.750.1863. Men of the Vine are encouraged to join too. We understand the importance of bridging the connections between men and women in order to open more doors and opportunities for women in the industry.

About Women of the Vine & Spirits®

Women of the Vine & Spirits is the world’s leading membership organization dedicated to the empowerment and advancement of women in the alcohol beverage industry, fostering gender diversity and talent development across the industry at large. Guided by an advisory board of top executives in the alcohol beverage industry, Women of the Vine & Spirits offers extensive education, advocacy, training, mentorship, networking and steadfast support for women at every position in the field, particularly through the annual Women of the Vine & Spirits Global Symposium, March 12-14, 2018 in Napa, California. For more information, please visit womenofthevine.com

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