(Santa Clara – CALIF.) – A remarkable new book that chronicles the courageous and passionate journeys of talented women who have earned success in the male-dominated field of winemaking has been released. Women Winemakers: Personal Odysseys is the result of years of research and personal interviews with women winemakers throughout California and selected wine regions around the world by researchers and authors Lucia Albino Gilbert and John C. Gilbert, university professors and lovers of wine.
As academic professionals with a deep interest in promoting women’s careers in male-dominated fields, and personally passionate about wine, the Gilberts set out to make lead women winemakers and their contributions to the wine industry more visible in writing Women Winemakers: Personal Odysseys, which is now available in bookstores, winery tasting rooms and online at Amazon.
“We started our project in California,” said Lucia Albino Gilbert, “because we had heard and read that women winemakers had shattered the glass ceiling in this traditionally male-dominated field. We were interested in learning how they did it. We found from the research we subsequently conducted, however, that only ten percent of the lead winemakers were women. This prompted us to begin meeting with the winemakers to learn about their experiences and career paths.”
“Our process was to meet in person with lead winemakers, women who hold the primary and decision-making responsibility for the winemaking programs,” added John Gilbert. “We met with nearly 150 winemakers in California and the wine regions of Champagne, France; Douro Valley, Portugal; Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand; Piedmont, Italy; and Penedés, Priorat, and Rioja, Spain.” Maps that show where the winemakers are located are also included in the book.
The authors engaged in one-on-one conversations with trailblazing winemakers and those following them, using the lens of career pathways and the cultural histories of each wine region to elucidate how each of the women found her way to winemaking. They ultimately developed a framework for the book built around four general career pathways into the world of wine: Sensory pathway; Family pathway; Science/Agronomy pathway, or Enology pathway. Despite occurring in different cultures and times, the journeys of these women demonstrate a commonality of purpose and direction.
The Gilberts hold the belief that learning the names, stories, cultural challenges, and varied career paths of women winemakers will help change and challenge the traditional societal view that women do not have a central role and place in producing wine.
“With expanded visibility, together with an understanding of the paths they have traveled, other women will be encouraged to enter the wine business with the confidence that they too can be successful,” Lucia Albino Gilbert concluded. “Their stories will inspire current and future winemakers, as well as educate wine enthusiasts about what enables the careers of women who make wine.”
About the Authors
Lucia Albino Gilbert, Professor Emerita of psychology at Santa Clara University and The University of Texas at Austin, is a noted scholar in the area of women’s career pathways in male-dominated fields. Her recent research focuses on the progress and prospects of women winemakers in California and internationally. Along with her husband John Gilbert, she developed the extensive educational website, Women Winemakers of California and Beyond, at WomenWinemakers.com. Lucia came to love wine growing up in an Italian family.
John C. Gilbert is Professor Emeritus of chemistry & biochemistry at Santa Clara University and the University of Texas at Austin. He has been a beekeeper for more than forty years. Through studying women winemakers, he has applied his extensive knowledge of organic chemistry to understanding the intricate details of winemaking. His own love of wine came through a passion for Zinfandel and Cabernet Sauvignon.
What’s been said about Women Winemakers: Personal Odysseys
“A comprehensive, sensitive and personal documentation of women winemakers that will inspire, connect and facilitate women in our industry. A must read for the global Women in Wine network.”
-Kate Radburnd, Fellow of New Zealand Winegrowers
Winemaker/Owner, Radburnd Cellars, Napier, New Zealand
“I’ve been following Lucia and John’s research from the beginning and am grateful for their long, inclusive, birds-eye view of women in the winemaking profession. A week seldom goes by when I don’t quote their statistics.”
-Cathy Corison
Winemaker/Owner, Corison Winery, Napa, California
“Women Winemakers: Personal Odysseys excels both in depth and breadth, a testament to the many years of research by the Gilberts. It will serve not only to inform the general population but also to inspire women who are considering a career in winemaking.”
-Doug and Lee Nalle
Winemaker/Owner, Nalle Winery, Healdsburg, California
“When Maggie Henriquez from Champagne Krug and I decided to create La Transmission, we had a joint concern about the relative invisibility of women in shaping the future of a changing Champagne region. We applaud the Gilberts in addressing this concern by using the engaging odysseys of women who are shaping the future of their own changing wine regions.”
-Anne Malassagne
Fourth-generation Owner of Champagne AR Lenoble, Damery, France
Book cover and interior illustration by Ted CoConis a well-known artist and member of the Illustrators Hall of Fame. TedCoconis.com
Foreword by Zelma Long, Winemaker and Industry Leader in the Napa Valley and South Africa.
Published by Luminare Press, 9781643882574, 246 pages in Paperback and Hardcover.
