Wine is often considered a man’s world, but a group of Italian women are putting their own mark on wine.
©Borgo Nonino | Nonino Distillery was founded by a war widow and decades later is still run by a group of women from the same family.
Stereotypes abound about Italy’s disastrously patriarchal culture, but evidence on the ground suggests that women are in charge, at least when it comes to alcoholic beverages.
Women in Italy’s drinks industry have more power than women in certain other countries, just by the numbers.
In California, which produces more than 80 percent of U.S. wine, only 14 percent of wineries are run by women, according to new research from Santa Clara University professors Dr. Lucia Albino Gilbert and Dr. John Carl Gilbert. . According to a study conducted by Crif Business Information Group, more than a quarter of wine producers in Italy are women.
Research consistently shows that companies with women in charge are more profitable, in addition to being more socially responsible and having stricter safety standards. Although sales of Italian wine have declined slightly, many alcoholic beverage businesses run by women are thriving.
Read on for insight into what these female influencers are doing to garner strong interest and strong sales in a tough economic environment.
Celebrate your roots
Barbaresco’s Gaja is one of the world’s most famous and beloved (and surprisingly expensive) brands. Gaja was founded in his 1859 year, but under Angelo Gaja’s leadership, the brand grew and evolved rapidly. He took over in 1970, introduced single-vineyard Barbaresco, modernized viticulture in Piedmont, and rejected the DOCG classification when he felt adding Barbera to Barbaresco and Barolo wines would make better wines. , essentially revolutionizing winemaking in the region. With estates and brands in Montalcino, Bolgheri and more recently in Sicily, the brand has left its mark.
Mamma Mia, filling the shoes is not easy. Yet Gaia, her sister Rossana and her brother Giovanni are doing just that and more. Gaia, the eldest of the trio, insists that all three share marketing, winemaking and farming responsibilities equally, with much input from the vocally inexhaustible 84-year-old Angelo. However, she is the one who attracts the most attention among the three. He joined the management team in 2004, followed by Rosanna in 2009, and Giovanni in 2018, making him the one with the longest track record.
She explains that her priorities are to respect Gaja’s history while preparing for continued success amid climaxes and environmental challenges.
“There are signs that our vineyards are adapting somewhat to increasingly hotter vintages, and we are doing everything we can to support that,” says Gaia. “We’ve been experimenting with different composts since 2014, and now we have different composts that are useful for richer soils, warmer regions, cooler regions, and everything else. One that’s aged for a year. In some cases, we add bloodworms. We also increase the biodiversity of our vineyards, custom blending cover crops depending on location.”
Gajah believes that “nature is much smarter than humans” and avoids chemical intervention. In addition to compost, cover crops, and tweaks to the surrounding environment, Gaja has embarked on a multi-year project consulting with botanists, geologists, consultants, and growers on projects that Gaia believes will transform the vineyard.
“We embarked on a major selection project in 2016,” says Gaia. “We focused on the oldest vineyards, such as Costa Russi, Soli San Lorenzo, Supers and Conteisa. We selected rows of Nebbiolo grapes to monitor for six years and they We are looking for vineyards with the strongest characteristics that we believe can prepare us for a future of increased heat, extreme weather, and drought.”
Six years later, they singled out the most powerful ones that emerged from over 250 biotypes. They are in the process of duplicating them and using them for all new replantings, including replacing weaker and more vulnerable vines.
Gaja is also adjusting its focus.
“Italy has a lot of interesting indigenous white grape varieties,” Gaia says. “We think white people are our future. Ten years ago we were 80 percent redhead, now we’re 70 percent and we continue to plant more white people everywhere. What’s next for us? “Continues to prove how white people age well. In 10 years, it will be 60% red and 40% white, and I see it continuing that way.”
Another multi-generational winery in Emilia-Romagna, Podelli Dal Nespoli is also shaped by a woman who honors her family’s long history and aspires to prepare for the future.
Winemaker María Soledad Adriasola Lang is focused on preparing Podeli Dal Nespoli for a climatically uncertain future through mycorrhizal-based symbiotic farming. Mycorrhizal fungi are not as obscure as they sound, and they are certainly complex.
“This involves the inoculation of fungal microorganisms, which create a good relationship with the roots of the plants, nourish the soil and create a favorable environment,” explains Adrianazola Lang. “Microorganisms are beneficial for plant growth, but not for pathogens and parasites.”
The Cartoon Network version of this complex process looks like this: These microscopic beasts act like steroids for the vines, helping them fight the bad guys and improving the quality and strength of the grapes and fruit in the process, without causing the “rage of the roids.”
The technology has been around for decades, but she says it’s underused, perhaps because it can’t be used with chemicals.
“Our first biosymbiotic wine, Guardo Romagna DOC Sangiovese Predappio, has been launched. I believe it not only respects our future, but also protects the local viticultural tradition ” she says.
Tradition and innovation don’t have to be mutually exclusive, she says.
©Marco Feluga | Ilaria Feluga has strengthened her family’s Marco Feluga and Luci’s Superiore brands, building on her late father Roberto’s strong investments in hospitality. 
the art of storytelling
Other brands are finding power in the present and laying the foundation for the future by sharing their stories and history in innovative ways.
And if any alcohol brand is synonymous with strong Italian women, it’s definitely Nonino Distillery. Although men also held positions of power, it was Silvia Nonino, widowed by the war, in 1940 who became the first female distiller in the long line of noninos (the first female master distiller in Italy). , it was Giannola Nonino who persuaded her husband. Benito She created the world’s first single vineyard grappa in 1973.
Francesca Nonino is the sixth generation member and runs the distillery with her mother and aunts (Elisabetta, Cristina and Antonella). The distillery is the global face of a company defined by strong women. It hasn’t been easy, she says.
“It’s important to remember that Italy didn’t pass a law allowing equal treatment of men and women in the world of work until 1977,” says Francesca, Nonino’s head of the American market and global brand ambassador. “But as a family business, there is nothing more powerful than telling our story, and that is where we put our energy.”
Francesca has created numerous programs both on and off-site to directly engage current and potential spirits enthusiasts.
“One of the most iconic things we do is offer evening distillery tours,” she says. “No other company in the world has the mission to distill 24 hours a day for eight to 10 weeks each year during the harvest season, with 66 artisanal batch stills like Nonino. ‘s commitment is the strongest proof of our love’ for our work and for grappa. ”
She is also active online (Nonino has 19.9k followers on Instagram; Francesca has 21.4k followers and her short videos have received tens of thousands of views on that platform alone) ), bringing those who can’t fly to Friuli into the magic via livestream. Distillery tours, tastings, master classes and educational videos.
Thanks to Francesca’s hard work, total brand volume has doubled in the past two years, brand depletion has increased 3.5x over five years, and account distribution has increased 2.5x.
Born in 1995 and the sixth generation winemaker of Collio’s Marco Feluga and Luci’s Superiore, Ilaria Feluga has introduced a decidedly millennial fresh air to the activities offered by the winery.
Adding to his late father Roberto Ferruga’s strong investment in hospitality, he added a B&B on-site in 2009. She started introducing outdoor guided wine group tours, yoga in the vineyard, guided hikes, and (yes) sound in the middle of the pandemic. Bathing in a winery with a gong player.
“In 2021, we expanded even further to attract a younger audience,” Ferruga said. “We have also made it possible to make online reservations.”
Things like yoga, cooking classes and sound baths have been a big boon, she says, and the wine shop has seen a 270% increase in same-day sales. Large events can increase sales by up to 520%.
It also hosts the now legendary Luci’s Superior Nights, which attract hundreds of revelers. The evening includes a complex dinner followed by a late night DJ-led dance party in the vineyard.
wine, style, art
For many people, wine represents many things. Women-owned brands are going above and beyond to unite the worlds of wine, travel, luxury, style and art, and in the process, they’re bringing a whole new segment to the market.
José Rallo, CEO of Donnafugata in Sicily, continues the tradition created by his mother Gabriela, who founded the winery with her father Giacomo in 1983.
“She had great instincts for finding new styles of wine labels,” says Lalo. “They were small works of art by the artist Stefano Vitale. We were one of the first, if not the first, wineries in Italy to use colorful, friendly and artistic wine labels.”
Lalo continued to further blur the lines.
“I have a deep passion for Brazilian and jazz music,” she says, explaining her vision of marrying music and wine in a multisensory experience where “the rhythms of the music dance with the wine.”
Started in 2002, this now annual event attracts visitors from all over the world to sample 20 labels paired with a variety of music.
In 2021, Larlo takes a new step and releases a collaboration wine with the iconic Italian fashion house Dolce & Gabbana.
“Our unconditional love for Sicily brought us together,” she explains. “This collaboration is an expression of creativity, tradition and innovation. The wines have a strong Mediterranean character and serve as ambassadors of Sicilian colours, aromas and culture.”
The line was also talked about in the fashion press, attracting attention and coverage from many magazines that are generally immune to the appeal of Sicilian wine.
These partnerships have been successful in attracting record numbers of visitors. 25,000 people visited in the first nine months of last year, already exceeding the number for 2022, Lalo said, adding that 35 percent were from abroad, led by visitors from the United States.
Banfi is undoubtedly the origin of Italian viticultural tourism. CEO Cristina Mariani May joined her family’s wine business in 1993 and opened luxury accommodations at her Brunello winery in 2007.
Featuring 12 luxurious rooms and suites set around a medieval castle, Castello Banfi has been a guest since its inception, offering guests the opportunity to stroll along the hillside paths, swim in the pool or explore the castle, designed by Federico Folke. It attracted wealthy guests who wanted to spend a luxurious time in the interior. Features include a rainfall shower, large bathtub, canopy bed, and spacious cupboards. But Mariani-May quickly democratized the offer (to some extent) by offering a variety of activities for people who could buy a ticket to Italy but not entry to the Castello.
From farm-to-table enotecas, traditional Tuscan taverns, Michelin-starred ultra-luxury Ristorante Banfi, cooking classes, private tours and bike tours, there are plenty of Instagrammable opportunities to stimulate the senses.
Mariani-May said Banfi would welcome 40,000 visitors this year.
Correlation does not imply causation. This is a fact that my college roommate, who majored in business, humorously drilled into my head. Yes, there are many great brands in Italy that are better than others. do not have Run by women. But a fresh perspective on an industry that until recently was almost exclusively male-dominated is clearly making an impact and impressing on the bottle.
Join the conversation by commenting on our social media channels.