Drink Up!
By David Setley
March is Women’s History Month, when we recognize the achievements and contributions of women in all aspects of business and society. International Women’s Day, an annual celebration on March 8, dates back to 1911 for Austria, Switzerland, Germany, and Denmark; the United Nations and the United States began recognizing the holiday in 1975. In this article, I will pay homage to some of the female wine heroes I became familiar with this year to acknowledge their contributions to global viticulture.
The first honorees are half-sisters who grew up on opposite sides of the world and did not know of each other until they were young adults. After her mother died of breast cancer when she was six, Andrea McBride was raised by her uncle and then by a foster family in Marlborough, New Zealand. Her half-sister, Robin, was raised by her biological mother near Monterey, California. Their biological father had minimal contact with either. However, before his death, he asked family members to contact and connect the sisters. The reunion was arranged in 1996 when Andrea and Robin met at LaGuardia Airport near New York City.
The women soon came to realize their shared love of winemaking. Each had grown up in the wine industry, and both had a strong entrepreneurial spirit. By 2005, the McBride Sisters became licensed importers to the United States and began importing New Zealand wine to California. In 2010, they established eco.love Wines, expanding their portfolio to include sustainably farmed wines grown in the vineyards near where Andrea grew up. This was the first venture of Black sisters forming a wine company in the U.S. The entrepreneurial spirit emerged again in 2013 when they formed Truvee Wines, a business that represented and sold sustainably farmed wines grown in the Central Coast of California, near where Robin grew up. In 2016, McBride Sister Wines was formed by merging the two businesses. On Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 2023, Robin and Andrea purchased M Ranch, a historic vineyard in Carneros, Napa Valley.
McBride Sister Wines supports many women’s causes, including the SHE CAN Fund, which supports the advancement of women in previously male-dominated industries through scholarships and mentorship. I recommend the McBride Sister Sparkling Brut Rose from Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand if you would like to try one of their excellent wines. This effervescent brut wine has gentle notes of strawberry, peach and cranberry with a persistent herbal finish. The McBride Sisters’ motto is “Go where you don’t belong because someday you will.” It is clear that these outstanding entrepreneurs, visionaries, mentors, and winemakers have successfully created a place where they belong.
In Australia, Steph Dutton is impressing the wine world as a senior winemaker at the renowned Penfolds Winery. Dutton is quickly growing in recognition for her innovation and passion for excellence in winemaking. At Penfolds, she is respected for her dedication to quality and her focus on finding and utilizing the latest technology to continuously improve Penfolds wine. An example of her innovation was the “Wines of the World” project, in which her goal was to make a high-quality Penfolds wine with grapes from two continents. In 2018, Steph and her team went to Paso Robles and Napa Valley in California to harvest Cabernet Sauvignon to blend with Penfolds Shiraz grape from Australia. Nothing like this had ever been attempted. To experience the work of this outstanding winemaker, try the Bin 38 Shiraz or a bottle of Max’s Cabernet Sauvignon, named for Max Shubert, Penfold’s Chief Winemaker from 1948-1975.
My next honoree is in South America’s Bodega Catena Zapata in the Mendoza wine region of Argentina. Dr. Laura Catena has been called “the face of Argentine wine” for her active role in studying and promoting the Mendoza wine region and Argentine wine. Catena graduated magna cum laude from Harvard University in 1988 and has a medical degree from Stanford University. In 1995, Dr. Catena joined her father, Nicolás Catena Zapata, at the family winery and founded the Catena Institute of Wine with a vision to improve the quality of all Argentine wines. She currently serves as the managing director of the winery and works closely with the winemakers to maximize the benefits of the region’s terroir. Her book, “Vino Argentino: An Insider’s Guide to the Wines and Wine Country of Argentina”, has been featured in Oprah Magazine, the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The San Francisco Chronicle, Decanter Magazine, Food & Wine Magazine, Wine Spectator, Wine Enthusiast, and Wine Advocate. Try the Catena High Mountain Vines Malbec or the Catena High Mountain Vines Chardonnay. Both are excellent examples of Argentine wine at its best!
Finally, allow me to introduce you to winemaker Jamie Benziger, who grew up at her family’s two wineries in Sonoma Valley. During summers while in college, Benziger sold tickets for tours at the family’s Benziger Family Wineries. She decided then that her passion was to enter the family business. She transferred to Sonoma State and added wine business studies to her marketing degree program. Upon graduation, she focused on the science of winemaking while working at St. Francis Winery in California, and then at the Villa Maria Winery in New Zealand. She returned to California in 2015 to work alongside her favorite winemaker: her father, Joe Benziger. In 2017, Jamie became the head winemaker of Imagery Winery. In 2019, Jamie earned the title “Best Women Winemaker in the International Women’s Wine Competition” and was named to Wine Enthusiasts Top 40 Under 40 Tastemakers list. Imagery has a full selection of great wines, including Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir. I highly recommend the LA International Wine Competition (92-point) Gold Award-winning Imagery Cabernet Sauvignon 2020 or the Double Gold Award-winning Chardonnay.
Salute to all women, especially the distinguished women of wine. As always, if you have questions or comments, contact me at dsetley@passionvines.com or stop by the Somers Point store. Until next time, happy wining!
David Setley is enjoying his retirement from higher education as a wine educator and certified sommelier at Passion Vines in Somers Point, New Jersey.
