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TAKINGthei r p lace

It seems surprising, but as recently as a generation ago, women in Argentina were

kept at arms length by the wine industry. But today, as Amanda Barnes writes, the

country is nurturing some of the brightest female winemaking talent in the world

TWENTY YEARS ago, one was hard-pressed to find a female working in thewine industry in Argentina, let alone afemale winemaker. But today women aretaking their place in the sector and thisyears Argentina Wine Awards boasted anall-female tasting panel, bringing to light

the role that many of the so-called fairersex now play in the industry.

This list looks at some of the femaletrailblazers in the industry, in particularsome of the up-and-coming young femalewinemakers who are making their markin Argentina.

SUSANA BALBOSusana Balbo is unquestionably one of themost remarkable women in wine, notonly in Argentina. Head winemaker andowner of Dominio del Plata, Balbo is atthe top of her game, but reaching theseheights as a woman was not easy.

Susana Balbo

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Hardships began early for young Balbo,who had wanted to study physics, butdue to the military dictatorship had topick a degree closer to home, which inMendoza means winemaking.

Even the early 80s, Balbo wasnt theonly female in the class out of 33classmates, 17 were women. She was,however, the only woman to graduate,making her the first female winemaker inSouth America. She puts the lowcompletion rate down to having to take alate night bus (past the 10pm curfew),creating more vulnerability for womenduring the tyrannical military regime.Life wasnt easy as the first female in theprofession. I couldnt get a job inMendoza; I was rejected from manyapplications because I was a woman, sheconfesses. It wasnt until an opportunityarose in Salta that she got her first job in awinery, partly because some of the hiringprocess was made by a headhunting firmin Paris, France.

Her move to Salta was indeed fateful,and Balbo is now coined the Queen ofTorronts for her work with Argentinasnative white variety there. Having provedher deserving place in a mans

industry, she returned to Mendoza as areputable winemaker and eventuallystarted her own company, aged 38.

Many women have joined her in therealms of winemaking but few own awinery. Today it is much easier forwomen to have their place in theindustry, she analyses. But the currentpolitical environment makes it difficultfor young women to have their owncompany. They should keep dreamingthough, I have great hopes that thepolitics of the country will change soon.

So adamant is Balbo to see a change ofwind for women and politics that she isnow running as a parliamentarycandidate in Mendoza. With thepresidency of Wines of Argentina alreadyunder her belt and a proven track recordof succeeding in the face of adversity her ambitions may well be realised.

LAURA CATENAOne of the greatest spokespersons andambassadors for Argentine wine abroad,Laura Catena splits her time between SanFrancisco where she is a doctor, andMendoza where she works in her familywinery, Catena Zapata. Author of VinoArgentino, 2014 president of the IWSC,international guest speaker Catenasachievements are endless.

Although she might already beconsidered as reaching a par with herindustrious father Nicolas Catena interms of promoting Argentine wine, it isher work as a scientist that is mostremarkable. When she started working atthe winery in 1995, there were fewwomen and convincing a largely maleteam that she, a young female graduate,knew better when it came to vineyard

research was a challenge. Onetime I asked our viticulturist toshow me all the places where wewere doing research. At everyplace he showed me a differenttrial, different altitudes, plantdensities, pruning methods,varieties. Every time I asked himWhere are the controls? but Isoon realised that there weren'tany. To me, one couldnt call thisresearch, and I said that to ourviticulturalist. He turned back tome with a big smile and said,

Laura, you should really dedicateyourself to marketing because that iswhere we need the most help.

Instead, she founded the CatenaInstitute of Wine with the first Malbecplant selection in 1995. Today ourinstitute does world-class research whichis published in prominent internationaljournals like The American Journal ofViticulture and Enology, The Journal of FoodChemistry and the Journal of Phytochemistryamong others. And if any winemaker orviticulturalist asks me about marketing

they know that the answer will be thebest marketing is to make the best wine.

Catenas defiance and attention to detailnot only makes her a standout woman inthe company, but a great migrator ofinternational knowledge into Argentinaand a considerable communicator ofArgentina to the outside world.

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argentina: women in wine

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Today it is much easier forwomen to have their place

in the industry

Laura Catena

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explain and make a masculine worldunderstand. Interpersonal relationshipsare important and taking assertive

decisions can be confused withthe authoritarianism of awoman.

It takes a strong woman toconvince an industry that shewears the trousers. But Celestedoes it with grace.

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GABRIELA CELESTEWhile female winemakers are growing innumber, female wine consultants are stilla very rare breed. After meeting theFrench consultant winemaker MichelRolland while working in Trapiche in1996, Celeste began her internationaleducation in wine and is now the righthand of Rolland as his partner at theirconsultancy firm, EnoRolland. Thoughshe works under the Rolland brand as aconsultant, Celeste has made a name forherself in her own right.

Consulting for over 15 wineries acrossArgentina, her well-respected reputationis synonymous with her tireless energyand she is even working on the launch ofher own wine label Escarlata. To workin the wine industry, considered theactivity of men, is a challenge, admitsCeleste. While she sees the advantages of

men not viewing her as competition andbeing polite enough to let her speak, thereare particular disadvantages as a femalewine consultant. You are more exposedto criticism, which demands a certainemotional intelligence, she remarks.When it comes to the moment whereyou have to take decisions, it is difficult to

You are more exposed tocriticism, which demands a

certain emotional intelligence

argentina: women in wine

The appearance of more women on the winemaking scene might lead one to therather simplistic conclusion: that women are responsible for making Argentine Malbecmore feminine. This would be doing a great disservice to all the male winemakers inArgentina, and also generalising about the winemaking style of female oenologists.

Nevertheless, as Argentina becomes more worldly in taste and experience, itsMalbec has seen a great diversity of expressions in recent years: from moremasculine, meaty Malbecs, to more feminine, ethereal and elegant Malbecs.

Instead of gender, the different styles of Malbec are representative of different soilsand microclimates, changing winemaking tendencies, and the different personaltastes and experience of each maker. Often female winemakers make big and boldwines, and undoubtedly many male winemakers are the source of some of the mostelegant Malbecs being produced in Argentina right now.

I think there is a Malbec for different occasions, I dont believe in a Malbec fordifferent genders, Daniel Pi, Trapiche

The style of Malbec depends a lot on the personality and sensitivity of thewinemaker, not on their gender, Matias Riccitelli, Matias Riccitelli Wines

I know of many female winemakers who make very masculine Malbecs! And thereare also male winemakers (perhaps few) who have a lighter hand, AntonioMorescalchi, Altos las Hormigas

Malbec has found an elegance thanks to the respect given to the terroir more thanbecause of gender Although without a doubt women have added a bit ofsensitivity, Mariana Onofri, sommelier, The Vines of Mendoza

Have women feminised Malbec?

Gabriela Celeste

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ANDREA MARCHIORIHaving grown up running around herfathers vineyard in Lujan de Cuyo,Andrea Marchioris choice of career was anatural one. Completing her winemakingdegree as the only woman in the class,she headed to Sonoma in the US with herhusband and fellow winemaker, LuisBarraud. There they met flyingwinemaker Paul Hobbs and whileoverseas began talks about a partnershipback in her hometown of Mendoza. Now,with Hobbs and Barraud, Marchiorifronts a successful winery Via Cobos where you can find some of Argentinasmost acclaimed and expensive wines.

Having grown from 1,500 cases to100,000 cases in just over a decade (andlaunched a side project with her husband,Marchiori-Barraud), Marchiori knows athing or two about making a winebusiness successful. And while she isadamant that her experience has beenprivileged for working in environmentswhere women were accepted as equals,she admits there were challenges to face.My whole career has always been withmen, she reflects over the last 20 years.When I started working in a winery as ayoung woman, some men found it

shocking to have a woman telling themwhat to do. You always have to keep inmind that you are a woman and that youare there because you have a capacity.And once men understand that, theyrespect you too.

In Argentina Marchiori has proved hercapacity as a woman, and a winemaker.

LAURA PRINCIPIANO, Today Bodega Zuccardi is one of the mostexciting operations in Argentina. A largefamily winery with young gunwinemaker Sebastian Zuccardi at its head,it has brought forward innovations,finesse and has just opened a landmarknew winery in the Uco Valley. Behindevery great captain there is a greatskipper, and the skipper of Zuccardisvessel is a woman Laura Principiano.

Plucked straight out of university to joinZuccardi in the winerys experimentationlab, Principiano feels blessed to havelanded a great job early on in her career.Im very privileged to work in acompany with a family that takesimportance in people and not in theirgender, she comments. Althoughfortunate, Principiano is a hard workerand has been instrumental in the progress

argentina: women in wine

of Zuccardis style and criticalacknowledgements. Her work in thedevelopment and experimentation labhave led her to take charge along withSebastian in the production of thewinerys top wines. Laura is much morethan an agronomist or winemaker, herperception and passion for wine transpassthe technical barrier, says Zuccardi.

I find it difficult to think of what wewould be doing without her. Wine needsmore people like Laura she isundoubtedly one of the references ofArgentina. In this case, Principianoproves that the right-hand-man can bejust as deservedly a woman.

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Andrea Marchiori

Laura Principiano

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Antoln has been significant in thedevelopment of the brand and inparticular surprised many with her takeon Torronts. I always saw thatTorronts was very nice in the nose but inthe mouth it was a little light for me, so in2005 I decided to do some barrels withTorrents and we continue doing it everyyear, she says about her partially oakedexpression which bucks the trend for thisusually lightly styled variety.

Stepping into winemaking as a womanwas no challenge for Antoln, who madeher first wine with her father at 15 yearsold; the greater challenge has beenmanaging motherhood and a full timejob, which she does with aplomb.

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ANDREA MUFFATOComing into winemaking after havingfour children, Muffato jugglesmotherhood with her growing career asthe second winemaker for Zorzal andhead winemaker for the family wineryGen del Alma. Being a winemaker and amother of four children is complicated!But winemaking is a lifestyle for us as afamily, and with Gen del Alma we get tolive our dreams and make these wines,she says.

Muffato, like her brothers-in-law,winemakers Matias and Juan PabloMichelini, and husband GerardoMichelini, is a fan of a leaner, fresher styleof wine with high acidity and morenatural winemaking methods. Her wines

focus heavily on playful co-fermentations,like, for example, Ji Ji Ji: a slightlymadcap carbonic co-fermentation ofMalbec and Pinot Noir.

Muffato is one of the most daring femalewinemakers at the moment. Her plan totake the whole family, including her 18-year-old son and protg, to Spain for aharvest this year, proves that you canjuggle winemaking and family life, andhave fun doing it.

VALERIA ANTOLNHailing from a winemaking family, itwasnt a surprise to Antolns father,himself a renowned sparkling wineproducer, that she wanted to studyagronomy and winemaking. What

might have been somewhatsurprising is that her femalecousin and younger sister soon followed suit.

After working in working atVia Cobos, Antoln settled intoa full time role in 2003 with hercurrent employer, Piatelli, whereshe climbed her way to becomehead winemaker for both theirMendoza and Cafayate wineries.

argentina: women in wine

I find it difficult to think ofwhat we would be doing

without her. Wine needs morepeople like Laura

Andrea Muffato

Valeria Antoln

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PAULA BORGOHead winemaker for Spanish-ownedBodega Septima, Paula Borgo isresponsible for the still and sparklingwine production of one of the biggerwineries in Mendoza.

Her path in the industry also beganthrough family: My relationship withwine is due to my father, he is anagronomist that is very well connected tothe sector, says Borgo. As a young girl,the countryside, the vineyards and wineaccompanied me through to myadolescence. I have many happymemories with a glass of wine in myhand, and then the passion transformedinto an obsession, a study, a quest forperfection, and lots and lots of work!Nowadays Borgo travels around thecontinent and further afield as not onlythe winemaker for Septima, but a femalespokesperson for the wine industry.

PAULA GONZALEZOne of the youngest female winemakersin the profession, 25-year-old PaulaGonzalez is second winemaker at BodegaCasarena in Lujn de Cuyo. Workingunder head winemaker Bernardo BossiBonilla, Gonzalez has played a hand inthe development and launch of theirlatest DNA range and single vineyardrange. While Malbec is still the flagship ofthe winery, it is a different variety that isthe apple in Gonzalezs eye: Malbec isone of the most important varieties for us,but I think Cabernet Franc is one that is

going to explode, she predicts.With an early start to her career as a

winemaker and under the guidance of anexperienced team, like the lesserdiscovered varieties of Argentina,Gonzalez is one of the yet undiscoverednew generation of female winemakers thatwill undoubtedly make an impression inthe future of Argentine wine. db

Paula Gonzalez

There are many families with daughters who want to work, and because familywineries and vineyards are such a big part of the industry it is inevitable that therewill be more women working in every aspect of winemaking, says Laura Catena,herself the daughter of one of Argentinas most renowned vignerons Nicolas Catena.The final spot on our list of women in wine is dedicated to the many women who aremaking the industry what it is today.

Among the female winemakers and agronomists to watch are: Lorena Mulet(Cruzat), Carola Tizio (Vicentin), Soledad Vargas (La Anita), Estela Perinetti (LUCA),Silvia Corti (Argento), Romina Carparelli (Margot), Celia Lopez (Navaro Correas),Victoria Pons (Melipal), Pamela Alfonso (Altavista), and Victoria Prandina (Trivento).

Of course, for all the daughters moving into the industry as career-women, theindustry would never have developed to such an extent if it werent for thededicated wives and mothers too, many of whom have not only supported theirhusbands in a gruelling and time-consuming career, but raised a family that respectand admire their wine heritage.

Women also occupy some of the top sommelier and educator positions inArgentina, notably including Marina Beltrame (the first female sommelier inArgentina, and founder of Escuela Argentina de Sommelier) and Paz Levinson(currently Best Sommelier of the Americas). Wine is no longer the realm of onlymen in Argentina. Women are an increasingly integral part in the offices, the salesrooms, the restaurants, the laboratory, the winery, and the field.

Other women in the industry

Paula Borgo

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