What Do Wine, Beauty, and Fashion Have in Common?
This issue was published on August 9, 2023
Happy Wine Wednesday!
And welcome to our new readers! So happy to have you here - including one of my teachers from high school! Hi Mrs. Foley!
Today, we’re going to talk briefly about the lack of women in wine (aka why I created this newsletter). Then, we’re chatting with Marisa Meckstroth, the Hospitality Director at Wren Hop Vineyards in Napa Valley, about everything from pairing chardonnay with curry to touching bugs during harvest and the expensive journey of wine education.
Don’t forget to take advantage of the 15% wine discount at Olivia Brion and Cantadora Wines (use code WINEHISTORY15), and join winemaker Kira Ballotta and I for a virtual tasting next Thursday at 5:30 pm PST/8:30 pm EST!
Pour yourself a glass and let’s get our wine nerd on.
Women in Wine
What Wine, Beauty, and Fashion Have in Common
For anyone who’s visited wine country, you’ve probably noticed that while the tasting room may have women working in sales and hospitality, the vineyard is typically filled with men. The vineyard owners are men, the winemakers are men, the Big Decision Makers are men, while the women are working with the customers in the tasting room.
Even at restaurants, where the majority of servers are women, the sommelier is often a man. If you watched Somm, you know that out of the 168 professionals who have the title of Master Sommelier in America, only 25 are women. That’s less than 15%. Plus, there’s the sexual harassment that has plagued the women of the infamous Court of Master Sommeliers.
It wasn’t something I really thought about until it was pointed out to me: Where are the women in wine?
Thinking about the history of women in the United States, it makes sense. It wasn’t until the 20th century that women in the U.S. gained the same ability to own property as men, and having land to plant vineyards is obviously a big requirement to owning a winery. Let’s not forget that it wasn’t until 1974 with the Equal Credit Opportunity Act that women were able to open a bank account on their own without their husband’s signature. Hard to have a winery and have your own business without a bank account…
Fast forward to today.
Almost 60% of American wine buyers overall are women, but only 14% of California wineries had a woman as their lead winemaker in 2020 and only 13% of the wineries are woman-owned (25% are co-owned by a woman and her husband).
It reminds me of another statistic:
About 66% of executives in the beauty industry are men, and less than half of fashion companies with clothing for women are actually run by women. Meaning, men are still predominantly deciding what women should look like and what they should wear.
Similarly, in a country where a majority of wine buyers and wine drinkers are women, we have only a small portion of wine actually being made by women. Plus, women sommeliers make less than their male counterparts – and of course this pay gap is even more gaping for women of color.
My point being – it’s time for the wine (and beauty and fashion…) industry to look more like its consumers! That’s why I started Merobebe: to celebrate the talented women who are doing incredible things in the male-dominated industry and spread the word about the amazing women winemakers and winery owners.
Okay, I’m done being preachy now. Time to talk with our talented woman in wine today!
Marisa Meckstroth
Hospitality Director at Wren Hop Vineyards
This interview has been edited for clarity and truncated for the newsletter. You can find the full interview here.
Merobebe
Tell us a little bit about Wren Hop!
Marisa Meckstroth
We're a small production, family owned winery [in Windsor, CA]. We only produce about 1,000 cases a year, so super small production chardonnay and pinot noir. Our pinots are known to be very opulent, very fruit forward. We do a cold soak, we pick late – we call them pinots for cab drinkers because they have a lot of depth and complexity to them. But honestly, I love our chardonnay. I think that chardonnays are very underrated.
I love the winery and have been there for five years. It's a really small team. I go and hand sort the grapes during harvest…I hate it. I hate sorting. It's so cool to be a part of the process, but I absolutely hate bugs and we farm from all organic vineyards, so there are tons of bugs.
Merobebe
What is harvest like?
Marisa Meckstroth
Our crews go out into our vineyard at night. The cooler temperatures at nighttime allow the grapes to kind of go to sleep and start to stop producing sugars. You also want to pick at night so that the grapes won’t be sitting out in the sun or they'll start fermenting in the bins, which is something that you really don't want.
All of our vineyards are planted on hillsides, so we don't have tractors or anything that can really go through there. All of the management is hand done. Crews are out there all the time – hand pruning, all of that kind of stuff.
And then we go and hand sort the grapes. They go onto a conveyor belt and you're just standing at this conveyor belt, picking out bunches that don't look good or are under ripe, stems, leaves, bugs.
There are so many spiders and earwigs and ants and oh, my gosh, I hate it. I hate it so much. Every year. Every time I leave, I feel like bugs are crawling on me. I immediately need to take a shower. But it's really cool, though, to have my hands physically on that wine.
The tasting room at Wren Hop Vineyards
I tell people that all the time. I'm like, Listen, I had blood, sweat, and tears put into this specific bottle of wine. You're going to appreciate that!
Merobebe
What are some tips you have for a wino who wants to expand and refine their palate?
Marisa Meckstroth
First, try wines that you haven’t been interested in. Winemaking is constantly evolving and winemakers are willing to experiment more. Something you knew you didn’t like 1, 5, or 10 years ago might taste completely different now. Our palates are also constantly evolving and changing. You’ve learned more of what you do or don’t like in a wine and what elements define a good wine to you. Is it the tannins? The acid? The flavor?
For example, let's take chardonnay. People either love it or hate it. California chardonnay gets a particularly bad rep for being overly oaked, butter bombs. However, Chardonnay is surprisingly versatile. At Wren Hop, we produce a chardonnay that goes through partial- malolactic fermentation and is aged in 100% new French oak. The partial malolactic helps the wine retain acid but still round out the finish.
Not to brag, but our chardonnay has converted many ABC (Anything But Chardonnay) into a lover! There are so many options and combinations. No malolactic and stainless steel, full malolactic and neutral oak, you can age on or off the lees, destemmed or whole cluster, and that’s barely scratching the surface. And then you can consider the climate! Don’t limit yourself.
Ultimately, all I’m saying is most things deserve a second chance (the key word being most – this is not a sign to call your ex).
Secondly, learn to analyze the factors in the wine that attracts you to it. Do you like cabernet sauvignon because it’s full-bodied and fruity? A common theme I’ve noticed among wine drinkers is that people often mistake flavor for structure as the reason why they don’t like a particular wine. “I didn't like the taste of this wine. It made my mouth feel dry”. That’s tannin they’re experiencing, not a taste. Swish it around, spit it out, inhale through your mouth. All of these things can help you understand the whole picture of understanding what appeals to you.
Merobebe
As a fellow food & wine lover, have you found that pairing wine with food makes it more accessible?
Marisa Meckstroth
Yes! No one thinks of wine without the immediate second thought being about food. It’s the natural order of things. But people get too caught up in the “rules”. Whites have to go with fish and reds go with red meat blah blah blah. Although the saying “what grows together goes together” has definitely held true for me in the past. That’s just a good way to get started.
Then find a different wine and pair it with a similar dish to what you had before. Why not try it? What’s the worst that could happen, you don’t like it? Big deal! Try something else. One of the most interesting aspects of wine is its ability to transform a meal. Don’t miss out on something cool and delicious just because someone somewhere at some time said you shouldn’t try it.
Eat everything you can in every way you can! Try everything with different preparations. Learn the nuances between a fresh strawberry and macerated strawberry. Try a green strawberry! Try an oyster (even if it’s just once) and experience what salinity tastes like. Try a fruit or vegetable you’ve never tried before or better yet, one you’ve never heard of. Just eat it!
Not only do you learn so much about the way something tastes but also how it feels on your palate. Black tea is a great example of the way tannin feels in red wines. Once you learn those elements, you feel more confident about what you’re tasting and it encourages you to continue exploring.
Image courtesy of Wren Hop Vineyards
Merobebe
What do you find the most fascinating about wine - what really drew you into the industry?
Marisa Meckstroth
When I first started at Wren Hop, I was working at a restaurant and I knew next to nothing about wine, pretty much just the sound bites we had for the wines by the glass. I was only concerned with whether I liked it or not. Jim [the owner of Wren Hop] was kind enough to gift me the Wine Bible by Karen McNeil during my first week here. He tasked me with reading the winemaking section to understand the basics to start out.
I couldn’t put it down. I was so consumed by how much detail and nuance was required to produce fine wine. Who knew that the way the vineyards face on the hillside directly affects their flavor? No one was going to tell me that the size of the rocks in the soil is a determining factor in choosing a varietal to plant? Suddenly I had so many questions I needed answers to.
Then I realized how much care went into each bottle of wine. Shortly after I started in the tasting room, I experienced my first harvest. Can you imagine the confusion I experienced when Jim asked me to come sort grapes at 7 am? I have to touch bugs with my hands? Yuck. And yet you’ll still see me at the sorting table for my 5th harvest at Wren Hop this year.
Being a part of that process makes you realize that this liquid we drink for our leisure has intention and hard work behind it. I had my hands on the grapes in your glass, I put work into that bottle of wine. I braved bugs for that bottle of wine! Talk about keeping me interested.
Now I can’t stop talking about wine. Ask anyone I know – if the subject of wine comes up be prepared for a mini lecture and if that would get on your nerves don’t even think about bringing me into a wine shop.
Merobebe
Conversely, what is the one thing you could really do without?
Marisa Meckstroth
The lack of access to education. I don’t think people understand how expensive getting an “official” education in wine is. You need significant disposable income. I recently took the WSET 3 and the course itself was over $1K and that doesn’t include any extra wine or study materials that you need to be able to pass. That’s thousands of dollars a year even if you only buy wine under $40.
You can’t just get financial aid like going to college. Even if you’re lucky enough to have a job that pays for the test itself, it’s still unlikely that it’s going to pay for the wine and books and if they do… keep that job.The only reason I was able to pursue it is because I had a lot of support from my family. But having people around that could provide that sort of support is just luck. People who are living paycheck to paycheck or have to work 2 jobs don’t have the extra money to spend on all this wine or even the time and energy to study. You aren’t going to choose wine over paying a bill (hopefully). That’s why I encourage every person I know to donate to organizations like The Roots Fund.
The saddest part about this is that BIPOC have amazing palates! Just look at all the food we make, the diversity of flavors and textures are all applicable to how we taste wine as well. It’s so unfortunate that people don’t have the opportunity to explore something that they might really enjoy.
I love seeing people pairing wine with curry and gumbo. Those are dishes that aren't typically associated with wine pairings because the cultures that those dishes come from don’t traditionally pair wine with their food. But I find that boring. So I’m happy to see that there are wine professionals out there that are expanding everyone’s palates and getting really creative.
Merobebe
What are some of your favorite “unusual” food and wine pairings?
Marisa Meckstroth
I love curry and a medium bodied chardonnay, because the acid in the chardonnay kind of cuts through the creaminess of the curry, but the softer body balances out the spice. I absolutely love that pairing. I drink our chardonnay with curry constantly.
I also like pinot noir and adobo. Not a super acid driven pinot, but more of a medium to full bodied pinot. The tannin helps round off the acidity from the vinegar and the adobo, and it has a soft enough body to balance out that spice. Those would be my favorites!
Merobebe
What are some challenges you’ve faced as a woman in the white male-dominated field of sommeliers?
Marisa Meckstroth
The main challenge I’ve noticed is I feel as if I have to constantly prove I know what I’m talking about or my authority being questioned. When a single demographic has dominated an industry for so long, people start to overvalue their own opinions.
I’ve been “corrected" with outdated information. I’ve had guests try to bully me into free wine. Although, I’ve been fortunate enough to not have many of those stories but they have happened and will continue to. And unfortunately (for them), I am not an easy person to intimidate. Jim, the owner of Wren Hop and my boss, really encouraged me to always be confident. “You know what you’re talking about, don’t let anyone make you question your knowledge.”
Confidence is key when you’re a young black woman in the wine industry but there is a very fine line for us to tow. Because if we get a little too loud, a little too confrontational, a little too “ghetto” anything we say doesn’t matter anymore. However, I’m not a believer in respectability politics. I know what I’m talking about, if you don’t like the way I present that information, then you and I just weren’t meant to be and that’s ok. A quote I live by is “You can be the ripest, juiciest peach in the orchard and there will still be someone that doesn’t like peaches.”
Merobebe
Anything else you'd like to share?
Marisa Meckstroth
Check out The Hue Society, another organization providing mentorship and scholarships to people of color within the wine industry.Also, if you can’t find an occasion to drink that special bottle of wine, make the wine the occasion. And never drink a good bottle of wine with bad people.
Get a wine-related movie or book pairing for your weekend.
Today’s pairing is Red Obsession, a 2013 documentary narrated by Russell Crowe.
The film follows the drastic change that Bordeaux, one of the most prized wine regions in France, went through during the economic collapse of 2008 and the sudden explosion of demand for fine wine in China. Suddenly, cutthroat wine auctions in China and Hong Kong were causing prices of Bordeaux to skyrocket – often into the millions. What happens when deep pockets want to buy up estates and entire collections?
This “fascinating” (Huffington Post) and “riveting” (Bloomberg) follows the history and challenges facing the region through interviews with chateaux proprietors (including Francis Ford Coppola), wine journalists, and Chinese investors.
That’s all for today!
Thank you to all of you who have shared these newsletters with friends and family. If you’re enjoying it, please continue to spread the word!
See you next Wednesday,
Megumi