If meeting women in the workplace was a top priority twenty five years ago, entering the wine business would have been a very poor choice. While that joyous credo "Wine, Women and Song" sounds good, as far as the wine industry went back then, it was a combination that did not exist.
The reasons for the lack of female inclusion were plenty, the logic surrounding these points of view however, were extremely flawed.
When it came to winemaking, women were considered not as good as their male counterparts. The consensus being, they lacked the necessary skills and ability to understand the intricacies surrounding fine wine.
Others considered winemaking a much too physically demanding occupation for the likes of the so called gentler sex. It must be noted that at the other end of these opinions one would usually find a man.
Maybe the fact that the wine trade was for the most part male dominated had something to do with these opinions as well. Few vineyards and wineries were under the ownership of women.
Over the past five years, BARTENDER Magazine has written about the impact women have had on the wine industry on many occasions. We have stated how many of todays most sought after winemakers are female, and how women now share in the ownership and control of many top rated vineyards and chateaus. A once male dominated wine trade now has a much more democratic look, and in my opinion, much better for it. Seldom seen female wine sommeliers are no longer a rare sighting, either are female wine critics and authors. Enrollment of women in wine schools across the country is also at all time highs.
With women now fully integrated into the inner circle of the wine industry, and their many contributions indisputable, one question keeps popping up when it comes to women and wine. Once again, BARTENDER Magazine asks that question, and it's a doozy - Are women better then men when it comes to the evaluation of wine and winemaking?
Granted, we are speculating here, and the opinion that follows is my own. I also offer no scientific evidence for my opinion, but I do offer observations made over the past ten years. And, as a wine critic, wine columnist, author, wine director of a top restaurant, wine consultant and educator, my observations are considerable.
So, what have these observations been? In short, women may very well possess the inside track over men when it comes to certain aspects of wine tasting and evaluation.
The main reason for this opinion is found within the nasal passage and the aromatic memory of women. The average women, simply has a more developed, more advanced sense of smell then the average man. And, in the world of wine evaluation, the sense of smell reigns king. Remember, while there are only four basic taste sensations… sweet, sour, salty, and bitter …there are hundreds, maybe thousands of different aromatic profiles.
At this point it should also be made crystal clear, that in no way, shape, or form, am I making the statement that women are born with better tasting and smelling abilities, or that anatomical differences between the noses of the two sexes exist. But, I can say with confidence that women are generally much more practiced and attuned to using and therefore developing a keener sense of smell.
Need some examples? Okay, walk into a department store and compare the size of space dedicated to the woman's perfume section to the men's, and let's be honest now, who really takes out the time to smell the flowers, men or women? Hand lotions, soaps, detergents, dishwashing liquids, all products developed and marketed with a women's keen sensitivity to smell in mind. Most men simply don't care about how things smell nearly as much as women do, and therefore have a much less developed sense of smell. The saying "use it or lose it" has merit when it comes to developing a sense of smell.
Having taught dozens of beginner wine classes over the years, time and time again, when it comes to smelling and evaluating wines, women in many ways are the top of the class, and in many ways continue to "Drink Well."
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