Solidarity
In many ways, the most important aspect of membership is moral support. As Françoise Roumieux, former president of Femmes Vignes Rhône says, “We educate people about the role of women in the wine industry and build confidence in women winemakers.”
Sometimes this goes beyond just moral support. When a member of Les Vinifilles en Occitanie lost all of her grapes due to hail one year, the others stepped up to help. They contributed wine that she could sell and held an auction of their old vintages to raise money. As president Françoise Ollier-Taillefer says, “Our number one interest is solidarity.”
Across France and the world
Ten of France’s regional associations have banded together as part of a larger group, Femmes de Vin. In addition to sharing information and providing mutual support, they get involved with government bodies, professional associations, and social networks to reinforce the importance of viticulture in France. Femmes de Vin, in turn, is part of a global network created under the leadership of the Italian women of Le Donne del Vino.
These national and international networks allow members to expand their networks and broaden their knowledge. As Faytout-Boueix says, “Our membership in Femmes de Vin is a source of inspiration and very interesting exchanges between the different wine regions of France. We just returned from the general meeting in Beaujolais, which allowed us to discover a wine region together.”
Progress!
In the 30 years since the first women’s wine association was created, the number of estates run by women has more than doubled, from fewer than 14% to over 30%. Women hold increasingly important positions throughout the French wine world. And while there is still more progress to be made, some of the success to date must surely be ascribed to the pioneering women of Bordeaux and the many women’s wine associations they inspired.