Few, but exceptional: the bold women who make wines in Spain

The woman has had a silent presence in the world of wine. The few that have gone down in history were heirs to winery families or widows who took the reins of the business after the death of their husbands. Like Barbe-Nicole Ponsardin (1777-1866), the inventor of the bottle stirring desk that allowed champagne to stop being a cloudy wine, known worldwide as Veuve Clicquot.

But they are counted on the fingers of the hand. In the monograph 100 historical figures of Spanish wine edited by Vadevino, its presence is reduced to the co-founder of Juvé & Camps, Teresa Camps, and four widows, among whom Dolors Sala stands out, a woman of great winemaking talent who overcame the loss of her husband and son in the War. Civilian to, together with his daughter Pilar, lead the takeoff of Freixenet. It must not have been easy at all if you think that, many years later, in 1976, Pilar Pla was accompanied by her 80-year-old mother to the Jerez winery Maestro Sierra and even so it was frowned upon for the two women to be under the same roof with its four workers.

For the doctor in Economics and retired professor from the University of La Rioja, Emilio Barco Royo, who has rescued in his latest book the story of three Riojan “harvesters” who lived between the 18th and 19th centuries, the role of women is a of the great pending investigations in the world of wine. The way in which his work has been blurred is seen very well in the documentary And to the vineyard tooan x-ray of the Navarrese municipality of San Martín de Unx through the testimonies of women who until not so long ago carried out work days in the vineyard similar to those of men, without expecting a salary in return or contributing to Social Security.

The current situation is different. There are excellent female viticulturists (even capable of plowing with animal traction), winemakers, oenologists and sommeliers who have made wine their desired profession and, judging by their growing presence in the faculties of Engineering and Oenology, and in tasting and sommelier schools , there will be many more in the future. What is missing is visibility (men continue to dominate, sometimes scandalously, the agenda and the lists of speakers at sector congresses and meetings) and access to decision-making positions.

Those at the top tend to be part of winery sagas, such as the López de Heredia sisters, María José and Mercedes, who together with their brother Julio César run the most traditional winery in Rioja with their legendary Viña Tondonia brand. Or like Cristina Fournier (Marquis of Cáceres) and the Martínez Zabala sisters (Faustino group) if you think about large groups.

On a smaller scale, the influence exerted by producers without fear of risk such as Sara Pérez in Priorat, Verónica Ortega in Bierzo or Vicky Torres in La Palma is notable. Even in the very masculine redoubt of cooperatives there are professionals such as Yolanda Díaz, manager of Bodegas San Alejandro in Calatayud (Zaragoza), who has been leading the successful export orientation of the firm for two decades.

The fact that there are more and more models from production companies does not mean that the path is easy, especially if there is no family foundation and you have to start from scratch. The case of Julia Casado from Murcia, who requested a loan of 35,000 euros to pay for a 66-square-meter modular winery and be able to make her first natural wines, is very revealing of her capacity for adaptation and strength to deal with endless difficulties. And how many stories can the seasoned British winemaker Charlotte Allen tell about the time when she decided to settle in Arribes, on the border with Portugal, and she became the most exotic inhabitant of the area. It is not strange that Cristina Yagüe and María Falcón, who sign a handful of very interesting labels in Galicia, take the opportunity to vindicate the role of women in wine by presenting themselves under the name Anónimas Viticultoras.

Unlike what happened in the past, the generational change should also contribute its grain of sand to the rise of women in the world of wine. Let them tell Álvaro Palacios, who has his daughter Lola preparing and doing grape harvests around the world.

Majorca

Malaga

Flying

Doctor of Medicine with extensive experience in health management, Victoria Ordóñez came to wine from the hand of her brother Jorge, a famous importer of Spanish wine in the United States, and especially from the Austrian producer Alois Kracher, her sweet wine advisor in Axarquía. Malaga. She then decided to fly alone and recover the authentic mountain wine from the mountains of Malaga, a dry white from Pedro Ximénez aged in wood that she makes from forgotten vineyards. A wine with great personality: complex, spicy, with tension and persistence.

2020. White, Sierras del Málaga
Victoria Ordóñez & Children.
100% Pedro Ximénez.
12% vol. 29 euros

The Palm

Victoria Torres Malvasía Seco

Vicky Torres is sensitivity and resilience in its purest form. After the death of her father in 2015, she had to take charge of the family winery and rethink the wines in her own way. She has had to fight against drought, fire, pressure from fauna and smoke from the volcano. One of its greatest treasures are its small plots of vineyards in the Llanos Negros, the island's grand cru of Malvasía f
rom which 1,600 bottles of a deep and powerful white come out in this vintage, with an enveloping texture and an endless saline and volcano finish. .

2020. White, La Palma
Victoria Torres Pecis
100% Malvasia. 14.5% vol. 38 euros.