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Friday read: Women in Wine Expo arrives in London

Born out of the entrepreneurial gender gap in the industry, the expo is the first of its kind and currently the only global network where women in the wine sector are brought together to encourage their business growth, education, and connection in a safe and diverse environment.

As the business capital of the world, London was chosen as the ideal hub for this year’s three-day event. Wine professionals have flown in from New Zealand, Mexico, South Africa, and over 20 other countries worldwide to see what the UK wine scene has to offer.

• Read more: Friday read: Brushing up on teeth and tasting
   

The WIWE director Senay Ozdemir said that organisations are important to educate women, empower them and make people listen.

“The WIWE is founded because we think that many women in wine are under-highlighted. They do all the hard work. They have been in the wine industry for centuries, assisting their brothers, husbands, and fathers, and it’s time to get their credits on the labels.”

Senay added: “Women from many countries are now starting to get exposure for themselves. They know how to market themselves. Some countries are more advanced in that than others.”

The expo founder explains how countries such as Germany, Italy, and the US, have women in wine organisations, dating back as far as 40 years with a great professionalism. Others, such as Turkey and Georgia, however, are just starting.

“You don’t have to reinvent the wheel. You can learn from each other. I am not saying it must be the same concept or you have to copy another country, but you can learn from them and build your organisation.”

“Numbers are always important. When you come with numbers and say ‘we are 800 women who want this’, the government listens, the investors listen, the bank listens, so that’s why it matters,” said Senay.

The WIWE director also feels that having an organisation adds professionalism and creates opportunities for women in the industry.

“They form workshops, they give educational trips, and they have access to other formal educational institutes. So, I think it is very important that a platform like Women in Wine Expo is there to connect all these women, from east to west, from north to south.”

Attendees were welcomed with a meet and greet on Wednesday evening in a traditional English pub before an all-day trip to Kent on Thursday to Balfour Winery. Here they had a sparkling wine masterclass before a tour of the vineyard. They also attended a men-only panel and finished up with a cider masterclass.

On Friday, the conference will take place and after a warm welcome, guests will hear from national and international speakers, discussing trends and topics in the wine industry.

One attendee, Eva Pemper discovered the spirit of sisterhood before she even landed in London. 

Eva is a winemaker and runs a business, Eva Pemper Wines, in New Zealand, where she has lived for the past 11 years after leaving her hometown in Croatia.

While reading the bios of other attendees, she came across another Croatian woman Michelle Knight, whose parents moved to the UK during Croatia’s War of Independence.

After Eva reached out, the two women discovered that not only were they from the same country, but they were from the same small town and their mothers lived on the same street, as best friends in Croatia. 

Eva said: “I read her feature on the WIWE Instagram and she mentioned Croatian parents, so I messaged her asking how she ended up in the U.K. That’s how we got talking and it was crazy. I haven’t read all the women’s features but for some reason, I read hers.

She added: “One cool thing that Michelle said is that she remembers that my mom was making wine.” 

Eva says that it was the power of social media that helped her make the realisation as she felt it might not have come up in conversation when the two women met in the group:

“We would have never even realised. We would have met at Women in Wine, and she might not have mentioned these specific things.”

Asked what message they would give to women hoping to get involved in the wine industry, Eva said: “If that’s your passion, follow it because it’s such an incredible community around the world to meet, for either men or women. It’s just so special. Don’t look at the beginning of it as being hard, just believe in what you are doing.”

Michelle said: “I think there’s a lot of opportunity because the UK wine industry is growing. Education is important because we don’t have previous generations teaching us. In most countries you probably don’t need a degree to get into it, we do as we need to learn the science behind it.”

If you want to hear more and see how you can attend future events, check out the Women in Wine Expo.

• Women in Wine Expo