It’s always lovely to return to Stem & Stem, and this time I was there for my first event with Greenberg Traurig.
I’ve hosted quite a few tastings at this beautiful venue, which is also a florist, and was delighted to be back for an evening celebrating women in wine.
Whenever I run women in wine events, the turnout tends to be fabulous, and at this one we actually ran out of chairs!
The event brought women from the firm and clients together for a 90-minute tasting, exploring four wines made by women from around the world.
We started with grower Champagne from Ophélie and Arnaud. Ophélie hadn’t always planned to take over the family vineyard: she initially studied business before returning to Champagne and retraining in viticulture and oenology. Her approach is all about allowing the vineyard to speak through the wine.
Then came Premier Cru Chablis from sisters Nathalie and Isabelle Oudin, who now run their family estate in Burgundy.
Next was ‘Quite’ from Verónica Ortega in Bierzo, northwest Spain. Originally from Cádiz, Verónica honed her winemaking skills across Europe, including at the legendary Domaine de la Romanée-Conti in Burgundy, before establishing her own winery in Bierzo.
We finished with Barolo from Cristina Prandi, who began learning with her uncle as a teenager and launched her own label at just 20, bringing her family name back to the bottle.
I wanted to share both the wines and the decisions behind them: how these women approach their vineyards, what they want to express in the glass, and how they’re shaping the businesses they run.
That’s what I particularly enjoy about a women-in-wine tasting. There are such interesting lives and ambitions behind the bottles, and we get to explore those while discovering some wonderful wines together.
A lovely first evening with Greenberg Traurig, in a venue I’m always happy to return to.
