Women in Wine

Wine is stereotypically considered a woman’s drink of choice, while men are typically the beer drinkers, the whiskey and scotch types. But these are old schools of thought, and we know that both women and men can equally enjoy wine — and beer, whiskey and scotch too! When it comes to the wine industry, however, there is a gender split seen in the winemakers and producers of the world.

The wine market is very male dominated

In the US alone, about 75% of winemakers are men. This male dominance is seen in other wine producing countries and regions as well, but there has definitely been a shift in seeing more women producers come into play.

We are lucky enough to have had women involved in our wine production since the very beginning! San Simone winery was founded by a husband-and-wife team (the great grandparents of today’s owners), then was expanded by another husband-and-wife team (the grandparents), and then enhanced even further by yet another husband-and-wife team (the parents)... and now, the fourth generation of Brisotto’s are at the helm of the winery, two of which are women!

San Simone Winery led by Women 

Sisters Chiara and Anna Brisotto, along with their brother Antonio, manage the San Simone business, never wavering on their core value and belief that there should always be a strong connection between product, environment and human affairs. Something else that is important to them is family. 

Chiara explains that wine is a sentimental thing for her. It represents the bond between her parents, and the passion they have for their work and the love they have for their family, and they instilled a sense of responsibility in their children that has been a driving force in the success of the winery, and guides them through their daily lives. Anna also gives sentimental value to wine, saying that it embodies her life at this very moment, but also reminds her of the past.

With these two women producing Premium Prosecco (and other great wines) in Friuli, Italy, it only made sense for another woman to come into the picture. Enter Regina Blohm!

SYLTBAR meets San Simone

As you may have read on our website and through social media posts, Regina and Claus Blohm both individually discovered San Simone Prosecco 30 years ago, in the same place, the Island of Sylt. Years later, when they met as neighbors, they figured out that they shared a love of the same Prosecco and believed it to be the best Prosecco they have ever tasted. They eventually made the decision to create SYLTBAR and bring it to the US market, and the rest is history.

Regina is at the forefront of the brand. She lives, breathes, and loves Mr SYLTBAR and is the face you picture when you think of SYLTBAR. Alongside producers Chiara and Anna, she was the missing link to complete this trio of Women in Wine.

These three smart, beautiful and successful women join the now-growing population of women winemakers. March 8th might have been International Women’s Day, but we think women should be celebrated everyday, especially those who are producing the wines we love to drink! Of course, we can't leave our Claus and Antonio who have supported us through these years. 

Cheers to women in winemaking! To shop our woman-owned and women-produced SYLTBAR wines, visit syltbar.com or use the locator to find a retailer near you that sells our wine.