March 7, 2013
The Ten Most Powerful Women in Wine
Move over, gentlemen… Women who rule the world of wine
The Drinks Business Magazine recently published a list of the fifty most powerful women in the wine industry. We proudly give you a countdown of the top ten:
10. Laura Jewell, MW: As the head of the wine buying team at Tesco, the UK’s largest supermarket chain, Jewell wields enormous power over British palates.
9. Corinne Mentzelopoulos: The owner and manager of Bordeaux’s First Growth Château Margaux. Chateau Margaux holds the record for the most expensive bottle of wine ever broken. When a bottle of the 1787 was dropped, the insurance company paid out $200,000 for the spilled wine.
8. Judy Leissner: At only 24 years old, Leissner took over China’s legendary Grace Vineyard from her father and transformed the winery into an internationally recognized producer of fine wine.
7. Debra Meiburg, MW: Meiburg is the first Asia-based Master of Wine and the founder of Asia’s largest wine competition, the Cathay Pacific Hong Kong International Wine and Spirit Competition.
6. Daniéle Ricard: Last year Ricard took control of her family’s legacy, Pernod Ricard, the world’s second largest drinks company. She’s now in charge of Mumm and Perrier-Jouët Champagnes, plus Australian brand Jacob’s Creek and Spain’s Campo Viejo.
5. Lalou Bize-Leroy: The grand dame of Burgundy was instrumental in raising Domaine de la Romanée-Conti to its current iconic status. Now, she has her own winery Domaine Leroy and produces some of the most expensive ($2,500 per bottle) wines in region.
4. Baroness Philippine de Rothschild: Once a young actress in Paris, Rothschild now directs the operations of Bordeaux powerhouses such as Château Mouton Rothschild, Château Clerc Milon, and Château d’Amallhac, as well as California-based Opus One and the Chilean winery Almaviva.
3. Annette Alvarez-Peters: Who is the largest importer of French wine to the U.S., with over one billion dollars in annual wine sales? Costco. And Costco’s Director of Wine Buying? Annette Alvarez-Peters.
2. Jancis Robinson, MW: U.K journalist Robinson provides expert advice to Queen Elizabeth II for her majesty’s wine cellar. Robinson was the editor of the hallmark reference book, The Oxford Companion to Wine.
1. Gina Gallo: As Chief Winemaker at Gallo Family Vineyards, Gina Gallo oversees the winemaking operations of the world’s largest privately owned winery, with sales of 75 million cases of wine per year.
Do you agree with The Drinks Business Magazine's list? Did they leave anyone out? Tell us here.
