08 Mar 2024
I can’t quite believe it’s been just a year since I wrote my first piece celebrating International Women’s Day. Twelve months on and it appears the wine industry hasn’t made anywhere near the progress it needs to when it comes to equality.
According to a recent study conducted by Proof Insight in partnership with Curious Vines, founded by Queena Wong, more than three-quarters of women working in
the wine industry have identified sexism as one of the primary challenges they face.
The survey included 726 respondents, all of whom were women with roles spanning winemaking, sales, distribution, retail, hospitality, and marketing.
78% of women in sommelier or hospitality roles reported being affected by sexism or gender bias. Many women expressed discomfort due to comments or jokes made by men in the workplace. 44% of women have contemplated leaving the wine industry due to these challenges.
Queena Wong emphasized that the UK wine industry needs to improve the experience of women and hopes that her study will serve as a catalyst for meaningful change. It still saddens me to hear these challenges, and whilst I can’t change it on my own, I do have, albeit small, a part to play in highlighting some of the highly talented females who have acted as a role models and supported me on my journey into the world of wine.
This week, I’m delighted to have interviewed Hertfordshire’s very own Jen Connan, owner and chief wine enthusiast at Hertfordshire Wine School in St Albans. I first met Jen this time last year when I started to study for the WSET Level 3 Qualification and Jen was my WSET certified educator.
I have a lot to thank her for as her teaching, coaching and sense of humour helped me prepare and pass the qualification – a qualification that less than 60% of people pass on their first attempt!
Jen is committed to helping people learn about and discover new wines, and her motto is: “Drink wine you enjoy, not wine you think you should enjoy.”
She holds the WSET Diploma in Wines, is a WSET certified educator, and a Wine Scholar Guild French wine scholar. Jen’s dedication to wine education makes her an invaluable asset to Hertfordshire Wine School, where they offer fun and informative wine tasting events throughout the county, welcoming everyone from novices to serious sippers.
How did you get interested in wine?
It started out as a hobby. I didn’t really know anything about wine and wanted to learn a little bit so that I could choose better wines in shops and restaurants. I was living in London at the time and went to a few tastings at the East London Wine School. I started with an eight-week ‘World of Wine’ course. I soon realised how much there was to learn about wine. My holidays started to include visiting wine regions and I discovered WSET courses.
Fast forward to 2021, I was finishing my WSET Diploma, quitting my day job and buying Hertfordshire Wine School. I’m very lucky that I had the opportunity to turn my hobby into my job.
What did you do before buying the Hertfordshire Wine school?
I worked as part of an in-house legal team at a technology company…quite different to running a wine school!
What do you enjoy most about your job?
That is a tough one! Despite what my friends and family think, I don’t just sit around drinking wine all day! (Although I am very lucky that tasting lots of different wines is part of the job.) I just really enjoy talking to people about wine!
I like how a group of strangers walk into a tasting, most from different backgrounds, with different levels of wine knowledge, but they all have one thing in common, they enjoy wine. It brings people together.
It’s always great when people discover a new wine or region that they never would have chosen themselves and it is really nice when people tell me they’ve gone out and bought wines that I’ve introduced them to at a tasting. It isn’t just about giving people wines that they will like, because everyone has very different tastes, it is about getting them to try different wines and help them to figure out why they do or don’t like something.
I’m also always proud when my candidates do well in the WSET exams.
For those who haven’t heard of the Hertfordshire Wine School before – how would you describe it?
It’s wine tasting for everyone! It doesn’t matter what level of wine knowledge you have; everyone is welcome at our tastings. The most important thing is that people have fun because wine should always be fun.
We offer a range of different tastings, including introduction to wine, country or region focused tastings, masterclasses, food and wine events such as wine and cheese, fizz, fish and chips, and wine and crisps (yes, wine and crisps!).
We also offer WSET Award in Wines Levels 1-3, aimed at those working in the wine industry and serious enthusiasts!
What challenges have you faced as a woman in the wine industry?
The main one is the assumption that I’m the ‘helper’ at events rather than the person running the event, or that I work for someone else, rather than being the owner of Hertfordshire Wine School.
I’ve experienced comments that I honestly don’t think a man would get.
Have you noticed any changes in the industry regarding gender equality over the years?
Women are definitely more visible in the wine industry now compared to even just a few years ago.
There are lot more high-profile female journalists, MWs, MSs, communicators, wine makers, educators, buyers etc. Of course, there is still more to be done, and that isn’t limited to achieving gender equality, but diversity in general.
Could you recommend some wines that are produced by female winemakers?
Two of my favourites are Susana Balbo, an Argentinian wine maker, and Katie Jones, a British woman making wine in the south of France. Susana Balbo was the first woman in Argentina to graduate with a degree in winemaking.
She wanted to study nuclear physics but in the 1970s it was seen as a rather unconventional choice for a woman, so she stayed in Mendoza, where her family were. After working for numerous wineries, she founded her own in 1999 and both of her children now work with her at the winery.
She’s served as President of Wines of Argentina three times and was a congresswoman! I was lucky enough to do an online tasting with her last year and it was a proper fangirl moment!
I absolutely love her wines, but my favourite is her Signature Barrel Fermented Torrontés – she is known as the Queen on Torrontés.
Katie Jones, originally from Leicester, moved to the south of France 20 years ago, where she worked for a local wine co-operative. In 2008 she bought her first vineyard – just 2.5has. She hasn’t had an easy time…some locals weren’t happy about a British woman making wine, in 2012, vandals broke into the winery and emptied the tanks, she lost all of her white wine that vintage. She now has 12ha – all local (and some very rare) varieties – including some 100-year-old Carignan vines. Domaine Jones ‘Hairy Grenache’ is a perfect BBQ wine (it’s nearly summer, right?).
Both are widely available in the UK – The Wine Society stock both producers and GWC also stocks Susana Balbo.
What advice would you give to women who are interested in pursuing a career in the wine industry?
This advice isn’t specifically for women but there are so many different careers in the wine industry…. commercial roles, winemaking, working in a vineyard, hospitality, education, and communication, to list a few.
As a starting point, try and decide which route you want to take. WSET has a careers page with information about different career routes (and a jobs page) and there’s also Wine Jobs England.
Go to as many tastings as possible.
If you can, start formal education, such as WSET or WSG, as soon as you can. It gives you credibility when you apply for jobs if you’ve already started educating yourself.
Depending on the route you take, be prepared to work unsociable hours! Most of my events and courses are evenings and weekends. Sometimes I have to miss out on things with family and friends because I’m working.
If you don’t ask, you don’t get…I initially contacted Hertfordshire Wine School to see if I could help out with some tastings, as it happened the owner was looking to sell the business and now here I am.
How do you approach selecting wines for your tasting events and what factors do you consider?
It really depends on the tasting, for example, if it’s an introduction to wine/a country/region, then I look for typicity. I like to include ‘off-the-beaten-track’ wines where I can…it could be a rare grape variety, a grape variety not commonly used in that region, or unusual wine making techniques.
I try to use as many different wines as possible, partly so that I don’t get bored of talking about the same wines, but also so that people coming back to events get to try different wines. The most important thing is that the wines are accessible – easy for people to buy themselves at a reasonable price. Price is definitely an important factor – it is important to remember that a lot of people do not spend £20, £30, £40+ on a bottle of wine (the average price of a bottle of wine purchased in the UK is about £7) so when choosing wines, I always ask myself if the wine is good value for money.
How do you stay up-to-date with the latest developments in the wine industry, and what resources do you rely on?
I read! Decanter is my main go-to publication, Noble Rot magazine, Jancis Robinson’s website, the Wine Society publish some great blogs and region/country updates. I attend trade-tastings and masterclasses when I get the chance and listen to Podcasts (Wine Blast with Susie & Peter and Somm TV are great). There are lots of wine organisations such as WineGB, Wines of Australia, InterRhone, many of the Spanish DOs etc. that have great educational resources, online courses, and run tastings, which are great ways to keep up to date with things. I wish I had more time to do courses as a student, rather than a teacher!
In your opinion, what are some of the most exciting and innovative wine regions in the world right now?
Well, for innovation, it’s always worth looking at ‘New World’ regions, like New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, and South America. As they have fewer and less strict rules governing winemaking, it means the wine makers can do what they want and experiment.
Great Southern in Western Australia is definitely one to watch. Perfect conditions for growing top quality grapes. Combining the classics, we see from across Australia with less planted varieties, such as Tempranillo.
Hawke’s Bay in New Zealand. I love this region and there is a lot of innovation. I’ve tried a couple of Alberino’s from here recently, plantings are tiny but it’s nice to see something different.
Some of the oldest wine making regions shouldn’t be overlooked either, places like Georgia, Greece, eastern European countries like Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia. The focus on growing high quality, indigenous varieties is really exciting.
What have you tasted recently that you would recommend to the readers (Available to buy in St Albans)?
Vilarnau Brut Nature Cava Reserva (£15.25 from Cellar Door Wines ). Brut Nature is the driest style of sparkling wine, with less than 3g/l of residual sugar, and no sugar, or dosage, is allowed to be added after disgorgement. It is a sparkling wine in its purest form. I LOVE this really dry style, so fresh and lively. Reserva Cava must spend at least 15 months ageing, but this one spends 24 months ageing, so it has lots of lovely brioche and biscuit characteristics. High quality Cava is excellent value for money!
Sorcova Romanian Pinot Noir (£8.99 from Waitrose). For me, this is the perfect mid-week light bodied red. I’d even drink it lightly chilled in summer (the tannins are low enough that it wouldn’t taste harsh when chilled.) Full of lovely vibrant fresh red fruit – red cherry, raspberry, redcurrant, and a hint of vanilla from oak.
Pinot Noir is a fussy grape, and it is difficult to find a good one for under £10…they are often a bit thin or too jammy.
It is not an earthy, complex Burgundian style Pinot Noir but it isn’t trying to be! I have to say I was delighted to see the Romanian Pinot Noir from Cramele Recas feature in Jen’s
recommendations, it’s a firm favourite of mine too.
Don’t just take my word for it, now you know a little bit more about the very talented Jen Connan, check out her website and Instagram pages to find out more about the
upcoming tastings and masterclasses, or maybe you’re ready to sign up to studying for a wine qualification.
Believe me, there’s no better way to spend your weekend, than tasting wine every other Sunday above Thompsons restaurant in St Albans.
