Pushing open the door for women The much-anticipated Women in Wine Expo returned this summer to the birthplace of wine, Georgia writes Katherine Gannon. During the first week of May, women from across the globe were immersed in the splendour of Georgia wine country where they stayed at the five-star Lopota Lake Resort and Chateau Buera based in Napareuli. Female winemakers, sommeliers, and women from all aspects of the industry were invited to taste international wines while learning from the experts behind its creation using traditional techniques dating back some 8,000 years. “My wine journey started 13 years ago, and my passion is women empowerment said Senay Ozdemir. Senay Ozdemir is the organiser behind the Women in Wine Expo in Georgia but also a TED speaker, a former TV presenter, a lecturer and
the award-winning journalist who launched SEN, a magazine awarded the best newspaper in Holland. All before turning her attention to the wine industry a decade ago, with the creation of her PR agency House of Red & White which has been going from strength to strength in its goal of educating more females involved in the industry. She surmised: “The reason there is so much participation of women in Georgia and Russia in the wine industry is that men leave for war and women take over the business. The woman doesn’t usually go to war.” Senay is pushing open the door for women worldwide through her business while also shining a light on the lesser-known wine exporting regions of Eastern European countries,
“I must work three times harder as an African woman.”
including her parents’ home country, Turkey. With a focus on the ancient wines produced in Georgia, Armenia, and Turkey, the expo hosted various wine tastings and workshops to learn about both the traditional production of wine and how traditional Eastern Qvevri wine is produced. One speaker for the ‘changing the narrative’ section of the expo was Sharrol Mukendi-Klass, Wine Steward Tamboerswinkel in Cape Town. “I must work three times harder as an African woman,” Sharrol told attendees who clapped when hearing of her successful journey of getting involved in the PIWOSA Women in Wine Initiative. Ms Mukendi-Klass worked in hospitality for 15 years. Although she didn’t originally set out to be an expert in the field, she had a deep interest in pairing dishes with the right wine and combined this with her drive to show that women can excel
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