May 2023 Meeting speaker recap
WIN Women & Wine
Just when you thought that there was no better combination than women and wine, the WIN May meeting threw in women wine producers pioneering in the field as winemakers and invited all WIN members for an evening of sampling the local wines. The three women represented Querceto di Castellina, Fattoria Pomona, and Le Miccine. Each spoke about the challenges of being a woman in the industry which included not being taken seriously, having to modify one’s personality due to the dynamics, etc. Luckily, these women have begun paving a smoother path for future women in the industry by creating names for themselves. Mary Shea was our first speaker, who brought along her mother-in-law, and mentioned that with her marketing skills she was able to grow the family business from 3,000 bottles per year to 45,000-55,000 per year! Their 28 acre organic estate not only produces wine, but also has 9 apartments and a double-suite to escape to as well. Our second speaker, Monica Raspi, is the owner and winemaker of Fattoria Pomona, a 15 acre estate nestled in Castellina in Chianti. She shares her passion with the family as well and produced a lovely Chianti Classico that we were all heavily enjoying. Our third speaker was Paula Papini Cook, who is the owner and head winemaker of Le Miccine, another family owned winery that is also an agriturismo, offering stays in the heart of its production. You can currently find Le Miccine wines distributed internationally to Montreal, New York, Auckland, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing, and across cities in Europe. They typically produce about 40,000 bottles per year. We also had a brief visit from the President of the American International League of Florence, Begga, who shared details about the “Viva Vittoria Firenze” project that everyone is encouraged to get involved with. Volunteers knit together 50×50 cm (19×19 inch) squares and blanket installations will be placed in Piazza Santa Croce November 11-12, 2023. Proceeds from blankets sold will be donated to Artemisia Centro, Antivolenza, ACISJF and Nosotras Onus charities. Chloe Guest also briefly spoke about how Melaleuca, an Australian/American owned cafe and bakery came about. A common theme of our May meeting was women attaining their dreams here in Italy and supporting other women along the way.
