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Moving towards an egalitarian, sustainable and inclusive culture in the world of wine

International Women’s Day

Wines of Argentina, as agents of change, is committed to enhance equal opportunities between men and women in the world of wine. This March -and all year round- let's make visible the invisible! We commemorate Women's month by creating dialogue around exemplary practices that make a difference towards change.

Supporting equality, in addition to being the fairest decision, is the most intelligent. We are the first ‘Wines of’ in the world to adhere to the Women's Empowerment Principles (WEPs).

Get inspired by the testimonies of Argentianian women who are changing the wine industry by breaking stereotypes, by committing to equality and by being referents to the future of the sector.

Ana Viola | CEO of Malma Winery

“The wine industry, like most industries, continues to be uneven. But more than talking about the industry, I can talk about my company. At Malma Winery, half of us are women, and yet the percentage of absenteeism due to personal care obligations does not respect this distribution by gender. It rather reflects what we already know occurs in society in general: that the duty of caring for others falls mostly on women, potentially harming their professional growth.

The possibilities of offering flexible hours and remote work are important tools when it comes to narrowing the differences. Providing training, equal pay for the same work, taking women into decision-making positions, and creating a company culture that respects differences and encourages women -instead of excluding them- are initiatives for the beginning of change.

As a leading woman in the company, my commitment is in this sense. I work to guarantee equal conditions so that women can develop independently of the responsibilities with which society burdens them. In this way, we can generate an environment in which they can have the same opportunities as men.”

About Ana Viola

CEO of Malma Winery. Female leader of a family winery in Patagonia, wine from Neuquén. The winery is owned by the Viola family, pioneers and developers of the San Patricio del Chañar wine pole. She is passionate about Patagonia and its possibilities.

Claudia Quini | National Audit Director of the National Institute of Viticulture (INV)

“Despite the statements about the importance of gender equality and the programs implemented in different areas, it is evident -that in reality- progress is very slow in the achievement of relevant goals. For this reason, it is necessary to continue with the actions in a constant manner, with women as vectors of public policies, and women as pillars of the sustainable development programs inherent to the sectors in which we commit ourselves to work.

We would shorten the gap with the presence of women in all those spaces eager for scientific-technical, academic and social reference contributions. Within the organization to which I belong, there is a regulatory framework of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries of the Nation, which creates the Gender Perspective Mainstreaming Unit.

Likewise, and in accordance with the UN motto for the commemoration of Women's Day 2022, the National Institute of Viticulture (INV), contemplates the perspective on sustainability and care for the environment, from inclusion in the normative axes to institution participation in various projects.

Among those some initiatives stand out; for example, a plan on sustainable viticulture and the digitalization of the sector. Also, another one related to the training of the different actors on sustainable production with a specific area planned to be incorporated into the structure. And, the participation of experts in International Forums with a concrete approach in viticulture sustainability is highlighted.”

About Claudia Quini

One of the most recognized referents (from Mendoza) in Argentinian viticulture. She made her way in the world of wine after joining the National Institute of Viticulture (INV) in 1984. In there, today she is the National Audit Director and the Manager of the Research Area (an area in charge of a department for studying vineyards for oenological studies and sensory, and for analytical standards). Former OIV President.

Lorena Cepparo | Site Event & Wine Communication Manager at Chandon Argentina Wineries and Board member at VALOS

“It is clear that if we look at the last 15 years, women have made important advances within the wine industry, but I believe that there is still a long way to go. Today we can see many winemakers and agronomists leading teams, but the existence of the ‘glass ceiling’ is evident when one analyzes the boards or executive committees of companies. There are few women who occupy positions at the small table, and instead they are mostly devoted to areas considered ‘soft’ (in what we could call the old mentality) such as human resources, marketing and tourism. There are two main lines of action in my opinion to improve the opportunities for women to advance in their careers and break the ‘glass ceiling’.

One is to fight with information and combat the prejudices about the capacities of female leadership and its effectiveness. Strong leadership is still widely identified with characteristics historically perceived as masculine, such as hard character and a certain imposed authority, while female leadership is considered more ‘soft’ for not having the same manners, without much analysis of the results, which is what really matters. I have several very interesting anecdotes in this sense of women who achieved really relevant positions in Argentina and the world.

The second line of action in my opinion far exceeds the industry that concerns us and has to do with generating better working conditions that allow a balance between the different roles of working women. This is related, on the one hand, to what happens outside of work, with the double working day for women and the distribution of domestic and care tasks, where much progress has been made but much remains to be improved. And on the other hand, with working conditions in companies, researching and looking for ways in which work can be combined in a balanced way with personal life.

Simple things can be done like a certain flexibility of schedules that allows adjusting the time of entry and exit from work to the movements of the family, allowing some days of home office when possible, special supports such as daycare centers in companies or nearby places, and many others. These measures make it possible to generate fairer conditions so that women can dedicate all their capacity and energy to their work, freed from domestic concerns.

In the company where I work, some measures have been applied for a long time, such as coverage of childcare expenses for children up to 4 years of age, a benefit that was also extended to male employees a long time ago. It was also recently defined that, for positions that allow it, it is possible to work from home up to two days a week, thanks to the demystification of this issue that the pandemic allowed. It is something that we are still learning about every day because it implies new challenges for leaders and team management.”

About Lorena Cepparo

For more than 15 years, Lorena has been communicating in a creative, warm and elegant way in the wine industry. She currently divides her time as Site Event & Wine Communication Manager at Chandon Argentina Wineries - Estates & Wines – LVMH and also, collaborating as a board member at VALOS, the civil organization focused on the promotion of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) policies in Mendoza. AD HONOREM.

Marina Gayan | Argentina's first and only Master of Wine

“Sustainability is increasingly becoming core to the wine industry, and it is not feasible without gender equality. We are on the right path. Today a third of the world’s Masters of Wine are female but the gender split of the new MWs in the last 10 years has moved to 52% male and 48% female. More and more companies are including equality in their business plans. But it is not enough, it needs to be followed through with actions in areas that affect change such as hiring, training schemes, gender pay gap and inclusion of women in leadership positions. It is the responsibility of all of us in the wine industry to lift barriers that prevent anyone from fulfilling their potential and to eradicate gender bias.”

About Marina Gayan

Marina is Argentina's first and only Master of Wine. She was born in Buenos Aires where she lived until she moved to London in 1999. Over the past 25 years her professional focus has revolved around marketing and business development both in house and as a consultant performing branding and portfolio analysis, as well as designing strategy platforms. She has created, adapted, managed and developed brands around the world from mass market to premium/luxury wine names. She lately expanded her remit to advise private clients in wine related matters, realizing a long-time ambition to help consumers find wines that suit their palates. She is temporarily based in Buenos Aires, Argentina where she is focusing on education, advising wineries and writing about South American wines.

Patricia Cruz | Business woman from the Northwest region of Argentina and one of the first driver guides in the wine routes

“Talking about gender equality more than 20 years ago was almost impossible. The field or route work was exclusively for men, and women who came to do it were not well seen. Today that has changed after a lot of work by strong women and there is an open mind. We are on a good path to have equality. There is a lot of work to be done, but we are on our way.

I work proactively on the wine route. 20 years ago I was one of the first driver guides, when it was very difficult to travel in these regions. I fervently believe that women join together to create links and bridges, to bring the cultural identity closer, which in turn sum in the production of viticulture.

Because the land and its surroundings make the essence of the wine, adding more women so that through the feminine vision, being more sensitive and spiritual, they contribute their own to this activity.”

About Patricia Cruz

Small business woman from the beautiful Northwest region of Argentina. She has been managing and connecting regions for more than 20 years. Communicating the land and the vine with love and devotion. Committed to their land, she and her son Gonzalo have an ambitious project: to plant vineyards on the Saladillo and Quipón estate, Cachi. The production to be later sold on the warehouses installed in Cachi.

Romina Millán | Back Office Manager for the sales department in Casarena Winery

“Within the inequality of opportunities that exists in all industries, particularly in the wine industry, Casarena Winery is one of the exceptions. The company is ‘dominated’ -in the best sense of the word- by women. We do not prioritize titles or experiences, but pay attention to the energy and commitment that each one puts into the tasks, which gives opportunities to grow personally and professionally.

Work must be done to create decision-making and leadership space for suitable women. Also we need to give opportunities for growth and training for women who -due to old social standards- had to prioritize the roles of mothers and housewives and not their possible professional role. Above all, to avoid segregation between women, it is good to form alliances between women, but it is vital that these alliances invite men to participate, to be part, to listen and to give us the representation that we must have.

In the relationship with our clients, for two years, the company has been certified as sustainable and vegan. That commits us to the future from today. In addition, we sponsor a school in Perdriel and we have worked with the producers of El Arca. We are always looking for initiatives to work with the environment.”

About Romina Millán

Romina is the nerve center of the winery's sales development; from floor stock to shipments. She works in coordination with COMEX -Internal Market- Logistics and Production. In that way, she is the gear that makes everything turn; not only because of the position it occupies, but also because of her drive, claw, desire, responsibility, solidarity, camaraderie and energy.

Sofía Pescarmona | CEO and Co-Owner of Lagarde Winery

“Prejudices continue to exist in the wine industry. There are no equal opportunities despite the positive progress that has been made in recent years. There are still gender-specific positions, such as warehouse operator, production manager, farm manager, agricultural engineer, among others. This is something cultural and to change it, you have to train, generating awareness that, if the person is optimal for the position, they can execute it regardless of their sex.

In oenology, although there are more women than a few years ago, there are still more men. This situation is also reflected in those who rate the wines, who are mostly male. This generates inequality and it must be improved. As more women fill positions they weren't used to before, the more new professionals will be encouraged to apply for these and other jobs. The example is the best way to change what we do not like.

At Lagarde Winery, we always seek to develop the capacities of women -at the same time as those of men-. We want an equitable, conscious and harmonic inclusion. Currently, our team is made up of 50% women and 50% men. The ideal is to lead by example, focusing on today's professional women, such as winery operators, harvesters, winemakers, owners, chefs and tourism managers. Tell your stories to inspire others. We must dare to occupy spaces that were previously unthinkable.”

About Sofía Pescarmona

CEO of Lagarde Winery, a family enterprise. It has a name and an image associated more with a traditional winery and, curiously, with a larger scope. Sofía and Lucila Pescarmona, third generation of Lagarde Winery, are the creators of the Sisters’ Collection line of limited batches.

Amelia Janco | Owner of Dupont Winery

“We are all Pachamama, it contains us all, everything is Pachamama. Respecting is thinking about a sustainable tomorrow. As a woman from La Quebrada, my place is the daily struggle to achieve respect for our place, our environment and our future. So we will be taking care of our future generation.

Wine and women just started in the Quebrada, you have to take it with honor and communicate it slowly, but firmly. I would like to represent pride and commitment with the women of the wine sector of the Puna and the Quebrada. My participation in this world is with the group ‘Quebradenias y el Vino’, a collective of women who have been working to raise awareness about the non-abuse of alcohol and responsible consumption.

We consider that wine goes beyond alcohol; alcohol is sadness and it has been synonymous with mistreatment. My hope is to encourage our surroundings, and especially the women of La Quebrada to consider wine as a point of encounter and communication, not as a rupture.

On the other hand, the future of Mamaireno is in our hands. We are implementing a campaign to clean up plastic waste in the peri-urban community, a project that we carry out together with the Tourism Area of the Municipality of Maimara. But, it is not only cleaning, but making the horticultural worker aware of the environmental impact produced by intensive crops. “Donating 15 minutes of your time, to achieve better future times”... is our slogan.”

About Amelia Janco

Together with her husband Fernando they are the owners of Dupont winery. It is located at the heart of La Quebrada, at the height of the San Pedrito area, at 2.500 m.a.s.l. in Maimará - department of Tilcara. Amelia and Fernando are winemakers characterized by producing ‘wines of extreme height’.

She carries out the task of communicating wine on the women's side; for that, Amelia leads a recent project that brings together women with the same goal by breaking prejudices associated with wine associated with men. ‘The Quebradeñas del vino’ are a group of 10 women from the Puna and the Quebrada, Amalia is the leader.

Ana Lovaglio | Marketing Manager at Dominio del Plata Winery

“Although I understand that there is equality in all companies, I believe that much progress has been made in this regard in the wine sector. There are more and more professional women advancing in their careers within the industry in different areas (engineers, oenologists, managers, hospitality, chefs, etc.). Being immersed in the reality of our company, proves that YES there are.

Before, I did not believe in quotas… I was a little naive. I considered that I had to be meritocratic and that the best professional wins, regardless of their gender. Today I understand that quotas level the balance to start the discussion. That said, it would be interesting for all companies to have objectives related to this, for example, substantial representation of women in the total number of employees, participation of women on boards and/or in decision-making positions

In our case, our history and work environment, having been founded by a woman and being led by women, makes it very natural. For instance, we have women in various management positions and, of course, on the board of directors.”

About Ana Lovaglio

Marketing Manager at Dominio del Plata Winery. Ana has a degree in Business Administration from the University of San Andrés in Buenos Aires. She is the creator, and is in charge of the management of the winery's restaurant: Osadía de Crear, which opened in 2013. She believes that good wine is not to be saved for a special occasion, but rather to be enjoyed at any moment. His favorite varietals are Cabernet Franc and Chardonnay. Ana is the mother of Santino and Delfina, the future generation of winemakers at Susana Balbo Wines.

Be active in change!

Let’s advance together to accomplish equal opportunities in the workplace, the market and the community. We can develop strategies to obtain equality between men and women.

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