It’s a man’s world, as they say, and James Brown croons, but women are making their way in it: from the famous groundbreaking widows of champagne to today’s women who remind us about the health of workers and their families, the wine industry is changing in France and around the world accepting more women in more roles among the ranks of men. With March 8 International Women’s Day, and entire month of March Women’s History Month, next month I’m hosting the French #Winophiles group of wine writers in celebrating the role of women and sustainability in wine by inviting participants to select sustainably grown wines from anywhere in France where a woman has a key role. Find all the details below as well as portraits of wine and women from Bordeaux who are making a sustainable difference in wine these days.

She might be a winemaker, owner, or otherwise be deeply involved in the business with an opportunity to produce or promote wines that help rather than harm the planet. Wineries might be certified organic or biodynamic by Demeter or be practicing. While highlighting women of today is important, so is sharing women from history; participants may do either.

Any region, any role, but showcase their work that’s good for the Earth

Next month, in our posts here on Wine Predator, we’ll be sharing wines from Alsace and Bordeaux by women working sustainably. I was able to interview a number of women winemakers from Bordeaux during a trade tasting in Los Angeles, and then Sue and I paired a wine from a woman winemaker I learned about from a ZOOM interview. I am working on interviewing the women from Alsace in the next month.

Last year we wrote these three on the theme of women in wine in France:

• A Toast to France’s Women in Wine: An Invitation for #Winophiles on #ValentinesDay for #WHM
• Champalou Fille’s 2020 Vouvray with French Favorites #Winophiles
• Femme Fatales? Widows are We: Organic Louis Roederer and Camembert #Winophiles

You’re invited to join us by writing an article and/or participating in our twitter chat Sat. March 18.

• You have a month to find one or more wines where one or more woman are working in wine sustainably in France. All are welcome to participate.
• The wine/s can be from any grape in any style– red, white, rose, orange, sparkling, sweet–- and from any region in France.
• While many participating writers emphasize pairing wines with foods, that is not required, but encouraged, especially sharing regional specialties and recipe adaptations.
• Sponsored posts and sample wines are fine as long as they are identified as such.
• We love to read about the stories behind the wine and why you chose it, but this month is it particularly important to learn more about how the wines are produced — and who is involved. Try to get an interview by ZOOM or email!
• We love to learn about travel to the region of France where your wine/s came from.
• During March, get your title to me by email, comment below, or post in the Facebook event under the title thread before Tuesday EOD March 14, 2023 please so that I can publish a preview post with titles and links to participants.
• From Friday May 17 to Saturday May 18 at 9am, please publish your post and include #Winophiles in the title of your article.
• Append to your post the preliminary HTML to link to other participants; it can be found on the Facebook event page or can be cut and pasted from the preview post.
• Join our 8am Pacific twitter chat on Sat. March 18 by following the hashtag #Winophiles. Prompts will be posted here at Wine Predator in the Preview Post the day before. You are welcome to schedule your tweets and to invite the women you are writing about to join us. 
• Read around, comment, and share each other’s posts about women working sustainably in wine in France.
• As soon as it is available, add the final HTML to your post which links to participants’ published posts.
• Have fun! Happy Women’s History Month! Stay tuned and subscribe!
• Email me with any questions: gwendolynalleyATyahooDOTcom.

2023 French Winophiles Calendar: You’re invited! 

Each month, a Winophile hosts a theme which entails writing an invite post like this one, followed by a preview post that links to participants, and a featured post. The host also organizes a chat and samples (generally available to those who are frequent contributors).  Articles are published by or on the third Saturday of the month, and a Twitter chat is often held on the third Saturday of the month at 8am Pacific. All are welcome.

Below is the initial tentative schedule for 2023.

Month: Date | Event name | Host name | Other details

January: Rhone Valley Diversity | Jill Barth | North or South
On Wine Predator: A Range of Rhone Wines Provide Delightful Diversity Paired with Citrus Salad and Instant Pot Cassoulet ( with recipes!)

February: Jura | Jeff Burrows | Any aspect of the Jura.

March:  France’s Women in Wine Working Sustainably/ Gwendolyn Alley /any region, any role but showcase their work that’s good for the Earth

April:  Springtime in Paris – Bistro Wine and Food | Cindy Rynning | Share your favorite Parisian bistro wines and foods – bonus points for your own experiences in the City of Light

May: Chardonnay / Deanna Kang / aligns with Chardonnay Day on May 25

June: Normandy for D-Day | Wendy Klik | Drinks, food, travel, culture

July:  New World Endeavors of French Wine Producers | Cathie Jenks Schafer

August: Summer in Provence | Linda Whipple

September: TBD?

October: Cru Bourgeois | Susannah Gold

November: The Ebb and Flow of Beaujolais Nouveau / Camilla Mann / Are You a Fan?

December: Bubbly, anyone?