Support Women in Wine: Pay for the Wine

Support Women in Wine: Pay for the Wine

In the lead-up to International Women’s Day,  Emile Wines have been inundated with requests to donate wine for events celebrating women. The promise? Exposure. The reality? A small, female-founded business being asked, yet again, to give away our wines for free.

We are proud to be a majority-female team, navigating an industry where women have historically been underrepresented and undervalued. And yet, every year, as International Women’s Day approaches, we see the same pattern: companies, organisations, and events celebrating women ask for free wine, expecting our contribution in the name of solidarity. But support isn’t exposure; support is paying for wine.

Women in Wine: A History of Barriers

The wine industry has long been dominated by men, with women facing barriers to entry, recognition, and leadership. Consider this:

Yet, while women remain underrepresented in leadership, the expectation persists that we should give away our labour and products in exchange for visibility.

What Supporting Women in Wine Actually Means

Supporting women in wine means more than hashtags and panel discussions. It means recognising the financial, structural, and cultural barriers that exist and taking meaningful steps to break them down. That includes:

  • Paying women for their work. Whether it’s winemaking, retail, hospitality, or journalism—don’t expect free labour.
  • Stocking and promoting wines from female-led businesses. Visibility is valuable, but sales are what sustain small businesses.
  • Calling out the biases in the industry. Whether it’s how wines made by women are marketed or how female winemakers struggle to access funding, we need to challenge outdated systems.
  • Recognising and amplifying real support. We are fortunate to have been part of CollectEve, a network of female wine importers, and to have been recognised by Code Women in Hospitality. Journalists such as Mina Holland, Hannah Crosbie, and Jane on Wine have championed our wines. Wine buyers and somms including Alex Price, Honey Spencer, Holly Willcocks, Jeri Kimber-Ndiaye, Zoé Donadio, and Kristina Gladilina, to name a few, have consistently listed our wines. Supper clubs, such as Her Table and Maison Kim, have supported us through their events. And a special mention goes to Natalia Ribbe for founding Ladies of Restaurants, an initiative dedicated to uplifting and advocating for women in the hospitality industry.

If You Want to Celebrate Women, Invest in Them

International Women’s Day is meant to be about tangible action, not symbolic gestures. If you truly want to support women in wine, start by recognising our value—and that means paying for the wine.

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