Gina Gallo

Owner/Winemaker
E&J Gallo

Gina is vice-president of winemaking for both Gallo Estate Wines and her own creation, the Gallo Signature Series. She was apprenticed to 30-year winemaking veteran Marcello Monticello, one of the most respected of the Gallo winemakers, and a trusted friend of her father and grandfather.

Pauline Lhote

Director of Winemaking
Chandon

Lhote is the second female winemaking director at Chandon. At the age of 14 she decided to be a winemaker, and never wavered. She progressed from an intern, to assistant winemaker to head winemaker. She was named to Wine Enthusiast’s Top 40 Under 40 list in 2017.

Gaelle Goossens

Senior Winemaker
Veuve Clicquot

Gaelle joined Veuve Clicquot and the Development, Innovation and Communication of Oenology team mid-2016. Gaelle has led the department since 2019. During the harvest, she is in charge of the Verzy pressing centre in the Montagne de Reims and of the Pinot Noir vinification. 

Elizabeth McCall

Master Distiller
Woodford Reserve

Elizabeth was hired by the R&D team at Brown-Forman in 2009. She works on the development of new products within Woodford Reserve. Additionally, she interacts one-on-one with consumers and works to define the quality sensory standard to which every batch of Woodford Reserve must comply.

Debbie Juergenson

Winemaker
Apothic

Juergenson began her career in winemaking in 1995. She enjoys pushing boundaries to give people a memorable experience. She is best known for her mastery of blending wines. For Apothic Red, she has mixed Zinfandel, Syrah, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon.

Nicole Hitchcock

Head Winemaker
J Vineyards

Nicole joined E. & J. Gallo Winery as a winemaker in 2004. She now serves as head winemaker for J Vineyards and Winery, overseeing all aspects of winemaking, from vineyard to bottle.

Beth Liston

Director of Winemaking
Dark Horse

Beth is the director of winemaking for Dark Horse. She has worked for Gallo for the last 14 years; working her way up to her current role. She is the architect behind Dark Horse’s impressive lineup of wines. 

Meaghan Frank

Vice President
Dr. Konstantin Frank

Meaghan is the fourth generation winegrower. She has revolutionized the way the winery is run as well as the quality of the wines. She runs the day-to-day operations at the winery with a focus on winemaking direction, staff satisfaction, export markets, and guest experience.

Pam Heilman

Master Distiller
Michter's

Pam Heilman became the first woman since Prohibition to serve as Master Distiller at a Kentucky Distillers Association distillery. She is regarded as one of America's most talented distillers.

Jennifer Wall

Winemaker
Barefoot

One of the world’s most-awarded winemakers. Jennifer has crafted more than 30 wines for Barefoot’s growing collection. She’s been with Barefoot for over 20 years, and crafts what just be might America’s most recognized wine label.

Holly Shishik

Owner
Saratoga Courage

Holly Shishik owns the Saratoga Courage Distillery in in Greenfield Center, NY. A visit to the distillery is an observation of female power. The women who work there are producing 8,000 one liter bottles a month or 1,333 cases.

Alex Thomas

Master Blender
The Sexton

One of few women in whiskey. Master Blender at Sexton Irish Whiskey. Creator of The Sexton. "I'm a firm believer that we can all do anything we want to do as long as we put our mind to it, regardless of gender."

Lesley Gracie

Founder
Hendrick's

Legendary Master Distiller at Hendrick's Gin. Gracie, a former scientist who had been with William Grant & Sons for many years developing different flavor profiles, created the original Hendrick’s Gin recipe in the late 1990s. She was inducted into the Gin Magazine Hall of Fame in 2021.

Kate Mead

Co-Owner
Wyoming Whiskey

Kate is responsible for licensing, governmental regulation and administrative law work for her family owned distillery. She also does tastings and promotional work for the company. In addition to this, she also runs Mead Ranch Natural Beef.

Cristina Mariani-May

President & CEO
Banfi

As CEO of the burgeoning wine empire, Mariani-May has pushed the brand towards modern and sustainable practices. It was on her watch that Castello Banfi became the first winery in the world to receive a triple ISO designation, awarded for exceptional environmental, social, and ethical responsibility.

Leigh Hazlitt Triner

Co-CEO
Hazlitt

Leigh Hazlitt Triner and her brother Doug are the sixth generation of Hazlitts growing grapes and orchard fruit on the land their family purchased back in 1852. While the winery was established in 1985 by her parents Jerry and Elaine Hazlitt, Leigh, then 10, grew up learning from scratch every step in the process from the vineyards to the bottle.

Terri Balletto

VP and Founder
Balletto Vineyards

Terri Balletto joined the family when she married John Balletto in 1988. While John applies his farming skills
to the vineyards, Terri oversees many of the winery’s back office operations. All the jobs behind the scenes that make the winery run efficiently fall under her purview.

Caley Shoemaker

Head Distiller
Hangar 1

Head distiller at Hangar 1 Vodka. Caley oversaw the release of the brand’s buzziest spirit: rosé vodka. Caley is one of a few female distillers in the beverage industry. She is a member of Ladies of American Distilleries organization.

Dafna Mizrahi

Founder
Curamia

Curamia is almost entirely female-founded, female-financed, and female-staffed, including the distillery workers, 95% of whom are women. Its liquid extraction model is recognized by the Tequila Regulatory Council for its sustainable distillation process by utilizing water for the cleanest possible product. 

Marsha Milam

Founder
Milam & Greene

Entrepreneur Marsha Milam partnered with Heather Greene, Master Blender, and Master Distiller Marlene Holmes. The trio’s experiments in sourcing, blending and finishing are the focus of the business. With its innovation and fortitude, Milam and Greene are setting new standards of excellence in the once-old boys’ network.

Jackie Zykan

Master Taster
Old Forester

As Master Taster, Jackie conducts master level trainings across the globe, leads Old Forester’s Single Barrel private selection program and oversees the brand drink strategy across all platforms.

Dr. Rachel Barrie

Master Blender
Glendronach, Glenglassaugh, BenRiach

Dr. Rachel Barrie started at Brown Forman in 2017 to work as a master blender, charged with handling whisky creation across their then recently-acquired distilleries of GlenDronach, Benriach, and Glenglassaugh.

Kelsey McKechnie

Malt Master
Balvenie

 McKechnie was appointed Malt Master in 2022. Known for her progressive yet respectful approach to crafting The Balvenie’s whiskies, McKechnie has become an integral part of the team, taking on responsibility in all aspects of the malt master role.

Bronya Shillo

Founder
Fishers Island

Founder & CEO of Fishers Island Lemonade. Since the brand’s inception, they’ve been a member of 1% for the Planet, an organization that connects companies wishing to donate funds to environmental organizations in need of funding. In addition to that, FIL gives back to every nonprofit on Fisher's Island.

Lisa Elovich

Founder
One With Life

Lisa is the founder of One With Life Organic Tequila. “The message behind the tequila is a message of living your life with compassion, kindness and courage and being fully present for all those around you and being kind to the environment,” says Elovich.

Kirsteen Campbell

Master Blender
The Famous Grouse

After establishing herself in her first stint as Master Blender for Cutty Sark, Edrington added The Famous Grouse to her portfolio. She created the 25 Year Old Tam o’Shanter, the Cutty Sark 33 Year Old, Cutty Sark Prohibition and Cutty Sark Storm.

Karina Arroyo

Winemaker
Allegro Wines

Karina combines her passion for winemaking with inspiration from her friends and family, and in doing so she's bridging the gap between traditional wines and modern winemaking to craft a delicious, sociable wine that anyone can enjoy!

Amanda Gorter

Head Winemaker
Intercept Wines

 Amanda spent years training under some of the industry’s best winemakers. Her relentless dedication to the craft and creativity in winemaking transforms hand-selected grapes from Paso and Monterey vineyards into the award-winning line of Intercept Wines.

Kate Hudson

Founder
King St. Vodka

In 2019, actor and entrepreneur Kate Hudson debuted her small-batch vodka. King St. Vodka is the first female-led craft vodka brand, which Hudson said she developed specifically to fill the need in the industry for a vodka geared toward women. 

Carol Duval-LeRoy

CEO
Duval-Leroy Champagne

Carol is the quintessential lady of Champagne. Champagne represents French art de vivre, and Carol can justifiably be proud of making a contribution that has commanded such admiration. Carol is the female lead who has earned respect in a male-dominated world.

Linda Cash & Meghan Hanna

Owner & Founder
Two Chicks

In 2019, Linda launched Two Chicks Cocktails with Founder Meghan Hanna. Meghan was raised by two mothers, is one of two daughters, and has two daughters — 2’s resonated in her life. This inspired the name Two Chicks Cocktails.

Victoria Ferguson

Head Winemaker
Mirassou Winery

Victoria is Head Winemaker at Mirassou. The most captivating part about wine to her is the story behind the descriptors. She noticed that there weren't any female mentors and wants to be in a position to help mentor the next generation of women in wine.

Stephanie Jacobs 

Director of Winemaking
Cakebread Cellars

Stephanie was appointed Cakebread Cellars winemaker in 2017, becoming only the fourth winemaker in the winery’s nearly five decades. She oversees all winemaking operations, upholding the winery’s style of consistent, balanced, age-worthy wines that pair well with good food and good friends.

Katie Hoggins

Winemaker
Cline

Katie has a phenomenal palate, and global winemaking experience spanning small and large wineries. Her enthusiasm to produce exciting wines, combined with her direct and efficient style, aligns well with the next generation of winemaking at Cline Family Cellars.

Anna McCarty

Winemaker
Kono Wines

Anna loves what each new harvest season brings, especially how the flavors and aromatics continuously develop and evolve from fruit into wine. Bringing all the elements together at blending, her challenge is to make the sum greater than the individual parts when subtle changes can make a huge difference.

Nicole Walsh

Winemaker
Lapis Luna

Forging her own path as a female winemaker in a male dominated field, Nicole expresses that “it is empowering for other women to see a woman making wine. Women customers, when they taste the wine and I tell them I am the winemaker, their eyes light up, there is interest, more questions asked.”

Suzanne Groth

President & CEO
Groth

Suzanne first went to work selling wine for a fine-wine distributor. She returned to the family business in 1998, working in wine sales and public relations before leading sales and marketing, and succeeded her father Dennis as president in 2017. She is committed to ensuring the success of the family business and health of the property for their future.

Margaret Leonardi

Winemaker
Fetzer

"Much like the principles of sustainability, I take a forward-thinking approach to every winemaking decision. . . Understanding how I want the wines to taste allows me to stay focused on the outcome when I plan vineyard visits, anticipate ripeness levels and decide when it’s time to harvest the grapes."

Sarah Varela

Winemaker
Shaw Organic

Sarah joined Bronco Wine Co. as an Assistant Cellar Supervisor in 2021 and moved into winemaking after harvest 2021. Avid about crafting, design, and hiking, Sarah's creativity fuels her passion for making the highest quality wines made with organic grapes that are accessible, affordable and environmentally responsible.

Isabel Mitarakis

Winemaker
Unrated

Unrated is rooted in authenticity and pushes the limits of the traditional wine industry. Winemaker Isabel Mitarakis’ passion is reflected in her commitment to producing a Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon that is true to the varietal.