Facts and Figures Gathered in Our On-going Research on California Women Winemakers

Lucia Albino Gilbert, Ph.D., and John Carl Gilbert, Ph.D.
Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, CA 95053

(Updated April 2025)

  1. How many California wineries today have a lead woman winemaker?**

    Of the 4200+ wineries in California, approximately 14% of them reported a woman as their lead winemaker in our 2020 study. This represents an increase from the 10% figure reported in our 2011 study. Both the 2011 and 2020 studies are posted on womenwinemakers.com under the heading, Books/Studies. NB: in our studies, lead winemakers are those winemakers who have the primary responsibility for producing wine at a winery or winemaking facility.

  2. Weren't 10% of California winemakers women in 1890? Has so little progress been made toward increasing the percentage of female winemakers?

    This oft-quoted statistic has been attributed to the journalist William F. Heintz (1933-2012), who wrote two books on the history of Napa Valley. Neither book makes any mention of this 10% figure, however. Both books describe the small number of women who became winery owners following the death of their spouse. A few of these owners were thought to be active in winemaking. It was not until the 1960s that progress began to be made.

  3. What is the best-guess scenario for the expected progress in the next decade for CA winemakers who are women?

    A case study using data from only those recognized California wineries with open positions between 1999 and 2014 indicates a best-guess scenario of 21 percent. The case study is posted on womenwinemakers.com under the heading Book/Studies.

  4. Who is the first recognized woman winemaker in California?

    Hannah Weinberger is the first recognized woman winemaker in California. After her husband's death in 1882, she became the first female winery owner and winemaker in Napa Valley. She ran the Weinberger winery until Prohibition laws closed it in 1920. The winery and homestead are on the National Register of Historic Places.

    During this same time period, Eliza Shaw Hood, Ellen Stuart, and Kate Warfield in the Sonoma Valley also became winery owners following the death of their spouses and petitioned to gain the legal right to operate as female proprietors of their estates.

    Josephine Tychson of Freemark Abbey, a contemporary of Weinberger in Napa, was a winery owner, but not a winemaker. She completed the family winery in 1886, following the death of her spouse, and operated the winery until 1894. In 2020, Ted Edwards, its head winemaker for the past 40 years, selected Kristy Melton to carry the baton forward as head winemaker, becoming the only female winemaker in the winery’s history.

  5. Who are among the pioneering women winemakers in the 1960s and 1970s?

    Mary Ann Graf, the first woman to receive an enology degree from UC Davis, is the first woman winemaker of the modern era. Graf, who received her degree in 1965, first worked as chemist and assistant winemaker with Gibson Wine Co. in Central Valley before being appointed winemaker at Simi Winery in Healdsburg in 1973. She was followed at UC Davis by Zelma Long in 1970, whose first position was at Robert Mondavi, Barbara Lindblom in 1972, Merry Edwards in 1973, Sandra Belcher in 1974, Milla Handley in 1975, Alison Doran-Green in 1976, Julianne Laks in 1977, and Cathy Corison, Carol Shelton, and Jill Davis in 1978. Each of these modern-era pioneers is an esteemed winemaker and a leader in the field. NB: Mary Ann Graf and Milla Handley died in 2019 and 2020, respectively.

    For more information, see the article "California's Trailblazing Women Winemakers: The First 20 Years (1965 through 1984)" posted on womenwinemakers.com under the heading, Book/Studies, as well as our book, Women Winemakers: Personal Odysseys (2020).

  6. Who are the women winemakers who have been inducted into the Vintners Hall of Fame?

    To date, three women have been inducted into the Vintners Hall of Fame: Carol Meredith in 2009, Zelma Long in 2010, and Merry Edwards in 2013. This represents 6.25% of all those who have been inducted. NB: no additional members have been inducted since 2014.

  7. Who are the first woman winemakers and winery owners in California to have their own name on their labels?

    • 1982: Milla Handley made her first Handley Cellars Chardonnay under the Handley label in Mendocino.
    • 1984: Merry Edwards left Matanzas Creek to devote herself full time to consulting and Merry Vintners, a small winery that she and her family founded in the Russian River Valley. In 1997, she co-founded a business venture that allowed her to produce Merry Edwards wines in Sonoma County.
    • 1986: Delia Viader founded Viader Vineyards in Napa Valley. Her first vintage was 1989, when she produced 1,200 cases of wine.
    • 1987: Cathy Corison made the first vintage of Corison Cabernet Sauvignon in Napa Valley.
    • 1989: Lane Tanner instituted the Lane Tanner label in Santa Barbara County.
    • 1989: Marty Bannister established Bannister Wines in the Russian River Valley AVA.
    • 1997: Iris Rideau was the first black woman to own a winery in the United States, Rideau Vineyard in Solvang, Santa Barbara County.
    • 1997: Pam Starr partnered with Charlie Crocker to establish the Crocker & Starr label in the Napa Valley, resurrecting an historic winemaking estate.

  8. Do the various wine regions in California vary in the percentage of lead women winemakers?**

    Yes, the percentage varies significantly by wine region. Our 2020 study evidences the increasing percentage of lead women winemakers in the Sonoma/Marin and South Central Coast (San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara Counties) wine regions, which are both now at approximately 17%. In the Napa Valley, that percentage is approximately 12%. The percentages are considerably lower in the remaining wine regions.

  9. Do well-known winemakers craft wine for more than one winery?**

    Yes, a significant proportion of well-known women and men winemakers craft wine for more than one winery and are listed as the lead winemaker for more than one winery.

  10. Are the production ranges of wineries with female vs. male winemakers different?**

    No, the production ranges of California wineries with female and male lead winemakers are quite similar. According to Wines & Vines Analytic, 2020, approximately 2% of these wineries produce more than 500,000 cases; 4% in the 50,000–499,999 case range, 17% in the 5,000–49,999 case range, 34% in the 1,000–4,999 case range, and 45% in the less than 1000 case range.

  11. What percentage of California wineries has a woman as an owner or co-owner?**

    According to our research, female ownership or co-ownership represents at least 38% of California wineries. Our 2020 study is posted on womenwinemakers.com under the heading, Book/Studies.

  12. What percentage of California wineries have a lead woman or man winemaker who is also the winery owner?

    Among all California wineries, there is a much smaller percentage of lead women winemakers overall (14% vs. 86%) and thus also a smaller proportion of female than male lead winemakers are also owners of their wineries (6% vs. 35%). Among those wineries with lead women winemakers, 47% are both owners and winemakers; among those with men winemakers, the figure is 41%.

  13. Opus Vino is a widely cited and credible source of winery quality and a reflection of winemaker acclaim. How many women winemakers of California are included in Opus Vino?

    Proportional to their representation in the field (i.e., 14% women, 86% men), we found that 23% of wineries with women lead winemakers were listed in Opus Vino compared to 14% of wineries with male lead winemakers. In addition, although men who are winemaker/owners are far more numerous among California wineries, a higher percentage of women owners/winemakers, proportional to their presence in the field, were among those wineries included in Opus Vino. Our study, “Women Winemaker Acclaim,” is posted on womenwinemakers.com under the heading, Book/Studies.

  14. What are examples of multi-generational family-owned wineries in Napa Valley and Sonoma County that are successfully "keeping winemaking in the family"?

    According to our research, a number of multi-generational family​-owned and family-operated wineries ​in Napa and Sonoma are examples of "Next Generation Successes" in which next generation family members are the lead winemakers or are preparing for this role.

    For our study we selected 12 independently owned and operated small family wineries with vineyards and a known brand as these wineries face particularly strong pressures to sell rather than retain a family business: A. Rafanelli Winery (1911), Hafner Vineyard (1982), Hawley Winery (1996), J. Rochioli Vineyards and Winery (1982), Nalle Winery (1984), and Peterson Winery (1985) in Sonoma County, and Buehler Vineyards (1978), Corison Winery (1987), Dunn Vineyards (1979), Philip Togni Vineyard (1983), Storybook Mountain Vineyards (1976), and VIADER (1986) in Napa Valley.​ ​​[The year the winery was established appears in parentheses​.]

    Our in-person conversations with cross-generational family members provided an in-depth perspective of their next-generational involvement, how it came about, and how they see and deal with these pressures. Quite equally represented by capable women and men, these family members are crafting the family’s wines, preserving its land for future generations, and ensuring continuation of their family business for the next generation.

    Their passionate, informative, and heart-felt stories appear in two separate articles, one reporting on the conversations with the Napa wine families​, and the second, with the Sonoma ​families. ​The articles also are posted on womenwinemakers.com under the heading,​ Book/Studies.

  15. Is there additional evidence that proportional to their representation in the field, wines from wineries with lead women winemakers receive greater acclaim?

    Yes, three key sources provide additional evidence: Wine Spectator (WS) Top 100 List, Wine Enthusiast (WE) Top 100 Cellar Selections Globally, and Wine Enthusiast Top 100 Wines.

    Only some 14% of California wineries report having a lead winemaker who is a woman. Yet from 2020 thru 2024, significantly more than 14% of the wineries included on these three reputable "Top 100 Lists" reported a lead woman winemaker for each of those years, with percentages ranging from 20% to 30%.

    In 2024, the percentage of California wineries with lead women winemakers was 27% for both the WS and WE Top 100 lists, and 25% for the Wine Enthusiast Top Cellar Selection. These percentages provide clear evidence that, proportional to their representation in the field, wineries with lead women winemakers merit greater acclaim.

    (1) Wine Spectator (WS) Top 100 List

    Each year from 2020 to 2024, an average of 26% of California wines listed in WS Top 100 wines were from wineries led by lead women winemakers.

    In 2020, of the 19 California wines included, five of the wines (26%) were from wineries with lead women winemakers. The winemakers and wineries were

    • René Ary of Duckhorn Vineyards (Napa), Sarah Gott of Joel Gott Wines (Napa), Sarah Wuethrich of Maggy Hawk (Anderson Valley), Megan Gunderson of Hall Wines (Napa), and Linda Trotta of Reata (Napa).

    In 2021, of the 100 wines listed, 23 were from California. Of these, 6 (26%) were from wineries with lead women winemakers.

    • #3 Brittany Sherwood of Heitz Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville Martha's Vineyard 2016 (Napa)
    • #43 Carol Shelton of Carol Shelton Wines Zinfandel Mendocino County Wild Thing Old Vine 2018 (Sonoma)
    • #52 Diana Snowden Seysses of Snowden Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley Brothers Vineyard 2018 (Napa)
    • #77 Helen Turley of Marcassin Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast Marcassin Vineyard 2014 (Sonoma)
    • #39 Helen Keplinger Vermillion Sierra Foothills Sonoma County 2017
    • #70 Pauline Lhote of Domaine Chandon Brut Rosé California (Napa)

    In 2022, of the 23 California wines included, 7 (30%) were from wineries with lead women winemakers.

    • #6 Genevieve Janssens of Robert Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville The Estates 2019
    • #14 Lisa Togni of Philip Togni Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2019
    • #19 Jessica Koga of Schramsberg Brut Blanc de Blancs North Coast 2018
    • #28 Bibiana Gonzalez of Rave a de Cattleya Sauvignon Blanc Sonoma County 2021
    • #54 Sally Johnson Blum of School House Pinot Noir Spring Mountain District 2018 (Napa)
    • #75 Lily and John Berlin of El Molino Chardonnay Rutherford 2019 (spousal team)
    • #89 Francoise Peschon of VHR Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville 2019
    • #100 Maya Dalla Valle of DVO Napa Valley Red 2019

    In 2023, of the 21 California wines included, 4 (20%) were from wineries with lead women winemakers.

    • #19 Courtney Wagoner of Martinelli Pinot Noir Green Valley of Russian River Valley 2021
    • #31 Sara Gott of Joel Gott Sauvignon Blanc California 2019
    • #68 Chantal Forthum of Flowers Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast 2021
    • #98 Justine Labbé of Cathiard Family Estate Founding Brothers Napa Valley 2020

    In 2024, of the 26 California wines included, 7 (27%) were from wineries with lead woman winemakers.

    • #5 Elizabeth Vianna of Chimney Rock,Cabernet Sauvignon Stags Leap District 2021
    • #16 Heidi von der Mehden of Merry Edwards Sauvignon Blanc Russian River 2022
    • #40 Elizabeth Kester of Wente Vineyards Chardonnay Central Coast Morning Fog 2022 (South Central Coast)
    • #43 Chantel Forthum of Flowers Vineyards & Winery Healdsburg Chardonnay Sonoma Coast 2023
    • #73 Megan Zobeck of Burgess Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley Promiscua 2021
    • #94 Françoise Peschon & Matilda Scott of Almacerro Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain 2021
    • #99 Françoise Peschon of VHR Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville 2021

    (2) Wine Enthusiast Top 100 Cellar Selections Globally (the most collectible, age-worthy wines of the year)

    The number of California wineries included in Wine Enthusiast Top 100 Cellar Selections Globally in the years 2019 to 2024 ranged from 19 to 29 wineries. In each of these years, at least 20% of the wineries included in the top 100 were led by women winemakers. In 2024, it was 25%.

    • 2019: Akiko Freeman of Freeman Wine Estates (Sonoma), Cathy Corison of Corison Winery (Napa), Molly Bohlman of Niner Wine Estates (South Central Coast), and René Ary of Duckhorn Vineyards (Napa).
    • 2020: Brittany Sherwood of Heitz Cellars (Napa), Jordan Fiorentini of Epoch Estate Wines (South Central Coast), Merry Edwards and Heidi von der Mehden of Merry Edwards Winery (Sonoma), and Sarah Quider of Ferrari-Carrano (Sonoma).
    • 2021: Avery Heelan of Larkmead Vineyards (Napa), Jessica Koga of Schramsberg Vineyards and Davies Vineyards (Napa), Theresa Heredia of Gary Farrell Vineyards & Winery (Sonoma), and Theodora Lee of Theopolis Vineyards (Mendocino).
    • 2022: Cathy Corison of Corison Winery (Napa), Jessica Koga of Schramsberg (Napa), Joy Merrilees of Shannon Ridge (Mendocino), Melissa Stackhouse of Dutton-Goldfield (Sonoma), Priyanka French of Signorello (Napa), Rebekah Wineburg of Quintessa (Napa), and René Ary of Duckhorn Vineyards (Napa).
    • 2023: Cathy Corison of Corison Winery (Napa), Jordan Fiorentini of Epoch Estate Wines (South Central Coast), Hope Trueblood Goldie of Darioush (Napa), Nicole Hitchcock of J Vineyards & Winery (Russian River Valley), and Nicole Marchesi of Far Niente (Oakville).
    • 2024: Rebekah Wineburg of Quintessa (Napa), Justine Labbé of Cathiard Vineyard (Napa), Heidi von der Mehden of Merry Edwards Winery (Sonoma), Diane Wilson of Rockville Ridge Vineyard (Sonoma), Karen Meyer of Meyer Family Cellars (Mendocino), and Priyanka French of Signorello (Napa).

    (3) Wine Enthusiast (WE) Top 100 Wines

    Each year, from 2020 to 2024, 20% or more of the California wines listed in the WE Top 100 wines were from wineries led by winemakers who are women. In 2024, it was 27%.

    In 2022, of the California wines included in its Top 100 wines, 17 were in California, and of those, 4 (23.5%) were from wineries with a lead woman winemaker.

    • #11 Nicole Hitchcock of J Vineyards & Winery NV Brut Rosé Sparkling Blend (Russian River Valley)
    • #27 Ana Diogo-Draper of Arista 2020 Tempranillo (Napa)
    • #66 Theresa Heredia of Gary Farrell 2019 Durell Vineyard Chardonnay (Sonoma)
    • #67 Megan Gunderson of Hall Wines Baca 2020 Tug o' War Maffei Vineyard Zinfandel (Russian River Valley)

    In 2023, 22 California wines were included in its Top 100 wines, and of those, 7 (31.8%) were from wineries with a lead woman winemaker, the highest percentage to date across these various Top Wine lists.

    • #1 René Ary of Duckhorn 2019 Monitor Ledge Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa)
    • #9 Heidi Von der Mahden of Merry Edwards 2021 Georganne Pinot Noir (Sonoma)
    • #19 Sarah Quider of Ferrari-Carano, 2019 Trésor Red (Sonoma)
    • #34 Carol Shelton of Carol Shelton Wines 2020 Albini Zinfandel (Sonoma)
    • #37 Sally Johnson Blum of Pride Mountain Chardonnay 2021(Napa)
    • #41 Brittany Sherwood of Brendel 2020 Young Leon Frizzante Rosé Sparkling (Napa)
    • #65 Kristy Melton of Freemark Abbey 2021 Chardonnay (Napa)

    In 2024, 37 California wines were included in its Top 100 wines, and of those, 10 (27%) were from wineries with a lead woman winemaker, the second highest percentage to date across these various Top Wine lists. These winemakers and wines include:

    • #3 Jordan Fiorentini of Epoch 2021 Veracity Red Paso Robles (South Central Coast)
    • #29 Carmel Greenberg of Clos du Val 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa (Napa)
    • #30 Theresa Heredia of Gary Farrell 2020 Sanford & Benedict Vineyard Pinot Noir (Sonoma)
    • #52 Elizabeth Kester of Wente Vineyards 2021 Wetmore Cabernet Sauvignon Livermore Valley (South Central Coast)
    • #64 Katie Vogt of Pahlmeyer 2021 Red Napa (Napa)
    • #68 Vanessa Wong of Peay Vineyards 2022 Savoy Vineyard Pinot Noir (Sonoma)
    • #76 Sarah Quider of Ferrari-Carano 2021 PreVail West Face Cabernet Sauvignon (Sonoma)
    • #83 Karen Meyer of Meyer Family Cellars 2013 High Ground Reserve Syrah (Mendocino)
    • #84 Chantal Forthum of Flowers, 2022 Pinot Noir (Sonoma)
    • #90 Joy Merrilees of Buck Shack, 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon (Lake County)

    In summary, the percentages calculated from these three well-known sources of wine quality are consistent with our earlier Opus Vino study that reported, proportional to their representation in the field, wineries with lead women winemakers receive greater acclaim. Only some 14% of California wineries report having a lead winemaker who is a woman. Yet, in each of the past five years, 20% to 30% of the wineries included in these highly regarded "Top 100 lists" have lead women winemakers, further supporting, and illuminating, the greater recognition accorded to these winemakers.

    Note: Wine & Spirits Magazine, which went out of print in May 2024, also had published an annual Top 100 Wineries list. Of the California wineries included in Wine & Spirits Magazine Top 100 Wineries from 2019 to 2023, 20% were led by women winemakers. The percentage had been less than 10% in previous years.

  16. Are there California members of the African-American Vintners Association who are women?

    Yes, there are several including Theodora Lee, Theopolis Vineyards, and the McBride Sisters.

    Note that an extensive global guide to Black-owned wine labels is available. The guide lists wineries and winery owners, not winemakers.

    17. **********
    **These percentages are derived from our California winery comprehensive database, developed in August 2011 and revised first in December 2013 from data provided by Wines & Vines Analytics about the wineries in California, and then again in 2020, from the same source.

    For more detail, please see the research studies listed under the heading, Book/Studies, on this website.