It’s an ancient drink and women have been involved in it for centuries,” Sue Hodder, senior winemaker at Wynns Coonawarra Estate, tells Drinks International on a visit to London from Australia. “I had quite a few years of not wanting to call out being a woman in wine and people used to say to me ‘oh have women got better palates than men?’ At that stage I was working with some incredible male tasters. But I feel like you need diversity in the team, and it doesn’t necessarily mean gender diversity but different thinkers. Sometimes gender can bring that to the mix,” Hodder adds.
“That made me realise that things weren’t as equal as they should’ve been and I had a period of not acknowledging that, but now I know,” Hodder continues. “Wynns has always had a strong history with women. We had women planting in our vineyards in the ’50s when they came over after WWII, but we’ve also got some sexist ads from the ’70s. I think the stigma on drinks is changing. We also have a lot of women who now collect Wynns.”
With the career opportunities that are now available, Hodder notes: “You don’t have to be just hands-on in the cellar, there are now aspects of technology and robotics. You don’t even have to get a qualification, just go for it with a wine company.”
Compared to other sectors in the beverage alcohol industry, Hodder understands that “it’s easier for women in wine, adding: “I’m aware of more female winemakers and grape growers but that’s because it’s what I know. I think the whole world has female winemakers but I think it’s not 50% anywhere.”
With her time at Wynns so far spanning 30 vintages, Hodder was “always interested in the land, soils, animals and farming”, she adds. “As a result, I went to the Roseworthy Agricultural College and I could see all my friends, who we called ‘plonkies’ at the time, having a great time studying wine. But there weren’t many women qualified as winemakers 40 years ago when I graduated.”
Fascinating beverage
After qualifying, Hodder left to do a harvest in the Barossa Valley in South Australia with growers then headed to Europe “as people tended to do in that era”. She says: “I got a job in South Kensington, London, and they only had two Australian wines in the shop. I was living with four girls in one room but I was loving wine. I don’t drink anything else, only wine. It’s so interesting and there’s always something happening. Every year is different and it relates to where it’s made and the people who make it. It’s just a fascinating historic beverage that is part of our society.”
Hodder then went to America and worked a harvest in Napa Valley, helping out the winemakers before completing a graduate diploma in wine. It was after this when Hodder arrived at Wynns in Coonawarra 32 years ago.
The small village of Coonawarra is known for its terra rossa (red earth) soil, making a medium-bodied wine. Due to its proximity to the Southern Ocean, the region is a cooler part of Australia and Wynns creates wines that people can age in their cellars. “It’s a town of 58 people and people tend to stay at Wynns,” Hodder adds. “I feel proud to represent this label because it’s an important chapter of the Australian wine story and it does have a powerful backstory of women in the industry.”
