Wisdom From The Women Leading the Wine & Spirits Industries, with Katy Wilson Of Anaba Wines

An interview with Kelly Reeves

You don’t have to have a degree — I’ve known many excellent winemakers who don’t.

Less than 20% of winemakers and distillers are women. Traditionally, women were excluded from these industries. This number is slowly rising as more women choose to study this profession and enter the wine and spirits fields. What is it like for those women who work in this male-dominated industry? What are some of the challenges that these women face? Is there hope for better representation, and better wages, for women in the wine and spirits industry? As a part of our series about women leading the wine and spirits industries, we had the pleasure of interviewing Katy Wilson.

Katy Wilson is the winemaker at Anaba Wines, a premier winery in Sonoma County, and also produces small lot Pinot Noir and Chardonnay for her own label, LaRue Wines. Katy’s previous experience includes stints at renowned wineries in Australia, New Zealand, and Napa Valley. Katy is a mentor for many women in the industry and sits on the board of Woman-Owned Wineries.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dive in, our readers would love to get…