Women, Wine, Breasts and Champagne

Women, Wine, Breasts and Champagne

'... Gender is not to culture as sex is to nature; gender is also the discursive/cultural means by which "sexed nature" or a "natural sex" is produced and established as a "prediscursive," prior to culture, a politically neutral surface upon which culture acts' - Judith Butler Gender Trouble

Women and wine. Now for a moment consider what images does this conjure up in your imagination? No doubt nothing inspiring, more than likely market clichés of millennials with White Zinfandel, the 'desperate housewife' or the infamous hen party and its' assorted bubbles. Offensive undermining images of the feminine form propagated by a market dominated by men. Not just the world of wine ...

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@thobiasinkblot is a keen wearer of scarves and enjoys a good Cabernet. He has been writing for Empty for ages and ages and currently can be found in an undisclosed location near London. After getting the wine bug he has a distinction in level 2 and 3 of the WSET he plans on attempting the Diploma in 2015. He also is quite fond of narratives in the third person. If you'd like to contact him email: emptyglassie@gmail.com

Market Strategy 

Wine is marketed as most things are, with a specific target audience and the relationship between. There are Barbie and Action Man wines for women and men respectively. The gender divide is made perfectly clear with brands such as Skinnygirl wines that unashamedly prey upon cultural castes for what is supposed to be the 'feminine form', the skinny girl. This is bolstered by massive industries such as fashion and publishing et al. forming the overarching paradigm of patriarchy.

For those of us unaware, Patriarchy is one of the dominant tropes of our society that shapes and moulds every action we take, the drinks we drink and 'why' we drink them.

The market and the female form

Wines such as 'Mad Housewife' wines I have actually struggled with, simply with the incredulity that they actually exist, but maybe I need to reassess my cynicism as when the market is all about control of consumer 'wants' little should surprise. It is perhaps unfair to single out two 'brands'as such, but they serve to place a spotlight on how the market views women, serving to bolster the bonds that restrict women and more importantly choose for them.This is the type of a relationship where you are not allowed to ask questions and must know your role.

A Brief Wave

Spurred on by the surging changes brought about by the challenge Second Wave Feminism posed to the establishment in the 60's and 70's, the world of wine changed with women becoming far more than the exception in some of the key roles at the winery, but after initial success it tapered off very quickly. This is reflected with many of the same questions on gender equality remaining unanswered, being a fresh battleground for the contemporary feminist. The very same questions that the second wave brought up, equal rights in the workplace, the portrayal of the female form in the media are being asked in the world of wine.

Just as the second wave was subsumed by the monolithic paradigm of capital and patriarchy so too was the emergence of the female identity in the wine world. Half of UC Davis graduates are now female, but they comprise of only 15-20% of the leading wine-makings positions in California. The question is, where do they go? This figure is more than likely very generous as other sources state it is less than 10% female representation at the forefront of Californian wine. We now must ask ourselves 'why?'

California is of course not alone as Rueters noted in 2011 that less than 10% of wine makers in the U.S. were women. Jancis Robinson one of the leading voices for women in the world of wine also alludes to the gender divide in wine hailing the inroads made in an article in The Financial Times and at the same time noting the force that women have in shaping the market. However while noting this progress she also puts her finger on one of the many inherent problems of the wine-world and here I believe any initial optimism is diluted.

Stating in the same article for the Financial Times that 59% of regular wine buyers are women in the U.S. and seven out of every ten bottles purchased in the monolithic multiples in the U.K. are bought by women to illustrate the extent of female purchasing power. While I agree that these illustrate the force that women are in the market, the market also shapes this subset with gendered advertising that frames the female wine drinker.

Harems and their recommended wine pairing - probably Pinot Grigio 

Any pretence of choice is removed when all choices are shaped around the sort of wine that targets the 'desperate housewife' or the caricatures of women that pander to male fetishistic fantasy above. Wine is not alone in this of course, but very much subject to the oppressive power structure that is patriarchy.

The End of the Start 

I realise that these figures are Amerocentric, but the majority of the research I could find online has been such. So, the 'Old World' has been extremely silent on the matter. Not surprising when the primogeniture is still the primary mode of the transfer of assets and ownership in some if the world's most iconic vineyards. The male gaze is the one that sets the tone for the world of wine, deciding, where, when and how we drink.

There are several questions to be answered here and I hope to return to them in future posts. In the meantime here is some food for thought.

Thobias Inkblot

As an addendum to this I realise that both myself and Rob have male parts, so I would invite anyone involved in the Drink's Industry to share their experiences that have been shaped by their gender or that of others. emptyglassie@gmail.com