Book Reviews
"Brenner takes you on a unique and enjoyable journey into wine country." "Women of the Vine" lets the readers behind the public personas of some iconic women, bringing them to life as they describe in their own words the unique challenges they faced. It’s a people story, with wine as the glittering backdrop.”- Joe Czerwinski, Senior Editor/Tasting Director, Wine Enthusiast Magazine
"I LOVE your book! "What a wonderful tribute to women. It makes you want to try; every pairing suggested and inspires you to follow your bliss." - Cynthia Good, CEO, PINK Magazine
"Women of the Vine" is a terrific book about some very accomplished women; it's entertaining, educational and a great read for everyone in the wine community." - Margrit Biever Mondavi
"Brenner's clutch of inspiring profiles will provide ample encouragement for women---whether they aspire to be sommelier, journalist or winemaker--to follow their dream."- Alice Feiring, wine writer, The New York Times & Time Magazine
Books in the PINK - PINK Magazine March issue
Wine and Wisdom
If you've ever thought the life of a winemaker is all champagne and caviar, think again. In Deborah Brenner's Women of the Vine (John Wiley & Sons, 2006), the life stories of 20 women in the wine business have their share of hardship and hard work. Stephanie Brown, founder of Divas Uncorked, works eight hours a day at her regular job and another eight on Divas. Stephanie Gallo, director of marketing for Gallo Family Vineyards, recalls how her father would not let her work in the marketing department without first selling the product. "He said, 'It's probably one of the most challenging jobs that you'll ever have, but you're going to learn the most about yourself — how to deal with … and … overcome rejection." For a change of pace, the book suggests trying one of wine writer Leslie Sbrocco's favorite combinations: champagne and potato chips, or rose wine with a burrito.
Christie Davis
PW Annex - Publisher's Weekly Review - Reviewed 2006-11-27
Brenner, a marketing executive-turned-wine label owner, presents wide-ranging interviews with 21 women involved in the wine industry, covering everything from the crush to the shoes to the perfect pregnancy timetable when working among the grapes. After a brief description of the winemaking process, Brenner offers detailed, quote-heavy profiles of award-winning winemakers like Heidi Peterson Barrett and Kristin Belair, who pontificate on life as, in the words of winemaker Gina Gallo, "part farmer, part scientist, part chef, part CEO." Besides the success, there's plenty of angst and adversity-disappearing funds, gender discrimination, and family tragedy-to serve as inspiration to those in need of career advice. While most of the interviews are with winemakers from California, several are with afficionados such as Stephanie Browne, founder of Divas Uncorked, a wine group for women of color, and top industry scholar Dr. Ann Noble. Though Brenner's upbeat voice can veer into self-help speak, anyone who enjoys wine will find much to like in this collection, especially those laboring along "the journey from 'cellar rat' to renowned and respected winemaker."
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From Wine Spectator magazine, December 31, 2007 issue
The title Women of the Vine poses an interesting question: Have we really been reading "Men of the Vine" all these years? Well, kind of. Traditional gender roles and good old prejudice hindered a great female presence in wine, as in other fields. Clearly women have been making inroads, but at the moment they're really breaking through in wine. Early female pioneers have attained elder status, and each generation entering the field seems to include more women.Deborah Brenner uses this as a hook to present profiles of 20 women in the wine industry. Most are winemakers (Gina Gallo and Heidi Peterson Barrett being two of the more recognizable), but others include teachers, journalists and consultants. Brenner's close access to them comes through in the profiles, which use lots of details and quotes to tell each woman's story. The writing is relentlessly positiveit occasionally feels a bit like that of a self-help bookand somewhat repetitive, though I suppose that's the nature of the beast. Family, gender discrimination and the love of wine crop up again and again.
The many stories of discriminatory treatment are shamefully from not that long ago, falling along the lines of an applicant being told, "You seem qualified, but I don't hire women," or a male visitor asking a woman winemaker working at a winery, "Where's the winemaker?" Brenner presents an understanding of discrimination that you don't find in many other wine booksas a fact of life rather than an insurmountable obstacle. Though this is key, it does not make up the bulk of the book. Nor should you expect to learn here about optimum yields. Mostly these are personal stories, necessarily focusing on the specific concerns of women in wine. If the subject is appealing, you will like this book. O.D.
