For Youmna Asseily, wine is “a living thing,” and winemaking is all about adaptability, sensitivity, lateral thinking, and reactivity. A painter and former ice cream maker, Youmna describes her journey into the wineworld as totally accidental, but it has now become her life’s work. She feels that women often bring versatility and an ability to look at things from different angles, a much-needed skill as each harvest brings new expectations and questions about the future.

Youmna strives to find new ways to share the unique personality of the Biac terroir and to preserve nature for the generations to come. She enthusiastically embraces this spirit of constant evolution. Stemming from a Mediterranean background, the Asseilys have learned to bridge many cultural traditions, including the challenge to pair delicious Lebanese family recipes with Bordeaux wines.

Growing up at Chateau Larrivaux, Bérangère Tesseron always knew she wanted to be in the wine industry. Bérangère studied Vineyard and Wine Law in college before returning to the Château in 2005, where she runs the vineyard alongside her mother and her aunt.

Chateau Larrivaux has uniquely honed the vine with a touch of femininity since its inception in 1580: to date, the chateau has been exclusively owned and operated by the women in the family. Care for the land is demonstrable at Larrivaux: “although the estate covers 80 hectares, only 20ha are dedicated to viticulture. The rest is comprised of woods, meadows, forests, and fields; biodiversity is at the forefront for us. We also have 9 beehives that work wonderfully!” Chateau Larrivaux has been HVE3-certified since 2019 but are always seeking new ways to push the limits of sustainable winemaking. The estate is also fortunate to have help from the many resident bats who live on the quarries of the property and hunt pests,” Bérangère says. The result? Refined, harmonious wine that is pleasant to drink young with great aging capacity.

The first daughter born in her family since the French Revolution, Véronique Barthe represents the seventh generation of winemakers in her family crafting Château La Freynelle. Spending time working in the U.S. before returning to her family’s estate to take over winemaking, she is drawn to the travel and entrepreneurial spirit of the wine industry. “I love my life as a winegrower,” Veronique muses.

“I love what surrounds me: my children, my friends, my dogs, cats and chickens, my region, the softness and diversity of the landscapes. Even though our job can be difficult, and we can lose everything in one freezing night or a hailstorm,” Véronique wouldn’t trade it for the world. Veronique’s favorite harvest is always the next harvest: she finds adventure in every vintage and embraces the challenge of meeting the evolving needs of the land and Château La Freynelle’s consumers.

Helen Gregory is a lifestyle entrepreneur and the CEO/Founder of Gregory + Vine, a branding and communications agency focused on global beverage, hospitality and destination accounts. A proud mom to three kids and two dogs, as well as a primary caregiver for her 85-year-old mom, Helen just celebrated her 20^th wedding anniversary and has great perspective to share on work-life balance!

Helen got her start as a communications manager for ICEX/Wines from Spain and on the brand management team at Kobrand Corporation, overseeing prestige brands such as Maison Louis Jadot and Champagne Taittinger. She has worked in strategic brand development for industry leaders such as Deutsch Family Wine & Spirits, Moët Hennessy USA, Rémy Cointreau, Founders Brewing Co., MGP Ingredients and Constellation Brands; leads multi-annual regional campaigns for the Bordeaux Wine Bureau, Grandes Pagos de España and DO Rias Baixas; and represents dynamic brands such as DAOU Family Estate, MHW, Ltd., The Spearhead Group and Jules Taylor Wines. A graduate of Princeton University with a B.A. in Politics and a recipient of the prestigious Jean Monnet Fellowship in Business from the Ecole Polytéchnique in Paris, Helen speaks French, Spanish and Italian and received the National Association of Women Woman of the Year Award for Excellence in Marketing. Helen is a corporate member of Women of the Vine & Spirits, a Board member of Best USA Sommelier Association and a volunteer for Adult Literacy Action.

As a Social Entrepreneur, Deborah Brenner measures success on the positive impact a business makes on society. She has manifested her vision with Women of the Vine & Spirits, inspiring a challenge that calls forth the best in people and brings them together around a shared sense of purpose, working with the power of intentionality and alignment with a higher purpose. 

After graduating from the University of Delaware with degrees in English and Journalism Deborah spent 20 years in the male-dominated television and film technology industry that required international travel to countries for whom wine is a part of everyday life. During a fortuitous trip to the Napa and Sonoma wine regions, Deborah discovered another male-dominated industry, where women were under-recognized. 

Compelled to tell their stories, and tapping into her love of research and journalism Deborah authored a bestselling collection of profiles, Women of the Vine: Inside the World of Women Who Make, Taste and Enjoy Wine, which Wine Spectator named a Critical Read of 2007.

Through the process of championing these incredible women, Deborah was inspired to enter the wine business herself, releasing wine from a first-of-its-kind collective of seven artisan women winemakers from Napa, Sonoma and Paso Robles, CA. For the following seven years, Deborah learned the business inside and out. Ultimately, she could not foster women in the wine industry the way she had hoped, which led her to dissolve the wine brand and return to the drawing board.

A year later, in March 2015, Deborah organized the Inaugural Women of the Vine & Spirits Global Symposium. It was a sold-out success. The attendees eagerly supported the opportunity to connect through a global network and seek ways to accelerate their business and professional development. This forum allowed for collaboration across all industry sectors and inspired attendees to do business with like-minded women and men. It was clear to Deborah that to make a positive impact on the alcohol beverage industry, women needed a voice year-round. 

Membership to the organization opened September 2015. What started off as a one-off event and grass roots movement quickly expanded into a global organization with members engaged across 23 countries. Women of the Vine & Spirits has become a catalyst for creating a positive impact in the alcohol beverage industry by giving women worldwide a platform and a voice to thrive. 

Deborah resides in New York with her husband, Jack. Having been the spouse of a restaurateur who owned and operated an Italian restaurant for 24 years in Piermont, NY, Deborah is passionate about supporting hardworking hospitality professionals who are fundamental to the on-premise sector of the alcohol beverage industry.

In addition to Women of the Vine & Spirits, in 2021 Deborah launched another “sister company”called Badass Bartender™. This first-of-its-kind community for female bartenders aims to fill a void for female bartenders to unite, be empowered, support one another, explore career opportunities and network. For more information visit badassbartender.com 

Deborah has received a Rising Star Award from Women for WineSense (2008), a New York Small Business Administration Women in Business Champion of the Year (2009), a New York City National Association of Women Business Owners Signature Award (2010), the Lillian Vernon Award for Outstanding Community Service by the Women's Enterprise Development Center (2011), a NY Women in Communications Rising Star Award (2013),  the Rockland Business Women's Network Woman of the Year Award (2014), American Cancer Society Dr. Louis Berger Award (2017), Wine Enthusiast Wine Star Award Person of the Year Nominee (2017), Las Vegas Inc. “Woman to Watch” (2018), and Wine Enthusiast Wine Star Award “Social Visionary of the Year” Recipient (2018).