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Women in Wine Expo 2024 proves a resounding success
Held in Porto from 8-10 May, the Women in Wine Expo brought together female leaders in the wine industry from 28 different countries.
Sponsored by French wine brand Bijou, this year’s Women in Wine Expo highlighted the contributions of women in wine, and explored the evolving tastes and trends within the industry.
Bijou, a producer based in the heart of Languedoc-Roussillon and Provence, was proud to sponsor five Portuguese-based women to attend the final day of the event to network with influential female winemakers, sommeliers, and industry experts.
“Bijou not only makes beautiful wine, they are championing women in wine and celebrating their stories, successes and impact, which is so important for building climate resilience within the industry,” said Sophie Bellin, co-founder of Drunk on Decor and one of the women Bijou sponsored.
“I am grateful for their sponsorship and have made some great connections at this amazing Expo”.
Drunk On Decor is a small business that reuses waste from the wine and spirits industry and gives bottles a second life as home furnishings and interior décor.
As with Bellins’ business, a series of panel discussions, masterclasses, and exclusive tastings stressed the importance of finding more sustainable practices for production and distribution.
Furthering the discussion was Elizabeth Higley, head winemaker at Windsor Run Cellars in North Carolina, and a co-founder of the North Carolina Winegrowers Collective, who discussed the importance of hybrid grape varieties in tackling the effects of changing climate, pests and diseases.
Expo guests also heard from ex-finance consultant-turned-winemaker Caro Feely, whose organic farm and wine tourism business puts biodiversity, sustainability and organic values at the heart of the business.
Bijou was an apt sponsor for the event, given the producer’s close ties to French activist Sophie Valrose. The brand named its flagship rosé wine – Le Bijou de Sophie Valrose – after her, to honour the tireless work carried out by Sophie in the 19th Century to challenge the exploitation of underpaid and overworked female workers in vineyards across Languedoc.
Overall, the Women in Wine Expo 2024 provided opportunities for social collectivism and celebration of how key female figures are cultivating change in the wine world.
The Women in Wine Expo (WIWE) is the first and only global network, building a community of women entrepreneurs in the wine sector, who want to expand their knowledge and build their business. Their goal is to bring like-minded women together to enjoy a “boot camp” of diversity, discovery, networking, education, fun, sisterhood, business, and philanthropy. Every year the Expo is held in a different wine country.