A distiller, a winemaker and a beer tester walk into a room – and give us their best advice for giving it a crack yourself.
Stereotypes are hard to shake: good wine is expensive, premixed drinks are too sweet, zero% options are boring and limited. In 2024, none of those statements are true – have you walked into a Dan Murphy’s lately?
However, a recent study of women in the alcohol industry in the US showed that next to manufacturing and automotive, it’s perceived to be the worst sector at attracting and retaining a more diverse workforce. While it is an industry that remains male-dominated, bit by bit, person by person, this is changing, with fresh faces bringing new perspectives and ideas to everything from production to marketing. Many women with established careers are making very cool things happen in drinks, and they’re always looking for new recruits.
Here, we speak to three women in wine, spirits and beer to find out what they actually do all day, and their best advice for anyone who wants to do it, too.
Holly is one of Australia’s very few second-generation distillers – and she also happens to be the President of the Australian Distillers Association. In 2016, she took over running her family’s Bass & Flinders Distillery, located in the picturesque Mornington Peninsula. Specialising in small-batch gin, liqueurs, and Australian brandies inspired by French traditions, Bass and Flinders leads the way in using locally sourced native botanicals to produce uniquely Australian handcrafted spirits. Ones that win a lot of awards.
Your role, in a nutshell:
“No two days are the same, from thinking up new and exciting gins, liqueurs and brandy blends, through to late nights distilling wine into the base spirit we make from scratch, or running a masterclass, and everything in between that it takes to operate a business, including; finance, HR, marketing, sales, compliance, events… you name it, I do it. It’s all part of running a small craft distillery… and I enjoy every minute of it.”
But the best bit is:
“The sheer scope to innovate, be creative and playful in the spirits flavour space. I find the idea of taking something traditional and putting a new spin on it really exciting – whether it be using some of the more obscure, yet aromatically alluring, native Australian botanicals that have not yet infiltrated our palates for gin, or working with different and non-traditional grape varieties for our brandies. We are lucky in Australia to be afforded quite broad spirit definitions, unlike other regions such as the EU. It means that the opportunities to create new ‘Australian’ products are endless.”
Workplace superpowers?
“Juggler and multitasker. My calendar looks intense but being able to compartmentalise and focus on one task at a time helps me stay productive.”
The biggest misconception about the job:
“Most people assume my job involves lots of drinking. Certainly, I’m surrounded by spirits every day, and there’s always opportunities to sample the next batch off the still, taste my way through barrels for the brandy batch blending or taste the bar’s next seasonal cocktail menu, but it’s only a small part of operating a distillery.”
Biggest impact on your career:
“My late father Wayne. He inspired my passion and desire to become a distiller. He was my mentor and gave me the strength and encouragement I needed to take over our family business. He was so dedicated to producing quality spirits, choosing to take the path less travelled and creating our own base spirit from scratch because he believed in controlling every aspect of the production process from vineyard to bottle. My love for brandy started with a visit to Cognac in 2017. I came home with an understanding of why it was so important to my father and a renewed goal to change the public perception of brandy from a bottle at the back of the cupboard to something truly special.”
Best advice for topping the industry:
“It’s still male dominated, but there’s nothing in distillation or production that can’t be done by a woman, and we are seeing more and more women stepping into these roles and proving just that. I recommend reaching out to the various female distilling networks supporting women in the industry and learning the stories of the incredibly impressive, strong and brave women doing amazing things within, and for, our industry too, many of whom are forthcoming with the challenges they faced and who are open to sharing their journey. I personally think the best thing a woman can do in this industry is believe in themselves and put their hand up for that role that they may have initially second-guessed themselves on. From my experience, the people in this industry are incredibly supportive of women in the industry, which I hope is heartening for anyone aspiring to be part of it.
If you could drink anything in the world…
“A Vieux Carré – my all-time favourite brandy cocktail.”
Current career goal:
“I’d love to become a carbon-neutral distillery. We take care to minimise our environmental impact at all times: we use closed-loop cooling systems that recycle water, along with solar panels to power this, and our gin still. We opt for sustainable packaging and repurpose bottles and food waste, but there’s more that can be done. It’s really front of mind every day.”
Coralie is from the south-west of France, so wine is in her blood. After gaining her Master of Oenology and Viticulture, a National Degree of Oenology at SupAgro-Montpellier, and winemaking internships in Bordeaux and Medoc, Coralie’s pursuit of world-class cabernet sauvignon and chardonnay led her to Margaret River and Cape Mentelle, where she has been since 2015.
Your role, in a nutshell:
“I describe it as the most exciting job on the planet. Every day we are trying our very best to build different iterations of masterpiece, embracing diversity of blocks and sites. Thrilling. My daily tasks can be evolving grapes to finish wines, telling our story to consumers, working with our team and all the business decisions required in between.”
But the best bit is:
“Every year is a new expression of our site, our terroir. We can taste the intricacy of each personality given by diverse plots in each wine, but most importantly we are striving to provide a great experience of Cape Mentelle, a true picture of the Margaret River region.”
Workplace superpowers?
“Humility and respect.”
The biggest misconception about the job:
“Either that I pick grapes all day or am a chemist in a lab.”
Biggest impact on your career:
“After failing to get into Veterinary School, I went to Agronomy Sciences School where a friend and I were running the wine club. I ended up specialising in viticulture and winemaking in the South of France (Montpellier) instead of making dog biscuits.”
Best advice for topping the industry:
“Be open minded. The industry keeps on evolving so we need to embrace changes. Don’t be shy and reach out to your peers, and know that soft skills and understanding people will get you further than you think.”
If you could drink anything in the world…
“Something incredible made from cabernet or chardonnay with a fantastic story!”
Current career goal:
“Make a bottle even better than our best. Reach for the stars!”
Coming from a family of South Australian winemakers, Anni has branched out… into beers. An internship with Asahi cemented it – the brewery lab life was for Anni (although she’s now thinking about returning to her roots). Anni’s role in quality assurance for Moon Dog Brewery sees them testing, analysing and yes, tasting, beers all day long. But there’s a lot more math and critical thinking than drinking.
Your role, in a nutshell:
“When I tell people I’m head of Quality Assurance, I usually clarify with, ‘So, I work in a lab and test the beers’. This is inevitably followed by the question, ‘Wait, so do you get to taste the beer?’ And the answer is yes. We taste beer every day. Essentially, my job is to run chemical and microbiological analyses on all the products we make at Moon Dog World, manage the lab and data handling, and direct our quality assurance program.”
But the best bit is:
“Easily the people. This industry is not one you get into for money or fame, it is about passion for the craft. Great minds think alike, and when we’re all supporting each other to make a product we all love, it’s easy to forget how good we have it! I have met a tonne of truly amazing people in this career, some of which I am lucky to call my friends. Other highlights: the free beer, Fizzer, and the kitchen crew at Moon Dog World who give me extra chicken nuggies!”
Workplace superpowers?
“I am the in-house modernity translator. I keep the oldies – they are actually not old – up to date with the latest internet humour, help with computer software-related issues, and debug those pesky spreadsheets when they act all rude.”
The biggest misconception about the job:
“That it’s easy. Because it’s actually very hard. There are a lot of balls in a lot of courts, so organisation is paramount. That goes for how the lab is set up, how data is recorded and communicated, and keeping the brewers’ lab skills up to date. Also, sample preparation takes longer than five minutes, sometimes hours, and, on occasion, can ruin my whole day (looking at you, hazies and stouts). Patience and persistence with the process is key. Shortcuts will cost you in the end.”
Biggest impact on your career:
“My wonderful cousin hooked me up with an internship at Asahi in Laverton, Melbourne, and it was the first time I realised I could combine my love of science and engineering with my passion for all things beverage. I interned as a graduate engineer for three months, before doing a short stint under their National Brewer operating the pilot brewing plant. It was an amazing hands-on experience, physically brewing different beer batches, learning the dos and don’ts of sanitation, and most importantly, running quality analyses on the trials.”
Best advice for topping the industry:
“Be prepared to put your time in at the lowest positions in the company – no one walks into the brewery and starts making crazy beers. We all started on a packaging line somewhere, then worked our way up. This is your time to absorb all the knowledge you can, put your hand up for any offers of education, and generally show your interest in understanding the brewery. You will be surprised how much nuance you learn through asking questions and troubleshooting. And this advice is specifically for womxn; just apply. Not sure if you are qualified? Doubting your ability to ‘handle’ the job? Do it anyway! We tend to undervalue ourselves and overestimate the abilities of men in equal standing. When I applied for my job three years ago, the imposter syndrome set in and honestly didn’t fade for at least a year. So apply! Take up space! The worst thing that can happen is they say no. And if you feel overwhelmed when you start, remember that it is okay to not know how to do something yet. You are there to learn as much as you are to earn!”
If you could drink anything in the world…
“It’s a toss-up. Either a Bourbon Old Fashioned or an ice cold, crispy AF lager.”
Current career goal:
“Coming from a family of vignerons, I would love to make a lateral move towards viticulture and winemaking. My dream would be to one day live on a farm, tending to my fields of grapes and hops. I’ll probably get a few chickens, too.”
