Women overwhelmingly choose wine or spirits as their preferred beverage, and make up half the population, but the beverage alcohol industry skews male in recruitment, inspiration and communication to consumers. Women make up about a quarter of executive-level positions and overwhelmingly feel the industry favors men for leadership roles.

On the consumer side, there continue to be cultural stereotypes about what women should drink or what they like to drink. Women are just as likely as men to purchase rum, brandy, bourbon and other whiskey, but dark spirits are more often marketed as a man’s drink.

Though women are 3x as likely as men to choose wine as their preferred drink, wine-drinking women are more likely to claim, they are “beginners” in their wine knowledge, indicating that women have been affected by cultural suggestions that men are the greater appreciators of wine.

There’s work to be done. We’ve already made strides in the right direction: 62% of women in the industry say there have at least been some positive changes for women in the last 5 years (Source: Women of the Vine & Spirits, Deloitte 2022). Several powerful brands have successfully reached and celebrated women in the ways they want to be seen and understood, but we can do more. Women are making some of the finest products in wine and spirits today, just like they have been quietly for centuries. It’s time to amplify their stories and appreciate the women who fuel this industry with their dollars.

This Women’s History Month, let’s raise a glass to the women winemakers, distillers, sommeliers, and mixologists who are raising the bar and let’s inspire more women to join their ranks. Help us celebrate a brighter future – a future that is Powered by Women.