This text is part of the special Pleasures notebook
What do women represent today in the traditionally male-dominated world of wine? Some of them, such as sommelier Véronique Rivest, entrepreneur Jessica Harnois or winemaker Anne-Marie Lemire, have paved the way for the arrival of female talents in Quebec. And this, in all professions of this vast universe. But what about those who, here or elsewhere, operate more in the shadows and shake, in their own way, the columns of a temple still considered macho? This is what we wanted to know a few days before International Women’s Day.
Even through the screen, since she is in France, we immediately feel the passion emanating from Fleur Godart. The daughter of a farmer, she has a deep attachment to the land and her farming origins. But her artistic side is fully expressed in wine, of which she speaks almost poetically. “When I was younger, I was convinced that wine would never be for me, because I was neither rich nor educated in this world,” she remembers. But love at first sight was immediate the first time she tasted a great wine. “I felt like a child watching a cartoon. Each drop of this wine told a story that I could decipher thanks to the sensory grid that I had built in the fields. It was incredible. »
Since that day, the young woman has thrown herself headlong into the world of wine with one mission in mind: to allow as many people as possible to have access to the pleasure of wine tasting. Founder in 2014 of Vins et Volailles, a wholesaler of natural wines and farm poultry, Fleur Godart made her mark in an environment that she was completely unfamiliar with. The one who is also the co-author of a comic book which popularizes wine knowledge, Pure juicequickly noticed that the latter was not that open.
Take a stand with militant vintages
“For a long time, I operated by thanking wine professionals for tolerating me,” confides the entrepreneur. Like other young French women, she passed through the sieve of an environment where women still find it difficult to rise to decision-making positions and benefit from exposure. “As soon as it comes to power, we’re fired. We are accepted in the vineyards, with all the arduousness that this work requires, but we focus more on our heads and our ass than on what we achieve. »
This barely veiled misogynistic attitude ended up wearing down Fleur Godart’s patience. In 2020, the day after yet another altercation in a bar, during which a drunk professional called her a “fat feminist whore”, the young woman accidentally spoke with one of her friends, a wine grower and merchant. , Julien Albertus. The latter described a small vintage of Gewurztraminer and Muscat to him as “very straight and not at all filthy”. The link with her personal reflection was too direct for her not to see it as a sign. And this is how the first militant Cuvée, Feminist whoreswas born.
For four years, the list of message bottles has continued to grow. There are already around twenty resulting from an exclusive collaboration between Vins et Poulailles and winegrowers who are not afraid to take a stand. They can denounce sexism (We can’t say anything anymore, Male Tears) or open the way to discussions on, among other things, racism (Where do you come from), genre (Hard to Queer), religion (This is my blood) and disabilities (One more box). “Each vintage is a shared story between our winemaking intention, a winemaker, a terroir and a design that will adorn the bottles,” explains the young woman.
Promoting feminine wine
Shunned in France, where aficionados believe that militant Cuvées are rather objects of discord than of sharing, the latter have received a warm welcome abroad. In Quebec, all the stocks available to the Le vin dans les voiles (VDLV) agency quickly sold out.
Created by Julie Audette and Valériane Paré in 2015, this import company of eight representatives, including six women and two feminist men, is often nicknamed “the girls” in the industry. “Which proves that there are not that many of us,” says M, smiling.me Audette.
“But don’t be fooled,” she adds. We love men, and we work with both male and female winemakers. But if they choose us, it is also for the values that we embody. As women, we are perhaps more sensitive to the human and artistic sides of producers. This is why we mainly represent signature and natural wines. »
The two partners do not hide their affection for winegrowers and wish to empower them, as well as dismantle the stubborn prejudices that affect them. “There is still a poor perception of women in the industry, particularly with regard to work-family balance or their ability to work,” explains M.me Audette. However, winegrowers like Silvia Tezza, who prunes vines while carrying her toddler, Alessandra Divella, who works alone and who produces bubbles of remarkable finesse, or the two winegrowers from the Tunia estate, who waited seven years before releasing their first wines, show to what extent women can invest in their profession. »
At their level, the two entrepreneurs are also aware that they serve as a role model for the new generation of women in wine. VDLV is also among the rising stars of the 5e edition of the Women’s Business Awards. As they chant with one voice, “Ladies, if you have a solid project, even an ambitious one, go for it! The latter has never been more accessible than today, thanks to the funding and support that women can obtain in Canada. And we assure you, having a business is “challenging”, but so inspiring! We are rarely disappointed when we build a project in which we invest the height of our creativity and all our love. » A message that could not be clearer to those who do not yet dare to take the plunge.
This content was produced by the Special Publications team at Duty, relating to marketing. The writing of the Duty did not take part.