Is anyone interested in psychology, gender and wine?
Wine Psych » Wine Psych
Women and wine
(3 posts)-
Posted 1 year ago #
-
I organise a small, informal wine tasting group in north-east London, and most of the participants so far are women. However, the trade seems to be dominated by men. I'm struck by the contrast, but I don't find it that surprising.
On the face of it, I'd expect women to be far more heavily represented in the wine world as their sense of smell tends to be more acute than men's - and it's well documented that all the subtleties of flavour are discerned in the nose rather than the mouth. I (a man) find it very helpful to have women around when I'm tasting, as they can often put a name to elements of nose or palate whose precise identity eludes me.
I've read that many women regard wine courses or clubs as a possible way to meet men while pursuing an enjoyable hobby: if true, this might increase their numbers in such environments. It will be interesting to see whether this leads to a surge of women in the wine trade in the long term.
As for the trade, I think it's largely a matter of economic inertia. Until the late 20th century, fine wine was the preserve of the upper and middle classes; since then we've all been encouraged to aspire to such things, but actual change in the trade has been limited. Fine wine from any part of the world is expensive, so it's difficult to gain a broad experience without the money to buy it. The big wheels of the wine trade tend to be posh as well as male. I think this could also explain why they're mostly white.
I also suspect that what makes it particularly hard for women (and anybody without a degree of privilege) to make inroads in the wine trade is the 'pundit mentality'. Sport is another area traditionally dominated by men, and if you listen to them discussing it, their approach is usually to predict who's going to win, who's going to lose, and why. They don't seem to mind, or even notice, being repeatedly proved wrong; the important thing is to have an opinion on everything and express it with conviction. I notice the same attitude among many male wine aficionados, and find that my own tentative, questioning approach tends to marginalise me in such company. I feel exposed as an arriviste by not being forthright enough. Bluff seems to be the name of the game, and it is, on the whole, practised more by men.
I'd be interested to hear other people's views or observations on this.Posted 1 year ago # -
Hi to both of you and thanks for posting on the Forum. I think gender issues are one of the most interesting areas in wine at the moment. There are increasing numbers of really influential women in the wine world and your point about taste discrimination one that I can anecdotally and scientifically relate to. Women are still subject to all kinds of bias though - for example in relation to the reporting of problem drinking in recent years.
I was interested in your notion of 'fine wine' and what this construct means to people. I should start another strand on this....
Where do you have your tastings? I am planning a tasting series on psychology and wine.
Miles
Posted 1 year ago #
Reply
You must log in to post.