Salud! Spain’s female winemakers use their intuition to rise to the top

The industry has a growing number of women earning plaudits at its renowned bodegas. But are they really better than men?

I think of my wines as barefoot children that need love and care," says winemaker Marta Casas, holding her glass up to the light. Below her, the vineyards of Penedes roll away almost to the sea, but she could be virtually anywhere in Spain.

Just as they fought their way into the male domain of haute cuisine, a growing number of Spanish women are seeking a career in winemaking, with three times as many taking courses in oenology compared with 10 years ago. This was given an added boost in 2018 when Almudena Alberca was made Spain's first female master of wine, one of only 149 in the world.