Wine industry to establish new safeguarding initiative following Women in Wine survey

Three of the UK’s leading wine trade bodies have joined forces to create a new industry equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) initiative in response to a concerning Women in Wine Survey conducted in 2023.

Proof Insight partnered with Queena Wong, founder of female wine community Curious Vines, to ask 726 women about their experience working in sommelier or hospitality roles over the past five years.

The report, which was published in October 2023, revealed that 78% of respondents had been affected by sexism or gender bias, while 44% had considered leaving the industry as a result.

Three trade bodies – the Drinks Trust, the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) and the Wine and Spirit Trade Association (WSTA) – have since committed to form a programme board that will begin industry-wide consultations on safeguarding.

Wong is also in the process of establishing an advisory council made up of industry volunteers, who will meet for the first time this summer.

More than 25 wine organisations have indicated their support of the EDI initiative:

Alliance Wine

Armit Wines

Bancroft Wines 

Berry Bros & Rudd

Bibendum Wine

Corney & Barrow

Court of Master Sommeliers Europe

Davy’s Wine Merchants

Enotria&Coe

Farr Vintners

Fells

Gonzalez Byass UK

Hallgarten & Novum

Hatch Mansfield

Indigo Wine

The Institute of Masters of Wine

JancisRobinson.com

Justerini & Brooks

Lay & Wheeler

Mentzendorff

North South Wines

Pernod Ricard UK

Plumpton College Wine

Pol Roger Portfolio

Treasury Wine Estates

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