Cheers to her: The best wines to celebrate International Women's Day
Throughout March, you'll find us raising a glass to all the incredible women who inspire us.
What better way to celebrate Mother's Day and International Women's Day (which takes place on Saturday 8 March this year) by making a toast to the brilliant women in the world of wine today, with a glass full of the fruits of their labour.
Best wine for International Women’s Day 2025
These are the best bottles from female winemakers to celebrate with – keep scrolling for the full reviews.
Read on for more wine reviews: Best white wine | best red wine | best rosé | best champagne | best English sparkling wine | best prosecco | best cava
What is the theme for International Women's Day 2025?
The purpose of International Women's Day is to celebrate women's achievements, challenge stereotypes, promote equality, and raise awareness of the discrimination and disadvantages women continue to face today.
Progress towards equality can feel slow at times, but this year's "Accelerate Action" theme aims to address that, placing emphasis on the importance of urgent action.
Celebrating women in wine
“Women have traditionally been underrepresented in the wine industry, although, fortunately, that'd starting to change,” says Sue Daniels, in-house winemaker at M&S, where women make up about 10 percent of the Marks & Spencer wine aisle. “It's therefore particularly important that we continue to highlight and celebrate the vital role women play in producing many of the wines enjoyed around the world. We're proud at M&S to be in the unique position of having a majority-female wine team, from Belinda Kleinig and I as winemakers, through to our buyers, product developers and technologists.”
Lauren Ballantyne, Wine Product Developer at Tesco agrees, saying, "Women play a pivotal and increasingly influential role in the wine industry today, in what has been a traditionally male-dominated field. Their contributions are evident in the creation of unique wine styles, furthering the adoption of eco-friendly practices, and building inclusive spaces within the industry.
“Women-led initiatives and mentorship programmes have also become key to fostering the next generation of wine professionals. Tesco supports this progress through its partnerships with women-led wineries and its celebration of female winemakers. While challenges persist, the future is promising, with inspiring role models, and an increasing number of female Masters of Wine.”
Meanwhile, online wine retailer Majestic, has curated a special Women in Wine edit, complete with discounts!
So, if you’d like to join us in raising a glass to the brilliant women in our life (or treat them to a bottle for Mother's Day), here’s what we suggest adding to your basket.
'Classic Cuvée' Brut
Let’s start with some (GHI Taste Approved) fizz! Nyetimber’s head winemaker, Cherie Spriggs, was the first person outside of Champagne to be awarded the prestigious Sparkling Winemaker of the Year Award in 2018 – and she was also the first woman to win the accolade – high praise indeed.
Nyetimber’s flagship wine is made in the same way as the best champagne, giving it an equally complex flavour, with notes of apple pie and baking spices.
'Filius' Chardonnay
Chardonnay is having a “moment”, thanks to the recent Bridget Jones film, and we think this – made by Virginia Willcock, one of Australia’s most-awarded winemakers – is the perfect drop to pour alongside the film.
The wine really reflects the unique terroir of Margaret River, benefitting from cool nights, and sunshine-filled days. This results in a beautiful, rounded, buttery texture, with a stroke of acidity to cut through the peach and pineapple. There’s a whiff of smoke, a touch of spicy oak, and a hint of minerality. Great value for money, with or without food.
Y Series Viognier
Looking for an exciting white to take on spicy food? This is it. Aromatic and floral, light and creamy, you can expect notes of orange blossom, ginger and honeysuckle. This viognier will complement dishes in a similar way to a chardonnay, but with a spicier twist, so mild, creamy curries or peri peri chicken would be perfect.
It’s the work of Louisa Rose, who also happens to be one of the most influential winemakers in Australia, having started her career as a cellar hand at the fiercely independent Yalumba vineyard almost 30 years ago.
Sauvignon Blanc
Emma Marris has big shoes to fill, as she follows in the footsteps of her father Brent Marris (the man behind best-selling sauvignon blanc, The Ned.)
However, something's clearly rubbed off, as she’s created this big, bold sauvignon with a difference. You can expect notes of crunchy green apple, lime, lemongrass and juicy melon – try pairing it with baked goat's cheese or a Greek salad.
Definition by Majestic Bacchus
When we think of the best English wine, it’s normally sparkling that springs to mind. However, Collette O’Leary, head winemaker at Henners Vineyard, is responsible for this excellent still bacchus.
If you’ve not tried this home-grown grape before, it shares qualities with sauvignon blanc, but it's blended with a touch of chardonnay, which adds a roundness to the more typical lime, gooseberry and elderflower notes you might expect to find.
Organic Languedoc Rosé
This limited-edition, beautiful blush (which is also GHI Taste Approved) is a collaboration between Emma Bertrand and Australian artist Morgan Jamieson, in what is a true celebration of women in wine.
A blend of grenache, cinsault and syrah, it’s certified organic and is a fresh rosé with surprising complexity. Expect notes of ripe red fruit, alongside a hint of liquorice – making it perfect with shellfish.
Merlot 2.25L
This boxed wine from Laylo co-founders Laura Rosenberger and Laura Riches is honestly genius. One box equates to three bottles, but the beauty of it is, it will stay fresh for up to six weeks, so you can enjoy that mid-week glass without wasting the rest of the bottle.
Perfect for parties, it’s a smarter way to drink wine, and this one is an excellent French merlot. You can expect notes of juicy cherry, blueberries and a touch of chocolate, making it an excellent pairing for spag bol or tomato-based pizzas.
Private Bin Sauvignon Blanc
If you love a Marlborough sauvignon blanc, look to Nadine Linklater and Priyanka Kulkarni, winemakers at New Zealand’s Villa Maria.
The grapes are harvested at night to try and capture the fresh aromatics, and it bursts out of the glass with zesty citrus – think lime leaf, grapefruit and juicy passionfruit. Try it with goat's cheese salad for a match made in heaven.
Rueda Verdejo
Marian Santamaria is winemaker at Beronia Rueda and also Fournier (below). This is a brilliant white for the summer months. It comes from the Rueda region of Northwest Spain and is bright and clean with lashings of citrus and white peach.
But there’s a really herbaceous quality, thanks to the fennel seeds in particular, which makes this exceptionally food friendly.
Ribera del Duero
This is a little pricier, but you’re getting a hand-crafted, artisan wine with real intensity. A powerful Spanish red with limited production, Ribera del Duero (with Marian Santamaria at the helm) is known for the quality of its rich, meaty red wines, made from 100% tempranillo grapes – and this is no exception.
Shiraz Zinfandel
As the striking label suggests, this progressive South African wine brand celebrates women. Amandla is a majority black-owned and 100% black female-run business – making it the ideal mid-week bottle for when you fancy a side of female empowerment with your steak. Expect bold, black fruit and spice.
Château des Jacques Moulin a Vent
Julie Pitoiset, director and winemaker at Château des Jacques, is breathing fresh life into this historic beaujolais producer. Rich and juicy, this is a well-structured red (and quite different to chilled beaujolais nouveau) that would work well with confit duck and tomatoey lentils.
Uco Valley Malbec
Led by Julia Zuccardi with a focus on sustainability and women’s empowerment, this brand has spearheaded many initiatives from daycare to wellness programmes, as well as a fully funded, onsite adult education centre with over 60 recently graduated employees.
The grapes for this malbec are sourced from high-altitude vineyards in the Uco Valley, creating a hearty red that reflects its unique terroir, with aromas of plum, spice, and vanilla.
Delacourt Cuvee Rose Champagne Brut
Score: 77/100
“Carine Bailleul has been pivotal in crafting our Delacourt Champagne since we launched it in 2018”, says Sue Daniels. Carine learned alongside the renowned Elisabeth Sarcelet at Champagne Castelnau, starting as an intern in 2003, before succeeding her as chef de caves four years ago.
She’s working hard to uphold the region’s tradition of producing rich, well-developed wines while maintaining Delacourt’s signature style – longer ageing on lees and a higher proportion of reserve wine, resulting in a beautifully complex, biscuity champagne, in this case, packed with wild strawberry and red cherries, alongside a touch of pink grapefruit. Cheers to that!
Etna Rosso DOC
Head winemaker at M&S, Maria Carella, is making waves in sustainable wine-making practices, using indigenous grape varieties on the slopes of Mount Etna.
“These native varieties are well-adapted to the environment so they’re more resistant to disease and climate change, and they express themselves best in the terroir”, Maria tell us.
She makes the M&S Etna Rosso using two local grapes – Nerello Mascalese and Nerello Cappuccio – to produce an intense wine, with notes of cherry, blackberry and a whiff of mocha.
“The greatest inspiration is to try to leave a world in a state that’s liveable for our children – for me, respect for the environment, the preservation of biodiversity and the protection of land is fundamental,” she says.
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