Celebrating Craft & Creativity: Women Behind This Season’s Best Pours

Home > Trends > Celebrating Craft & Creativity: Women Behind This Season’s Best Pours

October invites a fresh look at your list as harvest fills cellars, seasonal brews hit taps, and cooler nights bring guests together. This month we spotlight the women driving quality in wine and beer, from growers and winemakers to visionary brewery leaders. Stocking these selections gives your customers compelling flavors and stories that sell, with bottles and drafts that fit fall menus, pair cleanly with seasonal dishes, and keep repeat orders strong. Explore the lineup and choose pours that deliver purpose, provenance, and performance.

WOMEN IN WINE

Anna Espelt

Anna Espelt brings both vision and heart to her family’s historic estate, Espelt Viticultors, while also weaving her background in habitat restoration into a deeply personal project at Mas Marés in the Cap de Creus Nature Reserve. Here, among granite soils, sea breezes, and wild herbs, she tends organically farmed vineyards, working in harmony with the land’s ancient rhythms. The result is a collection of wines that capture salinity, minerality, and a true sense of place, offering shops and restaurants bottles that not only tell a compelling story but also deliver remarkable character and authenticity in the glass.

  • Anna Espelt Pla de Gates Red
  • Anna Espelt Pla de Gates White

Bodegas Care

In the heart of Cariñena, Bodegas Care brings together art, tradition, and innovation, with every bottle designed as both a reflection of place and a celebration of people. Among their most meaningful projects is the Care Solidarity Rosé, created in partnership with AMAC-GEMA to support women affected by breast and gynecological cancers. This vibrant pink wine carries a message as powerful as its flavor, giving an opportunity to pour something that not only delights guests but also contributes directly to an important cause. Don’t miss the new formats of these wines in 3 Liter Boxes!

  • Care Blanco Sobre Lias
  • Care Garnacha Nativa Blanca
  • Care Garnacha Nativa Vinas Viejas
  • Care Solidarity Rosé
  • Care Tinto Sobre Lias

Château des Annibals La Cuvée des Annibals Pays du Var Rosé

At Château des Annibals in Provence, Nathalie Coquelle crafts wines with both elegance and conscience. La Cuvée des Annibals, a lighter counterpart to her famed Suivez-moi-jeune-homme, offers a vivid expression of Cinsault, Grenache, and Syrah, full of delicate floral notes and bright fruit carried on a brisk, mineral-driven palate. Certified organic and powered entirely by renewable energy, the estate reflects Nathalie’s deep commitment to sustainability, making this rosé as responsible as it is refreshing. This wine embodies both the charm of Provence and the values of thoughtful winemaking.

Clos i Terrasses

In 1989, Burgundy-trained Daphne Glorian took a bold step with a handful of old Garnacha vines in Priorat, a gamble that became the acclaimed Clos i Terrasses. Guided by Daphne’s vision and the expertise of viticulturist Ester Nin, the estate thrives with biodynamic farming and meticulous vineyard care. Together, they craft world-class wines that express both the power and elegance of Priorat. Laurel Blanc, new this year, is a vibrant white with notes of white peach and jasmine, crisp and mineral-driven. Laurel is a medium-bodied red, mostly Garnacha, that is polished and elegant. Clos Erasmus, the flagship wine, shows dense fruit, exotic spice, and licorella minerality. These wines have been shaped by the talent and dedication of women leading one of Spain’s most storied estates. Allocations are small, so don’t wait to order.

  • Clos i Terrasses Clos Erasmus
  • Clos i Terrasses Laurel
  • Clos i Terrasses Laurel Blanc

Domaine Marion Pral

Marion Pral and her family have nurtured their 45-acre estate for generations, practicing ecological farming on granite-rich hillsides in southern Beaujolais. With hand-harvested grapes and decades of experience, Domaine Pral crafts wines that express both finesse and character. The Cuvée Terroir delights with ripe cherry, strawberry, and subtle mineral notes. Beaujolais Blanc is a unique Chardonnay with white flower, apple, and exotic fruit aromas, while Morgon Les Charmes offers rich berries, brown spice, and layered tannins. Moulin-à-Vent rounds out the portfolio with complex red fruit, soft spice, and age-worthy structure. With the Pral family now retired, this is the last opportunity to pour these incredible wines and celebrate the fabulous legacy created by Marion.

  • Domaine Pral Beaujolais Blanc Chardonnay
  • Domaine Pral Beaujolais Cuvée Terroir Red
  • Domaine Pral Morgon Les Charmes Cru Beaujolais
  • Domaine Pral Moulin-à-Vent Cru Beaujolais

Klinker Brick Winery

For over a century, the Felten family has cultivated Lodi’s sandy loam soils, shaping wines that reflect both the land and their generations of experience. Farrah Felten-Jolley, representing the sixth generation, brings passion and vision to the estate, guiding vineyards and crafting expressive varietals. The Carignane offers dark cherry and clove with a hint of tobacco, the Dolcetto reveals black cherry with cinnamon and nutmeg, Old Ghost Zinfandel layers pomegranate, ripe cherry, and herbs with bright acidity, and Echoes Native Zinfandel presents delicate aromas of rose petals, lavender, and cardamom. Each wine embodies the Felten family’s dedication, connecting rich heritage with vibrant, nuanced flavors.

  • Klinker Brick Carignane
  • Klinker Brick Dolcetto
  • Klinker Brick Echoes Native Zinfandel
  • Klinker Brick Old Ghost Reserve Zinfandel

Laurel Glen Vineyards

Perched on the east-facing slopes of Sonoma Mountain, Laurel Glen Vineyards produces Cabernet Sauvignon with remarkable intensity, balance, and complexity. Veteran of the California wine industry Bettina Sichel has carefully stewarded this iconic estate since 2011, nurturing its organically farmed vineyards and the unique Laurel Glen clone first planted in 1968. The Counterpoint Cabernet Sauvignon offers supple, fresh-picked berries while the Estate Cabernet Sauvignon offers black cherries, blueberries, dark chocolate, savory forest notes and cocoa, with a lingering crème de cassis finish. Perfect wines for sitting on the deck watching the leaves change color.

  • Laurel Glen Counterpoint Cabernet Sauvignon
  • Laurel Glen Vineyard Estate Cabernet Sauvignon

Domaine du Marcoux Côtes-du-Rhône

At Domaine du Marcoux, winemaking is a dialogue between careful hands and centuries of family knowledge. Catherine and Sophie Armenier have nurtured their vineyards with organic and biodynamic methods, shaping wines that reveal both subtlety and depth. Their Côtes-du-Rhône, a Grenache-driven blend with Mourvèdre, Cinsault, and Syrah, is lithe and spicy, capturing the quiet elegance of the northern parcels.The Châteauneuf-du-Pape Rouge, the estate’s flagship wine, is sourced from 13 sites spanning diverse terroirs, producing a wine that is dense yet pure, with lifted aromatics. Marcoux wines are always inclined toward red-fruit flavors with a smoky stoniness that gracefully emerges with age, showcasing nuance, elegance, and the skill of the Armenier sisters in every bottle.

  • Marcoux Côtes-du-Rhône
  • Marcoux Châteauneuf du Pape

WOMEN IN BEER

Lost Coast Brewery

Barbara Groom has always followed her own path, and founding Lost Coast Brewery was no exception. Long before craft beer became a movement, she transformed a small downtown Eureka experiment into a thriving brewery, guided by creativity, determination, and a love for bold flavors. Today, Lost Coast offers a diverse lineup, from the crisp Great White wheat to the hoppy Indica IPA, and rich, flavorful 8 Ball stout, each beer reflecting Barbara’s unconventional spirit and commitment to quality. With every pour, the brewery celebrates innovation, passion, and a fearless approach to doing things differently. You may know the flagship beer, Tangerine Wheat, so take a moment to try some of the other fantastic choices in this month’s lineup!

  • Lost Coast 8 Ball Stout
  • Lost Coast Apricot Wheat
  • Lost Coast Blackberry Lager
  • Lost Coast Downtown Brown
  • Lost Coast Fogcutter Double IPA
  • Lost Coast Great White
  • Lost Coast Hazy IPA
  • Lost Coast Imperial Stout
  • Lost Coast Indica IPA
  • Lost Coast Peanut Butter Milk Stout
  • Lost Coast Porter
  • Lost Coast Raspberry Brown
  • Lost Coast Revenant IPA
  • Lost Coast Strawberry Wheat
  • Lost Coast Vanilla Latte Stout
  • Lost Coast Watermelon Wheat