This story is part of our “Women in Wine” series — an ongoing effort to highlight the women shaping today’s evolving global wine industry. From winemakers to sustainability specialists to executives, these are the women among the vines to watch in 2018.
emBRAZEN, the latest innovation from Treasury Wine Estates, celebrates the women who were likely told “No” or “Leave that to the men,” but didn’t listen—women that demanded the world listen to them.
Women like Josephine Baker, an entertainer, activist and undercover correspondent for the French Resistance; Nellie Bly, known for her record-breaking trip around the world in 72 days and one of the first female journalists to go undercover to investigate brutality and neglect at a mental hospital; and Celia Cruz, a world renowned Cuban performer and the best-selling Latin artist of the 20th century.
Each of those women have an emBRAZEN wine dedicated to them: Josephine Baker, a Red Blend; Nellie Bly, a Cabernet Sauvignon; and Celia Cruz with a Chardonnay. These labels come to life through the Living Labels app, with each woman on the bottle sharing her personal story.
We spoke to emBRAZEN’s Winemaker Olivia Teutschel about her winemaking philosophy, celebrating female trailblazers and the Take Up the Torch program.
What first attracted you to winemaking?
Olivia Teutschel: The blending of science, art and tradition that goes into making a wine has always fascinated me. Once I started to learn about how much history there is in the world of wine and how different wine can be around the globe, I was hooked!
Tell us about your winemaking philosophy.
My winemaking philosophy is simple and like most winemakers out there today: let the grapes do their job and stay out of the way as much as possible. This all depends on the vintage, but for the most part I really want to nurture each varietal and vineyard to retain their individual characteristics. When making blends, it’s all about finding a balance between the wines and making sure each individual lot still brings something unique to the final blend.
How were these women selected for the first series of emBRAZEN labels?
The emBRAZEN team, led by women, had so many wonderful female candidates for these labels. It’s hard to pick only a few notable women to recognize, and now that the wines are being enjoyed, the public hasn’t been shy about offering additional names for consideration.
What does it mean to you to create these wines that honor important women in history?
I’m very happy to share with emBRAZEN consumers some true female pioneers that helped shape the world I live in today. It’s important to me that we are sharing these positive stories and sparking conversations about how roles of women in society have changed over the years and are how they are still changing today.
emBRAZEN celebrates those changes, and through Take Up The Torch, recognizes them further. It’s exciting and very satisfying to be part of this effort.
What is the Take Up the Torch program?
Take Up the Torch is all about supporting women who are trailblazers in their fields, much like the women on each bottle of emBRAZEN wine. The program will award $25,000 to a woman that is making a difference in her community and beyond. There are no shortage of women doing amazing things, so it’s easy to learn more and nominate someone online. I can’t wait to see who gets picked and what they do next!
Do you have any female role models or mentors?
Where do I start?
In general, all the women letting their voices be heard impress me and inspire me to add to the conversation in my own way. In winemaking, I’m most impressed with my friends that have gone from knowing nothing about the wine industry to becoming respected winemakers, viticulturists and wine business professionals.
Most specifically, I’m in awe of Lee Miyamura, a co-worker and winemaker in Paso Robles at Treasury Wine Estates. She knows about the vineyard, the winery and the consumer trends in the wine industry. I feel lucky that I can hop up from my desk and pop my head into her office all hours of the day! She really has a pulse on everything from grape to glass.
I’m also excited to be working with Margo Van Staaveren. She has a clear vision and style for her wines which stays true from vintage to vintage. As an aspiring winemaker, I think it’s important to hold tight to your values, be bold and listen to your heart when making wine and these women have it down.
Tell us about these Living Wine Labels and how they make these women’s stories come to life through augmented reality.
When we picked the women for the labels, I was not familiar with all of them or the details of their stories. With the living labels app you simply point your phone at the label, and Celia Cruz, Josephine Baker or Nellie Bly tell you their story. You can dive into each person and really get a sense of their character.
Seeing the reactions to the living labels from consumers has been the most rewarding thing about sharing these wines. People get really excited when they recognize the women and still want to hear their stories through living labels even if they know all the details already! But most people don’t recognize all three women, so to see them experience their stories through the living label for the first time is really special. And yes, it’s free, just download the app and you’re on your way.