This week I am so please to be introducing you to Marilee Bramhall!
It is extra special to be publishing this piece because Marilee hails from my hometown of Seattle, Washington. She is the Founder and CEO of Seattle’s newest wine import company, iola Wines which exclusively imports wines produced by female vignerons. Her current portfolio includes producers from both France and Italy. She has aspirations to add many more in the future. iola wines mission is to empower wine consumers to make socially conscious choices. And educate customers about where and how the wines are made.
Marilee has spent the last several years studying wine and uses her education and agricultural background to select some of the finest wines for her Seattle customers.
She is a blast to chat with and full of energy. My favorite quote from our conversation…
“Yes, I wear white pants and drink rose after labor day, so what?”
I think we can all adopt that motto and apply it to a lot of things in life. Marilee is a woman you can look up to. She isn’t afraid to be herself and take chances. Hello!!! Starting a business in 2020?! But she is smart and onto something. Now more than ever, wine consumers are asking questions and social awareness is on the rise. Her business is exactly what wine consumers want and need right now.
Marilee, I am so pleased to be featuring you on the Paris Wine Girl platform as part of the Women+Wine section of the Blog. Let’s get started!
First, Where did you grow up?
I grew up in the Seattle area and also spent lots of time near Walla Walla on my family’s grain farm. As a little kid I was in the field with my grandfather or in the garden and the kitchen with my grandmother who was a spectacular cook and baker. I worked harvest as a kid first babysitting my younger cousins while their parents were in harvest and then later I drove a wheat truck. The first harvest I worked for my aunt and uncle, my uncle had to wire wood blocks to the pedals so I could reach them. The family farm has always been a big part of my identity. I didn’t spend a Christmas in Seattle until I was 25.
What social groups did you belong to in high school and what impact did they have on the choices you made and career you have foraged?
My friends came from all different groups – some were into drama, choir, sports, science, etc. I loved participating in the international fair fundraiser. One year I worked on the Greece booth and ended up making tons of baklava to sell. From very early in life I wanted to see the world. I loved going to the airport as a kid and dreamed of being able to get on a plane and go somewhere completely different than Seattle. I actually really wanted to be a flight attendant!
Why Wine? Can you tell me about how you got interested in wine and what your initial journey was like?
That story starts with my dad. He’s always been interested in wine, and has appreciated it a lot. When I was about 12 he grilled T-bones and was having a Bordeaux that he particularly loved. He said that I was old enough to have a small taste. From that point, I was fascinated. I understood that there was history, a story, in the glass and that wine was meant to be appreciated and enjoyed. I was fascinated by the bottle, the label, the fact that it came from France (!) which in my 12-year-old imagination seemed like a magical place. Much later when I was in a university program in Grenoble, I did a short study on the wines of Beaujolais for a school project, so the interest and curiosity continued. I was an avid history, art history and language student. Wine was present at least peripherally with all the subjects that interested me and it has continued to be something my dad and I enjoy together. After college I worked in the WA wine industry for nearly a decade. I worked on the corporate side of the business, and part of my work involved regularly spending time in CA wine country which I loved! I also recruited enologists, winemakers, lab techs, etc. so I was fortunate to work with a couple of the superstars of NW wine either as colleagues, hiring managers or new employees. I felt a connection to the wine industry because of growing up in an agricultural family. Agriculture was, and is, a big part of my life so I’ve always felt a connection or a link to wine. When I worked in WA wine the vineyards were so close to where my family lives and works.
Was there a particular experience or moment when you realized you wanted to transition into a professional career in wine?
No there really wasn’t. I ended up at Ste Michelle by chance. Back then I had dreams of my french language skills and my interest in wine intersecting. Instead I got very focused on my career and ended up leaving wine and working in high tech.
What gave you the idea to create a business centered around women and wine?
It was an idea that formed over several years. Around 2006 I heard Stephen Lewis who was the UN Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa speak. He covered so much important territory in his talk that night; including very specifically saying that we needed to work immediately to empower women to make their own choices and to open doors for them to lead. I believe he posited that many of the world’s major problems wouldn’t be solved until we have significantly more women in leadership around the globe. Hearing him speak that night was the beginning of my commitment to empowering girls and women. I’ve been involved in projects which support girls in Africa having access to education since then. I could be doing so much more… More recently, the openly misogynistic behavior during the 2016 presidential campaign was sort of a call to action. I was studying wine and was in the process of setting up an import business – it was one of those moments in life where something became clear and certain in an instant. I just knew my work would focus on women in wine. It’s been a man’s world for centuries and I believe in women so didn’t have any doubt about there being talented women making wine and/or running domaines. It’s just a matter of finding them and meeting them. I LOVE that part of my work! Women are doing great work in the world of wine and have been for centuries. My mission is to tell their stories and bring their wines to my customers in Seattle and hopefully beyond. If somehow, I can make a difference for even just one or two women in wine then I will have answered the call.
How do you continue to stay passionate about wine while also building a business in it?
It can be hard. This business is tough, daunting and competitive. There are a lot of moments when I doubt myself. In those moments I return to wine itself. For me the best ways to stay in touch with my passion and belief are studying wine and (more recently) doing a little bit of teaching, which I’m enjoying a lot. It’s the best way to learn after all! I also love sharing the stories of my producers with anyone who will listen and I’m always working on my palate.
What obstacles or challenges have you encountered being a female working in wine in the US or during your work abroad?
I don’t run into tons of that abroad because I’m working with women producers. Also, I’ve come across lots of men abroad who want to introduce me to a female producer they know. In the US it can be a bit more challenging – I’m not always taken seriously which could be partly because I struggle with confidence in myself. Going out to sell wine to restaurants a couple years ago was hard, especially considering I’d never sold anything in my life! I had some absolutely delightful experiences selling wine in Seattle (especially Joanne Herron of Le Pichet and Café Presse) and some pretty dreadful moments as well. I attribute that to just the nature of the business not because I’m a woman working in the wine business. Both the delightful and the dreadful came at the hands of either men or women.
With all of that said, since the earlier days of my career in wine and in restaurant experiences, I witnessed and experienced women navigating the delicate balance of being just smart enough – not so smart as to be threatening – and also able to hang with the dudes after work and at team building events. My hope is that the conversations we’ve finally started having as a society will continue and will support change and increased opportunity for women to be recognized for what they have to offer and welcomed into leadership roles more and more.
What do you think it is important to have a wine business centered around women?
Well we have lots of père et fils situations and not so many mère et fille. Women have been doing incredible work in the wines business for generations and besides a few exceptions they aren’t known or recognized for what they’ve contributed.
What do you hope to achieve as you grow Iola Wines?
For me wine is about pleasure and indulging in a bit of hedonism. I hope to deliver lots of pleasure and enjoyment to my customers in the form of delicious, sustainably-produced wines as well as the stories behind the wines. I would love for these wines and the stories of the women making them to get more of us not only talking about women winegrowers but actually intentionally seeking out and choosing wines made by women so that we can get to the point where there will be so many women winegrowers/domaine owners that it it’s no longer unusual. I’m not trying to replace men or push them out. As RBG said when asked when will there be enough women on the Supreme Court: “when there are 9. There’s been 9 men and nobody’s ever raised a question about that.” I’m excited for the time when we no longer talk about it.
I hope to expand the portfolio in the next 12 months so that I can start a wine club doing 4 shipments a year to members. Before the pandemic I met some incredible women from the Beaujolais Crus, from Bourgogne, from Champagne, and from Southwest France. I have a new producer in Umbria, Italy that I met through Tanya Morning Star Darling and want to add more Italian women. I’ve just added a women winemaker from WA – Judith Papesh of Falling Rain Cellars who has made some very special and acclaimed wines and I would love to find producers in Oregon and eventually in South Africa. All of this means lots of work and lots more study – yay!
No shortage of big dreams! Mainly I want to keep sharing the joy that wine brings to me; through doing a little bit of teaching on the side and pursuing this mission of highlighting, elevating and recognizing the work of women in wine.
Ok now the fun stuff!
Current favorite wine region to study?
Oh, this is so tough! How does one choose?! France is my first love and I’m enthralled with Italy right now. Going deep on Italy with Tanya Morning Star Darling was absolutely magical for me. I’m fascinated by Sicilia, Campania, and Lombardia to name a few. There are particular places in each of these regions where I hope to find producers and of course visit as soon as travel becomes possible for us again.
Best holiday wine pairing for 2020?
Rosé all the way! In America, we often associate rosé with summer, but I love rosé in every season. Its versatility makes it great for the holidays. Depending on the rosé you choose, it can work well with a traditional holiday dinner with all the trimmings and vegetarian dishes, fish, or a more laid back holiday pizza. And, who doesn’t love a glass of rosé for an aperitif? It’s festive, beautiful, and delicious in the glass.
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