Sexual Assault and the Wine Industry
I tried to find an appropriate image for this post. I even thought that maybe I should just insert the latest picture of my cat, as every time he makes a social media appearance I seem to get more likes. But I think that given the seriousness of the issues, the entire focus should be on these words, ones that give me little satisfaction to write, but that I feel are necessary.
Last Friday, the New York Times posted an article about a NY sommelier/wine director who has been accused by four women of sexual assault. One would think that people would be cautious not to do anything that could be misinterpreted or cross professional boundaries, especially now with the prevalence of the #MeToo hashtag and the movement it birthed. Yet, I’ve continued to hear from women who work in the wine industry that it was just a matter of time before a high profile sommelier got nailed for the type of misbehavior that we’ve seen takedown celebrity chefs and restauranteurs over the last few years. As I’ve written in the past, hardly a tasting would go by when a female buyer or sales rep wouldn’t take me aside and tell me about a bad experience with a male buyer or boss. It is a gross abuse of power. Since starting graduate school, I don’t have as much time for tastings but from what I hear nothing’s changed. This situation is not unique to the wine industry; it is endemic in our culture, but when we see people are abusing their power, especially in ways that threaten someone’s safety or livelihood, we can not look the other way.
As is true of any line of work, people flirt and hook up, with consent and without coercion, from time to time. There are going to be times when casual flirting might be unwelcome, but the incidents reported in this article go beyond cluelessness. The conduct cited — both the assaults and the accused subsequent attempts to downplay the attacks — shows a level of entitlement that we’ve seen in other ways: parents bribing SAT proctors to change their children’s score and university officials to gain admittance, and the habitual lies of the current occupant of the White House. I don’t want to diminish the specific seriousness of sexual assault, but I do see it as part of a larger pattern that influential people feel they are above the law or proper rules of behavior. We live in a culture where unbridled entitlement often goes unpunished.
Yet given the nature of the wine business, the opportunity for malfeasance may present itself more often. This isn’t to say that sexual harassment and assault are more prevalent than in other businesses but the elephant in the room is that quite a few people who work in the wine industry have an unhealthy relationship with alcohol. I’m not talking about people who responsibly have a few glasses of wine with dinner or even socially enjoy crushing a bunch of bottles with friends. I’m referring to those who drive drunk, feel emboldened to grope women at wine events, or troll and bully other wine industry professionals on social media. The latter two antisocial behaviors occur even when alcohol is not involved, and there are plenty of people who get drunk and manage to act respectfully. Still, no doubt about it, alcohol and other substance abuse exacerbate certain problems, especially when it comes to the treatment of women. At the same time, under no circumstances is drinking or being otherwise impaired an excuse for inappropriate behavior.
What can we do? Over the last few months, several people, including wine industry, legal, and social justice professionals, created this Equity Pledge/Code of Conduct as a step to address these issues. We used the jazz industry code of conduct as a template with adaptations to deal with the specific nature of our industry. Numerous businesses already signed it. I’ve also been talking to some men about this problem — not only when it comes to sexual harassment but discrimination in general — and I see where they want to be part of the solution. To be clear, the bad actors are in the minority, but to the extent that these individuals are often given a pass (by people of all genders) because they have buying power and influence, others are complicit. As the pledge states, “We want it to be okay to refuse business because it is reasonable to choose not to work with those who do not share our values of fairness and equity.” We need to take this seriously.
While sexual harassment and assault are always inexcusable, intolerable and deserving of punishment, other forms of discrimination can be addressed with education. If people account for past wrongdoing and are willing to own up to it and right the ship, they are deserving of another chance. Yet it is also incumbent upon us as an industry to set standards not only for those who currently work with wine but for those who want to in the future. This starts in our everyday behavior, walking the walk. No one, myself included, should feel that they are above scrutinizing the way we treat those we deal with in business. A little humility goes a long way. This pledge also addresses social media behavior. It is not our place to police people’s every move but bullying tactics do not reflect well on our industry, either. We are all human, imperfect, inconsistent, and make mistakes.
The Equity Pledge is a launching pad, and there is much more work ahead of us. It is not meant so much to condemn past behavior as it is to make a statement going forward. I’ve asked those who signed on to share what they are doing in their businesses to enforce fairness and equity and prevent instances of sexual harassment and assault. I’m not trying to put anyone on the spot; I realize that many companies are small and don’t have employees so while they are with us in spirit, they do not have as much experience with these issues. At the same time, we can learn from one another and businesses that already have policies in place are encouraged and welcome to share their practices. As ideas and more signatures come in, the pledge will be updated and sent out to others to share on their websites and in their places of business. While it was created by a handful of people, it is important that the industry takes ownership of the pledge and the problems it seeks to address. Once the WINeFare website is up and running, it will live there.
If you are in the wine industry, please read this pledge and if you are on board, add your name. So far, the effort is being driven by the natural wine sector, which has, to some extent, been more responsive to issues of fairness. However, this is part of an industry-wide campaign. Next year will mark my 30th year as a wine professional, and I wish I could say that the atmosphere for women — as well as people of color and other marginalized groups — has come a long way. There have been improvements, but when we hear about stories such as those described in the Times article, we’re reminded that we still have a way to go. Despite the discrimination and abuse, there is potential for the wine world to turn the corner and set an example for other fields. I know a lot of people who would like to see this happen, and I’m asking everyone who works in this industry to do their part.
