By: Haley Bosselman By: Haley Bosselman | March 24, 2022 | Food & Drink,
We always love the chance to support women-helmed businesses, especially when it means indulging in a great bottle of wine or or favorite tequila. Next time you’re shopping for a party or stocking up your bar cart, be sure to keep in mind these women-owned and women-led spirit and wine brands.
Avaline promises clean, delicious wine. Each bottle is made with organically-farmed grapes, is free from added sugars, concentrates and colors and is vegan friendly. On top of all that, Avaline is a female-owned company by none other than Cameron Diaz and Katherine Power.
Co-founder and CEO Bertha González Nieves helms this quality-driven tequila brand, ensuring each bottle offers an extraordinary experience through its small-batch releases. A Casa Dragones bottle is truly a must for any serious tequila aficionado who understands that González Nieves’ leadership is unparalleled. In fact, she was the first woman ever to earn the title of master tequilera from the Academia Mexicana de Catadores de Tequila.
Dani Zig co-founded this premium tropical sipping rum with her brother, Mike, after spending their childhood between Miami and Central America. The duo’s first venture was “smuggling” coconuts in their suitcases from islands off the coast of El Salvador to Miami and into the city’s best hotels. The result was one of the first Instagrammable beverages, which led the Zigs into industry. Their path ultimately led them to launch Coconut Cartel, a coconut water-infused, Guatemalan añejo rum.
There’s something special about being the first of something. Just ask Amy Atwood, Mary Bartlett, Natasha Case and Freya Estreller, who own the first 100 percent female-created, distributed and owned gin. Future Gin is the product of four longtime friends who wanted to offer the world a spirit that embodies everything they love about the Golden State. Combining the structure of dry gin with SoCal vibrancy, the result is a classic, yet bright gin.
For starters, Mijenta is a premium spirit based on its production process alone. It is only made in small batches and comes from the highlands of Jalisco, offering tequila enthusiasts a product based on a traditional process and the best possible materials. Even more exciting is that it is 100 percent female-made and it is owned by a number of people, including sustainable designer Elise Som who encourages Mijenta to follow her motto that “true luxury is to design with a responsible heart.” What’s more, the entire operation is helped by maestra tequilera Ana Maria Romero Mena. Well-known as one of the most trusted, respected and awarded tequila authorities in Mexico, she oversees the entire tequila process from start to finish. Who wouldn’t choose a bottle crafted by someone who was able to identify over 600 individual scents found in tequila?
See also: How These Female Powerhouses Turned Heartbreak Into A Formidable Fashion Empire
Co-founded by Jaime Whitton, El Sativo is an award-winning tequila that originated in collaboration with four generations of master tequila distillers. After establishing its muscle in the saturated world of tequila and earning two double gold awards— including 2020 Tequila of the Year from San Francisco World Spirits Competition,— El Sativo released añejo and reposado options. What’s more, every bottle is certified USDA organic, non-GMO and Kosher and each one sold gives back to ocean conservation.
Many special moments come in the form of popping a bottle of champagne, so might as well honor the moment with a top-tier bottle. By opting from this boutique champagne brand, you are supporting a Black-owned, woman-owned business that was born out of founder M. Robinson’s longtime love for champagne.
Hailing from Baja California, El Vino is produced at Bruma, a small hotel and winery in the Valle de Guadalupe wine region. The wines promise a contrasting freshness and acidity that meets strength and sophistication through its low intervention process and use of high-fashion terroir grapes. In addition, El Vino is a female-founded brand.
Tracy Tutor may sell the most exclusive luxury homes in Los Angeles, but she’s all about making wine accessible for everyone. Currently only available in California, her brand, Un’Sweet, presents a zero-sugar wine that both sommeliers and casual drinkers absolutely love.
With locations in Silver Lake and Eagle Rock, one of Los Angeles’ first female sommeliers, Coly Den Haan, brings her expertise to the Eastside through this specialty wine shop. Owners Haan and Angelica Luna offer a refreshing wine shopping experience with their selection of hand-chosen bottles, unique goods, gift boxes and wine club.
Photography by: Courtesy El Vino