Donne in the Vineyards: Italian-American Women in the California Wine Industry

Abstract

This article analyses the participation of Italian-American women in the California wine industry, paying attention to the interactions between gender and ethnicity. Italian-American women contributed to the birth and the development of family-run companies, but their role in wineries was often invisible, as it was regarded as mere support for male business owners, and their power was limited. The work of Italian-American women did not represent a model of individual emancipation from the family, but carried out a social function of conservation which made it possible for family businesses to thrive. After the Second World War, women such as Rosa Mondavi and Sylvia Sebastiani reinvented their own roles to fit within the models of femininity imposed on the middle class, gaining control over their family businesses and contributing to Italian-Californian wine culture.