Winebow Women Leaders

ALEXANDRA PEREYRE & STÉPHANIE MENEUX DE NONANCOURT Laurent-Perrier Riems, France The success of Laurent-Perrier is driven by the energy of the family of Bernard de Nonancourt, the initiator of the Laurent-Perrier style and range, now overseen by his two daughters, Alexandra Pereyre de Nonancourt and Stéphanie Meneux de Nonancourt.

RITA RUSSO Limonio Sicily, Italy

ASHLEY BARNES Lucky Seven Bourbon USA

HEIDI BRIDENHAGEN Macrostie Sonoma County, CA

It all started with the recipe for nonna’s home-made liqueur. Siblings Rita, Valerie and Giusy Russo decided to create a small, artisan commercial venture, LIMÒNIO, to highlight their cultivation, producing the first commercial “Limoncello” made and marketed in Sicily in 1992. The family takes the fruit from their 50 hectare fruit farm in Sicily and make natural liqueurs without any coloring or preservatives. They use only the best fruit, cultivated with care and respect for the environment without the use of pesticides or chemical elements.

Ashley specializes in warehouse profiling, flavor profile projections, blending, product development and quality control for Lucky Seven Bourbon. She was previously with Four Roses Distillery as the Assistant Quality Control Manager where she performed flavor profiling, formulation and blending. Ashley serves as a judge at the American Distilling Institute and American Craft Spirits Association spirits competitions using her knowledge and experience to critique and provide educational feedback to craft distillers.

Heidi Bridenhagen believes in the value of exploration and experimentation. Her inquisitiveness and background in biochemistry have earned her more than 400 scores of 90 Points or higher from major publications. Heidi has co-led one of Sonoma County’s most diverse and acclaimed vineyard programs featuring more than 30 Chardonnay sites and 15 Pinot Noir Vineyards.

CAROLINA GUERRA Macrostie Sonoma County, CA

PAULINE MATEO Maison Lorgeril Languedoc, France

LUDOVICA DI GRESY Marchesi Di Gresy Piedmont, Italy

ILARIA FELLUGA Marco Felluga & Russiz Superiore Friuli Venezia Guilia, Italy

In 2023, Carolina’s long-held dream of becoming a winemaker became a reality when she was named the assistant winemaker at MacRostie. A native of Franca-São Paulo, Brazil with a degree in Food Engineering, Carolina’s passion for wine has taken her around the world several times, where she has honed her craft in Australia’s Yarra Valley and in California at Kendall-Jackson, La Crema and Sonoma-Cutrer, where she worked alongside Heidi Bridenhagen’s mentor, acclaimed Winemaker Cara Morrison. For Carolina, MacRostie is a dream job.

Pauline Mateo has been the winemaker for Lorgeril Maison & Domaines for four years. She obtained her diploma as an oenologist at Montpellier University in 2012. Pauline expanded her winemaking knowledge making wine in Chili and later in Burgundy at Badet & Clement. She is very passionate about making high altitude wines with elegance and finesse, that speak of the terroir they come from.

Ludovica, a science and product design graduate, joined her father’s winery in 2013 after diverse experiences, including carpentry in Patagonia, graphic design in Barcelona, and sales at Prada. She brings a “design mental approach” to Marchesi di Gresy, sharing her father’s passion for producing elegant, complex wines that respsect traditio, nature and varietals. Ludovica considers her work a dream come true.

Ilaria joined the family winery in 2017 and is a dynamic force behind Marco Felluga and Russiz Superiore focusing on the harvest, sales, marketing, and communication for the winery. As the latest of a sixth-generation dynasty in this esteemed winemaking family, that began in the latter half of the 1800s in Isola, she brings a fresh and powerful perspective to the tradition of crafting exceptional wines.

Women Leaders in Wine & Spirits

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