Episode summary
Rise of Women Owned Wines | Bloomberg Businessweek
Bloomberg Businessweek Daily
· · 12 min · Hosts: Carol Massar, Tim Stenovec · Guests: Mandy Oser
Summary
Mandy Oser says the wine business is adapting to a younger audience that may be drinking less, but is increasingly interested in the story behind what they buy, the producer’s values, and different ways of drinking. She argues that the industry has to meet consumers where they are, including through dealcoholized wines, even if those products are not cheap to make.
At Ardesia in Hell’s Kitchen, Oser focuses on lesser-known bottles and says customers are curious about under-the-radar regions like Hungary, Serbia, and Eastern Europe. She also says the bar has begun calling out women-led wineries more directly during Women’s History Month, because promoting and selling those wines is one way to address underrepresentation in the industry.
Oser walked through three examples: a family-run Italian white, a Rioja from sisters running a fifth-generation producer, and a no-alcohol wine from Oddbird. Her broader view is that wine buyers want both discovery and accessibility, and that good producers can make these categories feel less intimidating and more mainstream.
Key takeaways
- Mandy Oser says younger consumers may be drinking less, but they are drinking differently and want the story behind the wine.
- Oser says dealcoholized wines are expensive to produce, so consumers should not expect them to be a bargain.
- At Ardesia, Oser is highlighting women-led wineries as a deliberate way to support underrepresented producers.
- Oser sees strong curiosity for wines from Hungary, Serbia, Uruguay, and Armenia, beyond the traditional Bordeaux and Burgundy staples.
- Oser says better production could make no-alcohol wines taste close enough to conventional wine that the difference becomes harder to notice.
Notable quotes
“I think when you talk about, for example, the younger generation, maybe they're not drinking as much, but maybe they're drinking differently”
“The best producers like uh Odd Bird that we'll talk about um use a process where they spin the wine at a cool temperature and the alcohol drops out”
“So I think as producers get better and better at making quality wine, then we'll have more and more that you might not even know the difference”
“I think one that I think we I would love to see more from is Uruguay in South America”
How the episode opens
Bloomberg Audio Studios podcasts, radio, news. — You're listening to Bloomberg Business Week with Carol Masser and Tim Stenc on Bloomberg Radio.
I'm so excited because um it's natural national women's history month as we all know. Did you know that? I knew that.
Yes, of course. Coming to an end, though. I know.
Yes, it's coming to an end. So, we're going to have um a great month cap and in a male-dominated industry, we thought that we'd bring in a woman who is thriving and who is rising above it all. So, she's Mandy Oser, owner and wine director uh at Ardisha.
It's a wine bar in Health's Kitchen. She's going to discuss with us the wine industry and how in this again male-dominated space, highlighting women's wineries and women and wine made by women is important. And we're seeing an increase of wine sales this month as well.
according to her. So, let's welcome Mandy. So, thank you so much.
Should we cheers? Is that awkward? Um
You we can we can do whatever. — Cheers. Yes. Um for those um listening on radio, I just raised my wine glass. — Cheers. — And Tim did not
Oh, sorry. Here. Well, there's just so many to choose from.
Mandy, welcome. Welcome. Welcome.
Thank you. You know, it's been we like to Isabelle, as Isabelle knows, um we like to sort of end the week sometimes when it's been a challenging week talking a little about the wine industry um and talking about the alcohol industry. And and one thing that's that's on our radar right now is is this uh potential acquisition by Bernard Ro of um Brown Foreman.
And it brings to mind uh the parent company of of Jack Daniels. And it brings to mind the challenges that the alcohol industry has faced.
From the episode’s captions: roughly the first two minutes, lightly cleaned. Keep watching on YouTube →
Topics
- women owned wines
- wine industry
- female winemakers
- wine sales
- new york nightlife
Companies and tickers mentioned
- Ardesia
Watch the episode
Watch “Rise of Women Owned Wines | Bloomberg Businessweek” on YouTube
Summary, takeaways and quote selection by Octagon. Quotes are short excerpts; the full conversation is in the episode.
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