A Women’s Month Reflection on Culture, Inclusion, and the Future of Wine

Women are helping reshape the wine industry, but the future of wine is also about something bigger: making room for new cultures, cuisines, voices, and ways of enjoying wine.

International Women’s Month is a time to celebrate progress, recognise leadership, and think about where industries are heading. Wine is no exception.

Wine has centuries of beautiful tradition behind it: European vineyards, historic estates, winemaking craftsmanship, formal tasting rituals, and classic pairings with steak and cheese.

It is a tradition worth celebrating.

But wine is no longer being enjoyed only around those tables.

More than 4.5 billion people live in Asia, bringing incredibly diverse food cultures, flavours, and dining traditions to the global conversation. Asian cuisine is built around spice, umami, fermentation, acidity, texture, and bold flavours. Meals are often communal, dynamic, and designed to be shared.

And that changes the way wine needs to think.

The old assumption that traditional wine culture can simply be transferred to every table doesn't always work.

Tradition Should Evolve, Not Disappear

At The Flying Winemaker, we don't believe tradition needs to be abandoned. We believe it needs to grow.

Wine should evolve alongside the people who drink it, across new cuisines, new dining occasions and new cultures.

The next chapter of wine isn't about leaving the past behind. It is about expanding the story to include new flavours, new food cultures and new voices shaping the global wine industry.

And many of those voices are women.

Women Are Helping Shape the Future of Wine

During International Women’s Month, it is worth recognising the women working across vineyards, wineries, laboratories, tasting rooms and international markets.

One of them is Lilian Carter, one of our winemakers and the creator behind The Flying Winemaker’s sparkling wine.

Lilian grew up in Rutherglen, Australia, surrounded by vineyards. Wine wasn't an abstract idea; it was part of everyday life. From an early age, she saw women working in vineyards, laboratories and wine businesses, giving her an early understanding of what was possible.

She went on to study oenology at Roseworthy, University of Adelaide, followed by Advanced Wine Assessment at the Australian Wine Research Institute.

Her winemaking journey then took her around the world, including harvests and vintages in France, South Africa, China and New Zealand. Each experience exposed her to different climates, techniques, traditions and approaches to wine.

Yet, for Lilian, some of the greatest inspiration still comes from the simplest things: being outside, working among the vines and feeling the land beneath her hands.

That connection to the vineyard remains at the heart of her winemaking.

And it shows in the glass.

The Flying Winemaker Prosecco NV 2024, King Valley, Victoria, created by Lilian, won Best Prosecco at the Australian Sparkling Wine Show.

A proud achievement for Lilian, and for everyone at The Flying Winemaker.

Progress Is Happening

The conversation around women in wine often focuses on representation, leadership, and opportunity.

There is still work to do, but progress is undeniable.

Today, 154 of the world’s 427 Masters of Wine are women, reflecting how significantly the industry has changed compared with previous generations.

Women are increasingly shaping wine across viticulture, winemaking, wine science, hospitality, education and international trade.

Lilian is also balancing the demands of winemaking with raising two young children while navigating harvests, bottling, travel and international markets.

Wine isn't a nine-to-five career.

But for those who love it, the long days are part of the journey.

The Future of Wine Is Also About Culture

For us, the future of wine isn't only about gender representation.

It is also about cultural representation.

Wine needs to reflect the way the world actually eats and drinks today.

That means wine belongs at the hotpot table, alongside Korean BBQ, with chilli crab, and beside spicy Chinese dishes just as much as it belongs with steak and cheese.

This is where wine innovation becomes exciting.

Modern wine isn't about rejecting tradition. It's about understanding how tradition can work with modern Asian dining, bold flavours and evolving consumer tastes.

Wine should travel.

It should adapt.

And it should make sense on more tables around the world.

Tradition isn't something locked in a cabinet and brought out occasionally.

Tradition is alive.

It grows, adapts, and travels.

The future of wine isn't tradition versus innovation.

It is tradition evolving through innovation.

This International Women’s Month, we raise a glass to the women in vineyards, wineries, laboratories, restaurants, tasting rooms and wine businesses who are helping shape that future.

Because the more voices included in the story, the richer the wine world becomes.

Looking for Wine for Spicy Food?

If you're pairing wine with hotpot, Korean BBQ, chilli crab or spicy Asian cuisine, explore The Flying Winemaker MÁLÀ collection, created with bold, modern Asian flavours and contemporary wine drinkers in mind.

Discover a different approach to Asian wine pairings, modern wine, and wine innovation.

Shop MÁLÀ and discover wines made for bold flavours.

FAQs

Why is cultural inclusion important in the wine industry?
Cultural inclusion allows wine to evolve alongside the people and cuisines that drink it. Asian dining, for example, often features spice, umami, fermentation and communal dishes that require different approaches to wine pairing.

What wine goes with spicy Asian food?
Wines with freshness, acidity, fruit character and balanced alcohol can work particularly well with spicy Asian food. The best pairing depends on the dish, level of heat and dominant flavours.

Why is wine for spicy food becoming more important?
As Asian cuisines become increasingly influential globally, wine producers and brands have an opportunity to develop wines and pairing approaches that suit chilli, spice, umami and communal dining.

Who is Lilian Carter?
Lilian Carter is a winemaker at The Flying Winemaker who grew up in Rutherglen, Australia. She studied oenology at Roseworthy, University of Adelaide, and has worked vintages internationally in countries including France, South Africa, China and New Zealand.

How is The Flying Winemaker approaching modern wine?
The Flying Winemaker focuses on making wine more accessible to contemporary drinkers and developing wines that work naturally with modern cuisines, including bold and spicy Asian food.

What is the future of wine?
The future of wine is about expanding beyond traditional European food-and-wine conventions to embrace diverse cultures, Asian cuisines, bold flavours and new consumers. It also means greater representation for women across winemaking, viticulture, wine science, and wine business, combining tradition with modern wine innovation.