INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY: LILIAN CARTER FOCUS!
A young Lilian Carter knew the wine industry was a solid pathway for her when she saw other women driving tractors and running laboratories.
At the beginning of 2024, oenologist and CEO Eddie McDougall said to The Flying Winemaker team: “Ok, let’s win some awards this year!” Sure enough, The Flying Winemaker Prosecco NV, made by Lilian Carter in Victoria’s King Valley, picked up the prize for “Best Prosecco” at the 2024 Australian Sparkling Wine Show. It was a moment of great celebration, most particularly for Lilian.
Today, Saturday March 8, is International Women’s Day, and another opportunity for celebration! Out of the 427 wine professionals worldwide who hold the prestigious title of Master of Wine (MW), more than a third (154) are female! Of course, the Day may also be a time for introspection. Are women under-represented in the wine industry? Are women-only wine associations a force for good? Are gender pay gaps an issue?
But for Lilian, who takes care of Australian winemaking for The Flying Winemaker, achieving success in the wine industry has been about working hard, about “just getting on with it,” and she believes that is true for any gender. She is part of a blended family of six, including being mother to a 3-year-old and a 6-year-old, but says: “Everyone has personal challenges with work-life balance,” citing in particular intensive “peak periods” such as vintage, which are not always conducive to family life. Corresponding “down seasons” tend not to materialise, as they get filled up with travel, and tasks such as bottling.
Lilian grew up in Rutherglen, about 300 kilometres from Melbourne. She saw women working across the industry, driving harvesters, being directors of industry associations and companies, pulling hoses in wineries, and promoting fine wine in five-star hotels, and knew it was a pathway for her. She received a Bachelor of Agricultural Science, Oenology, from the University of Adelaide (in the prestigious school now known as Roseworthy), and has completed the Advanced Wine Assessment Course at the Australian Wine Research Institute. In addition to making wine in Australia, she has worked in France, South Africa, China and New Zealand. She has also travelled internationally to run high-end tastings, meeting plenty of inspiring mentors (both men and women) along the way. But what she loves most about the wine industry is being outside; outside in the vineyard.
And how will Lilian be celebrating international Women’s Day? It will indeed be a day at the beach, Australian-style, with family and friends and a couple of bottles of wine – but she won’t be turning her business phone to silent!
BY ANNABEL JACKSON
