2014 Women In Wine Leadership Symposium

This past week, HELEN MILLS hosted the 3rd annual Women in Wine Leadership Symposium. The day consisted of a networking breakfast, a keynote by Ruth Reichl (a food writer) and three panel discussions with leading ladies in their industries, all before lunch with a walk-around wine tasting.

This annual symposium is hosted by The Winebow Group, which is made up of national importer and distribution houses that offer comprehensive portfolios of fine wine and craft spirits from around the world. They represent some of the most established, family-owned properties in popular areas, as well as a new generation of winemakers and distillers who are dedicated to innovation and quality. To learn more about The Winebow Group, please click here.

Cornerstone Communications has produced Winebow’s annual symposium at HELEN MILLS for the past three years. They are a New York-based full service public relations and event management agency specializing in wine, food and luxury lifestyle clients. To learn more about Cornerstone Communications, please click here.

The first panel discussion in the HELEN MILLS Theater was about “Creating and Defining Work-Life Balance”. The speakers included Marianne Ruggiero from Optima Careers, Jordan Salcito from Momofuku, Cynthia Tom from Whole Foods and Kristen Wolfe Bieler from Beverage Media.

The second panel was in the HELEN MILLS Event Space, which was set-up in a classroom style setting with about 120 seats. It was a “Guided Tasting” of four different wines (one was a sparkling cider), with representatives from each of the wineries. The four wines included were Autumn’s Gold from Eve’s Cidery, Tokaji Furmint 2012, Vila Santa Reserva 2011 and Turriga Isola dei Nuraghi IGT 2010.

For the final panel, guests were brought back down to the Theater for a discussion on “Pathways and Strategies for Success”, while the Event Space was being transitioned for a walk-around tasting and lunch buffet. The last panel’s speakers included Cynthia Emrich for Catalyst, Shelley Lindgren from A16 and SPQR, Marika Vida-Arnold from the Ritz Carlton and Deborah Hansen from Taberna De Haro. All of the panel discussions were moderated by Madeline Triffon, a wine specialist and sommelier.

If you are planning an upcoming wine tasting event or a meeting, please contact us for more information about hosting your event at HELEN MILLS.