Rise of Women Owned Wines

Summary

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Bloomberg Businessweek – Rise of Women Owned Wines

Date: March 31, 2026
Hosts: Carol Massar, Tim Stenovec
Guest: Mandy Oser (Owner & Wine Director, Ardesia wine bar, Hell’s Kitchen)

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Episode Overview

This episode celebrates National Women's History Month by highlighting the rising influence and success of women in the wine industry, a traditionally male-dominated space. Carol, Tim, and Isabel are joined by Mandy Oser, owner and wine director of Ardesia, a New York wine bar known for championing female winemakers and expanding wine horizons for curious consumers. The discussion covers shifts in wine consumption patterns, the economics and quality of de-alcoholized wines, unique wine regions, and the importance of promoting female-led wineries.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Changing Wine Consumption Trends

[03:09]

• There is an industry-wide concern about younger generations in the US drinking less alcohol.
• Mandy offers a positive outlook, emphasizing the shift is more about how people are drinking, not just how much.
  • “Maybe they're drinking differently. Maybe they. I think we're finding they're very interested in the stories behind the wines, the producers, what are their values?” – Mandy Oser [03:28]
• Younger consumers seek brands that align with their values and are open to trying new types of products, including de-alcoholized wine.

2. The Rise and Challenges of De-alcoholized Wine

[04:14]

• De-alcoholized wines are gaining momentum as part of adapting to new consumer preferences.
• Production process is sophisticated and costly; the best producers use spinning at cool temperatures to retain flavor.
  • “De-alcoholized wines actually are quite expensive to produce because you have to remove the alcohol. The best producers, like Odd Bird... spin the wine at a cool temperature and the alcohol drops out.” – Mandy Oser [04:25]
• Mandy educates patrons that these wines aren't necessarily cheaper than regular wine and require storytelling to justify pricing and value.

3. Customer Preferences: Adventurous Palates & Education

[05:44]

• At Ardesia, there's a specialization in lesser-known wines (e.g., Hungarian, Serbian, Eastern European).
• Guests show growing curiosity for natural wines, “pet nats” (natural sparklings), and sustainable practices.
  • “People are very curious right now. They're curious about the local wine industry. Of course, the classics are always going to be the classics… but I'm finding in my environment just great curiosity.” – Mandy Oser [05:45]
• Pet Nat clarified: a naturally sparkling wine undergoing a second fermentation in-bottle; associated with the natural wine movement.

4. Spotlighting Women-Led Wineries

[06:44]

• Mandy uses her platform to elevate women winemakers and increase their representation in the wine scene.
  • “We talk about how women are still underrepresented in our industry. Well, what's a great way to try to change that? I think it's to promote women… buy their wines and sell them and talk about them.” – Mandy Oser [06:58]
• For Women’s History Month, Ardesia highlights women producers with a dedicated menu page, which has resonated with guests.

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Memorable Moments & Notable Quotes

5. Tasting Women-Made and Innovative Wines

[07:39 – 10:46]

• Mandy brings three wines to taste on air:
  1. Zenato (Italian white; family-run by sister-brother duo): “Bright, fresh, crisp, all about stone fruit, citrus. I kind of think it's a perfect summertime wine.” – Mandy Oser [07:55]
  2. Faustino (Spanish Rioja, run by two sisters): Focused on innovation and sustainability—solar-powered facility.
     • “The Faustina sisters... built a new visitor center that's solar powered. The excess power essentially is enough to run the winery.” – Mandy Oser [08:57]
  3. Odd Bird (Swedish, de-alcoholized bubbly, female founder): Pioneers the idea of alcohol-free wine as a seamless, non-stigmatized choice.
     • “She was really ahead of the curve on the, on the no alcohol wines and really envisions a world where... you just have your wine with alcohol or without and you’re not othered or you’re not stigmatized.” – Mandy Oser [10:18]
• Discusses textural differences in de-alcoholized wine and advances in grape selection for flavor parity.
  • “It's a texture thing too because the alcohol brings a lot of texture. So if you're taking that away, you have to replace it with something. So… they really focus on grapes that they feel can withstand having the alcohol removed.” – Mandy Oser [11:02]

6. Emerging and Underappreciated Wine Regions

[12:08]

• Uruguay (bold reds from Tannat, whites from Torrontes)
• Hungary & Eastern Europe: “Long history and tradition… but their wines haven’t been as common here.”
• Armenia: a surge in winemaking by new-generation returnees, leading to exciting industry growth.
  • “Even in Armenia... there’s been this big explosion there. So I think... we’re going to see some really interesting things from places you wouldn’t have maybe thought of...” – Mandy Oser [12:31]

7. Inclusive & Fun Approach to Wine

[13:13]

• Mandy’s goal is to make wine approachable, demystifying it for all guests:
  • “We like to explore it all and introduce it to our guests and make it just fun and unintimidating, you know.” – Mandy Oser [13:16]

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Timeline of Key Segments

| Timestamp | Topic | |---------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------| | 01:40 | Hosts’ introduction | | 01:47 | Introduction to National Women’s History Month segment | | 02:42 | Mandy Oser joins and shares early thoughts | | 03:09 | Industry discussion: alcohol consumption and younger generations | | 04:14 | De-alcoholized wines: economics and production | | 05:44 | Trends: curiosity for lesser-known, natural, and local wines | | 06:44 | Efforts to highlight women-led wineries | | 07:39 | Guided tasting: Zenato, Faustino, Odd Bird | | 10:46 | Flavor differences of de-alcoholized vs. regular wines | | 12:08 | Discussion of emerging wine regions | | 13:13 | Mandy’s philosophy: inclusivity and fun in wine | | 13:26 | Wrap-up and thanks |

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Conclusion

This episode emphasizes optimism for the wine industry amid changing social trends, with special focus on innovation, inclusivity, and the growing prominence of women in wine production. Mandy Oser’s insights paint a picture of a dynamic industry adapting to new consumer desires—championing both female leadership and underappreciated regions—while keeping wine both approachable and adventurous.

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Transcript

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[Carol Massar]

You're listening to Bloomberg Business Week with Carol Massar and Tim Stanvak on Bloomberg Radio.

[Isabel]

I'm so excited because it's National Women's History Month, as we all know. Did you know that? I knew that.

[Carol Massar]

Yeah.

[Isabel]

Yes, of course.

[Tim Stanvak]

It's coming to an end though.

[Isabel]

I know. Yes, it's coming to an end. So we're gonn have 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 at Ardesia. It's a wine bar in Hell'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 and this month as well, according to her. So let's welcome Mandy. So thank you so much. Should we. Cheers. Is that awkward?

[Tim Stanvak]

We can, we can do whatever.

[Isabel]

Yes. For those listening on radio, I just raised my wine glass.

[Tim Stanvak]

Cheers.

[Isabel]

And Tim did not.

[Tim Stanvak]

Oh, sorry. Here well, there's just so many to choose from. Mandy, welcome, welcome, welcome.

[Mandy Oser]

Thank you. Thank you.

[Tim Stanvak]

You know, it's been. We like to. Isabelle, as Isabel knows, we like to sort of end the week sometimes when it's been a challenging week, talking a little about the wine industry and talking about the alcohol industry. And one thing that's. That's on our radar right now is, is this potential acquisition by Bernard Rocheau of Brown Forman. And it brings to mind the parent company of Jack Daniels, and it brings to mind the challenges that the alcohol industry has faced.

[Mandy Oser]

Yes.

[Tim Stanvak]

And it's interesting because the younger generations in the US Are drinking less. And I'm wonder, and we've heard stories about the wineries in California being affected as a result. What are you seeing in your business?

[Mandy Oser]

Right. I think that's a great question. We've been hearing this. You know, we read the same articles, we've been hearing the same news, and, you know, we are monitoring it. But I think. I think I would strike a little bit more of a positive note. I think that, you know, there's definitely a shift going on. There's definitely something. You can't deny these headlines. But I think when you talk about, for example, the younger generation, maybe they're not drinking as much, but maybe they're drinking differently. Maybe they. I think we're finding they're very interested in the stories behind the wines, the producers, what are their values? So I think what we're trying to do is really adapt into this new reality and meet people where they are. You know, Another example we'll talk about in a little bit is de alcoholized wine. There's been so much development in that space, and I think that is just another element of hospitality. And it's some. It's a way we can kind of bridge the gap.

[Isabel]

Are the alcohol. The alcoholized wines, more expensive, and how is the demand there? Because you talked about shifting behavior, but what about shifting spending patterns?

[Mandy Oser]

It's a great question, and I think it's something that is a little tricky and something, for example, at Ardesia, at my wine bar, that we have to navigate because de alcoholized wines actually are quite expensive to produce because you have to remove the alcohol. The best producers, like Odd Bird that we'll talk about, use a process where they spin the wine at a cool temperature and the alcohol drops out. The old way was to heat it and sort of burn it off, and then you kind of destroy the flavor of the wine.

[Tim Stanvak]

I've had some pretty bad de alkalized

[Mandy Oser]

wines Yeah, I think everyone has, but I think the page has turned. So I think when you talk about economics, then the challenge is how do you explain to the consumer and the guest that these aren't going to be cheap? Like, taking out the alcohol doesn't make it a cheaper thing.

[Isabel]

That's a good point because mocktails are far cheaper than cocktails.

[Tim Stanvak]

But to buy, they're cheaper for the, for the bar to make.

[Isabel]

Yeah, when I go to a barktail are actually cheaper and they're 1112 bucks. And then the ones with alcohol would be like 18.

[Mandy Oser]

And I think that's the prevailing moment that we're in. But I think that's part of my job as a wine bar owner, as someone who's a purveyor, to tell the story and tell and explain why you are maybe going to pay a little more than you were expecting. But you know what, you're going to get a great product and you're going going to find it delicious.

[Tim Stanvak]

So what do consumers want right now? What are you finding?

[Mandy Oser]

So in Ardesia, we have a little bit of a specialty in focusing on lesser known, a little under the radar wines. For example, we have a whole page on wines from Hungary. We have a wine on the list from Serbia. And I think, at least in my experience, people are very curious right now. They're curious about the local wine industry. Of course, the classics are always going to be the classics. And people are always going to love a great aged Bordeaux, great Burgundy, no shade to those types of wines. But I'm finding in my environment just great curiosity, natural wines, pet nats. And so we're trying to just explore those and share those.

[Tim Stanvak]

What's a pet nat?

[Isabel]

I was going to ask.

[Mandy Oser]

Sorry, I don't mean to get too wine geeky. It's a style of sparkling wine that tends to be associated with the natural wine movement because it ferments, it does a second fermentation in the bottle. So it's a less complicated way to make sparkling. A very simple, kind of friendly style of sparkling.

[Isabel]

Talk to us about your effort to highlight women led wineries. I mean, it is again, National Women's Month. And how did you get into that?

[Mandy Oser]

Yeah, I think my curiosity often leads my wine choices. And it happened to be that a lot of great wine that I love are made by women. And this month we just looked at our list and we took stock and we thought, let's really call them out, you know, because we talk about how women are still underrepresented in our industry. Well, what's a great way to try to change that to. Well, I think it's to promote. Promote women and, you know, buy their, buy their wines and sell them and talk about them. So, yeah, we have a whole page on our new list that highlights all of our women producers. And it's just been a great attraction for our guests. They're, they're loving having that called out.

[Tim Stanvak]

So what do we have here in front of us? If you're watching on YouTube or Bloomberg originals, you can see three wines and one of them is de alkalized, but I'll let you take.

[Mandy Oser]

Yeah, well, I thought we could start with the Italian white. It's called Zenato. It's a family producer. It's from Italy.

[Tim Stanvak]

I'm holding it right now.

[Mandy Oser]

Yeah. And it is. It's second generation family run, run by brother and sister, Nadia and Alberto Zanotto. This is bright, fresh, crisp, all about stone fruit, citrus. I kind of think it's a perfect summertime wine.

[Tim Stanvak]

I like that we're thinking about summer.

[Mandy Oser]

We're summer, spring. You know, it works right now.

[Tim Stanvak]

I just had a sip.

[Mandy Oser]

Yeah. Feel free to take a little sip. And I think for me, that's the definition of like a crisp, refreshing white that can, you know, you can have just to sip. It'd be great with cheeses. This is such an all around wonderful wine. Jumping to the second, we're going to go in a little different direction. It's a red, it's a Rioja. The producer is Faustino, long story, producer. They're in their fifth generation, run by two sisters currently who are quite innovative. And I think that's what we see a lot with women taking over the wineries too.

[Tim Stanvak]

Is this right? I have the.

[Mandy Oser]

This is it. Yeah.

[Tim Stanvak]

Red. Okay.

[Mandy Oser]

They are bringing new energy, new innovation to the wineries. So the Faustina sisters, they're focusing on environmental causes and they built a new visitor center that's solar powered. The excess power essentially is enough to run the winery.

[Tim Stanvak]

Sorry, where is this one?

[Mandy Oser]

This is from Spain, from the Rioja region. Tempranillo is the grape. This is going to be a contrast with what we just had. A little bit richer, a Little Spice. It's 10 years of age, so it's a grand reserva. Theirs is the, the best selling Gran Reserva in, in the world.

[Tim Stanvak]

Oh, I like that one.

[Mandy Oser]

So that's a little bit more for the cooler, crisp nights that we still have going on.

[Tim Stanvak]

Amazing. And just. Are you, are you mostly finding that people are buying this by the glass? Buying it by the bottle.

[Mandy Oser]

See, the red that we're drinking is definitely more of a buy the bottle, kind of open it up, let it, let it breathe a little bit. The white that we tasted is perfect by the glass that you'll probably find at Ardisha in the coming weeks because I really, truly love that wine as well as the Rioja. But thinking ahead to the seasonal change that this, this really caught my eye. And last but not least, sometimes I actually, when I'm tasting wine, I love to finish with bubbles. You know, kind of think of bubbles first, but they can be so refreshing on the palate sometimes. Nice to end with bubbles. Like a chase after a red. This is called Odd Bird. This was created, I like this one, 2013, by a Swedish woman and she was really ahead of the curve on the, on the no alcohol wines and really envisions a world where it is, it's nothing special. You just have your wine with alcohol or without and you're not othered or you're not stigmatized. So this one, do you think we.

[Tim Stanvak]

Do you think the technology and the producers will reach that? This delicious, by the way, isn't it? Yeah. Do you think? I mean, but. But there is. You. The taste is different when there is no alcohol. Yeah, you definitely.

[Isabel]

I. Oh, you can tell.

[Tim Stanvak]

Absolutely. Yeah, I can tell when something has alcohol.

[Mandy Oser]

It's a texture thing too because the alcohol brings a lot of texture. So if you're taking that away, you have to replace it with something. So, you know, some people replace it with chemicals or sugar, but with this producer, they really focus on grapes that they feel can withstand having the alcohol removed. So this is chardonnay and columb. So they're bigger, bolder grapes that withstand that process. 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 soon that's great.

[Isabel]

Great for me. What do you think, Tim?

[Mandy Oser]

What do you think?

[Isabel]

This one is really good, actually, because I'm not a wine drinker, even when I was drinking alcohol, but I like this one a lot.

[Mandy Oser]

Very crisp, very summery, I would say crisp and something that's really nice. Like you don't have to worry about it if you're hosting, even if you're not a fully non drinker. I think that's what's really lovely is you can just incorporate it into your evening and not have to worry.

[Tim Stanvak]

What are you seeing? As you know, you talked about some of the trends of different parts of the world where people are finding good wines. What's a really underappreciated region in your view?

[Mandy Oser]

Ooh, that is a great question. Let's see. I think one that I think I would love to see more from is Uruguay in South America. There's some really great bold reds there from the tannat grape whites from Torrentes that I really love. I also think some of the countries I think I mentioned earlier, Hungary, Eastern Europe, they have such a long history and tradition of winemaking, but their wines haven't been as common here. So I think as like even in Armenia, there are a lot of expats moving back or not expats, sorry, their first generation Armenians are moving back to Armenia and starting wineries and there's been this big explosion there. So I think, you know, that's again, sort of a micro in the whole world of wine. But I think we're going to see some really interesting things and from places you wouldn't have maybe thought of either, didn't even think produce wine or wouldn't have great wine. But those three countries I just mentioned are wonderful.

[Isabel]

Don't we love technological advancements, Tim?

[Tim Stanvak]

I do, yeah. And even old school wine too.

[Mandy Oser]

Yeah, that's room for both. You know, there is, yeah. New and you can have the classics and that's, that's really what we believe at our D show. We like to explore it all and introduce it to our guests and make it just fun and unintimidating, you know.

[Tim Stanvak]

Well, Mandy, thanks so much for joining us and sharing some of this wine.

[Mandy Oser]

Thank you for having us.

[Tim Stanvak]

Businessweek Daily that's Mandy Ozier, owner of Ardesia, joining us here in the Bloomberg Interactive Brokers studio.

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