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Jane Thomson still gets grossly underestimated. Her substance, strength and sensitivity—not to mention a grasp of behavioural psychology that is so rare in the industry—make a mockery of those who dismiss her Fabulous Ladies’ Wine Society as mere froth and bubbly.

When I interviewed her last month, Jane had just returned from New York, where she was a delegate at the 70th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW70) at the United Nations headquarters. That invitation to the UN’s largest annual gathering on gender equality came just a couple of years after she was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia for her services to women in the oenology sector.

Nonetheless, there is a sense that—in the fragmented world of wine—the founder and chief executive of the Fabulous Ladies’ Wine Society might still go unnoticed in certain circles of the wine community. She is perhaps the victim of a general tendency to pigeonhole people and a more specific, maybe sexist, propensity for wine not to take fun seriously, particularly where women are involved.

The enjoyment factor among the 10,000 members of Jane’s organisation belies the fact that it does a great deal of important work. Aside from the value of companionship and moral support, this group has brought attention to various inequalities in the Australian wine scene, from gender pay disparities to grave issues with retaining women in the workforce as viticulturists, cellar hands and winemakers. It also spearheaded the Australian Women in Wine Awards (AWIWA), first held in 2015, which has since evolved into the Australian Women in Wine movement, whose flagship event is the Australian Women in Wine National Symposium. It also supports the wine sector by offering high-engagement tours, tastings, and dinners that drive sales.

Jane and I cover all these facets in our conversation, and there is little need for additional context. However, there are some names that mightn’t be familiar to a non-Australian listener. When discussing the launch of AWIWA, Jane mentions wine writer Jeni Port and her 2001 book, Crushed by Women. Among clients of the Fabulous Ladies’ Wine Society, Jane mentions Louise Hemsley-Smith, co-owner of Battle of Bosworth in McLaren Vale, and Emma Raidis of Raidis Estate in Coonawarra.

We also discuss the path to implementing the Diversity, Equality and Inclusion in Wine (DEIW) Charter and accompanying Gender Equity Toolkit, developed by industry bodies Wine Australia and Australian Grape & Wine.

One positive influence who emerges much earlier in Jane’s life is Australian psychologist, social researcher and writer Hugh Mackay. On the negative side, as our chat turns towards those who promote inequality, Australia’s tiny-minded, right-wing populist political party, One Nation, crops up. Cory Bernardi, Australian politician and leader of One Nation South Australia, is invoked as a “big name”, but maybe you have never heard of him, and hopefully you never will.

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