The questions were unusual.

They had nothing to do with the winemaking skills Laura Díaz Muñoz honed in her native Spain or on her globe trotting to different vineyards and cellars around the world. She came to know vineyards in New Zealand and Chile, picked up different cellar techniques along the way and managed diverse groups of interns and vineyard crews.

Yet, she still felt like there were times people thought her gender was a limiting factor in her ability to fulfill the duties of a winemaker.

“Can I manage a team of males was a question I would get,” Díaz Muñoz said. “‘Are they going to respect you and do what they ask you to do?’

“I still get those questions. Less and less though. I’ve had employers say they wouldn’t consider females for a certain position. I grew up with that. Things are changing, but aren’t totally changed yet. I think women have been given a chance where we weren’t before.”

As Women’s History Month continues throughout March, Díaz Muñoz reflected on the stereotypes she’d overcome and the opportunities of which she’s taken full advantage.

As general manager and winemaker at Ehlers Estate in Napa Valley, Laura Díaz Muñoz is overseeing numerous projects at the winery.

As the general manger and winemaker at Ehlers Estate in Napa Valley, she is overseeing an ambitious project that will shape the future of the venerable winery. Grapes have been grown at Ehlers since the mid-1880s and have been farmed organically since 2008 when it achieved Certified California Organic Farmers status.

“I’m putting all my efforts into the vineyards,” Díaz Muñoz said. “We are doing a huge replanting. The site is amazing, I love the site. The terroir and soils are very good and have been farmed organic for many years. The vineyard’s orientation wasn’t the correct one though and we had some sun issues. I’m doing a lot of studies on canopy management and the height of vines.

“We are also remodeling the estate; the tasting room and landscaping. We are going to change the way we process waste and production water. We use BioFiltro worms to recycle the water and use it for all our landscaping. There’s a lot happening this year. I hope we finish it by the end of the year. It’s been a challenge, there wasn’t a lot of wine so it was the perfect year to do the change and allow me to reflect what I think Ehlers should be.”

A foggy day at the Ehlers Estate vineyards in Napa Valley, California.

Even as Díaz Muñoz has busted through the imaginary gender ceiling professionally, there are still other challenges that seem more societal.

“I think as a female professional, I have to take how I look into consideration,” Díaz Muñoz said. “If I come with a nice blouse, would someone think, ‘oh, you don’t look like a winemaker.’ Like I’m only supposed to be wearing boots or a a flannel shirt. It’s very complicated.”

There was a time when she would be offended when asked if she could manage an all male vineyard crew or why she wasn’t wearing outdoor work clothes. But, that time has passed. She said it’s her performance that has set her apart.

“Someone that asks that has a bias already,” Díaz Muñoz said. “When I was younger, I maybe got angry and wasn’t polite. I was combative. But that didn’t take me anywhere. I tried to prove with time I can do it and do it better. In any job I am in I become valuable when I show what I can do.”

Which is an approach Díaz Muñoz noticed female colleagues have taken as well. It’s easy to extrapolate there was a trailblaizing generation of women winemakers that are nearing retirement, Lynne Penner-Ash in Oregon, Kathy Joseph in the Sta. Rita Hills are a pair that come to mind, then Díaz Muñoz and others are part of the generation that busted through the proverbial ceiling and set an even higher bar for future women in the wine business.

“From my female peers, they don’t like that they have to talk about being a female winemaker because then they have that title,” Díaz Muñoz said. “We just want to be known as winemakers for the wines we make and what we do. But, it’s important to talk about gender and open doors that will allow companies to rethink who they hire and see the value of hiring a diverse group of employees.”

When she is hiring, Díaz Muñoz said she “values diversity,” and added it’s important to get a variety of opinions, from men, women, older people and younger people, to develop a healthy work culture.

“I think it would be interesting to ask male winemakers what they think about women winemakers,” Díaz Muñoz said. “We should start mixing it up. We are talking about people, male or female, that are very good at what they are doing. We don’t want to be pointed out as victims. We want to highlight what we do right, not because we are weak.”

Women's History Month Spotlight: Laura Díaz Muñoz