13. Gender Equality in Wine with Rania Zayyat

Rania Zayyat created the non-profit organization Wonder Women of Wine (WWOW) to advocate for gender equality in the beverage industry. In March of 2019, WWOW hosted its first conference, which featured panel discussions with winemakers, importers, and writers as well as a comprehensive wine tasting. Since then, WWOW has hosted empowerment workshops and created scholarship opportunities. Chris called Rania to learn how her experience working in restaurants and sitting for the Master Sommelier exam led to her decision to start WWOW. With the 2020 conference postponed due to COVID-19, WWOW has launched A.L.L.I.E.S., a partnership to amplify the voices of black women wine professionals. 

Rania is an Advanced Sommelier, wine educator, and gender equality advocate in the wine industry. In addition to serving as WWOW founder and Board President, Rania also co-owns Vintel, a natural wine consulting agency, and is the Wine Director at Bufalina in East Austin.