Celebrating Women in Wine: Louis M. Martini's Brenae Royal

Brenae Royal is the vineyard manager of one of California’s most coveted vineyards – Louis M. Martini’s ‘Monte Rosso’ Vineyard in Sonoma County. As a female role model and leader in the wine industry, she believes that closing the wine industry’s gender gap is indeed possible.

(Partner story with Louis M. Martini)

March 8th is International Women’s Day. Star Wine List and Louis M. Martini celebrate the occasion with an exclusive interview with one of the most prominent female figures of the California wine industry – viticulture expert Brenae Royal, who is the vineyard manager of Louis M. Martini Winery’s ‘Monte Rosso’ Vineyard. Since 2015, Royal has been managing the coveted vineyard, named after its red soil and home to some of the oldest producing grapevines in all of California. The vineyard was acquired by Louis M. Martini in 1938, and ever since, it’s been an emblematic source of some of the winery’s most acclaimed releases.

At only 22, Brenae Royal took lead of this legendary vineyard. A task that would be intimidating for most, but maybe especially for a young and, at the time, inexperienced woman in a male-dominated industry.

“I remember putting a lot of pressure on myself thinking that people were expecting me to be more than I already was,” Brenae Royal remembers.

A fast-paced career

Royal’s wine interest initially came from drinking ‘Apothic Red’ and pursing a degree in Crops and Horticulture Science at California State University. She had almost completed college when she realized that she could farm what she enjoyed. Quickly after, she found Gallo at the last career fair before graduation. That led to a fast-paced career journey with Louis M. Martini and the Monte Rosso Vineyard. Starting in 2013 as an Operations and Viticulture Intern, she went on to a position as Viticulture Technician before rising to Vineyard Manager in 2015.

Star Wine List: Looking back, what advice would you give your younger self and other women looking to pursue a career in wine?

“Today, the advice I’d give my 22-year-old self is to stay calm when faced with challenging situations and to always remember that everyone has a starting point. For women looking to pursue a career in wine, try to find community in the people around you and the people you find inspiration in. Being able to learn and lean on your champions will be instrumental to you finding confidence in yourself so that you can keep pushing when it gets tough,” says Brenae Royal.

One of the most important drivers for more female empowerment in the wine industry will be our male allies championing women, especially younger women, to encourage and develop a skillset for success.

Closing the gender gap with empowerment

As a woman – and a BIPOC woman – in a leading role, Brenae Royal is both a rare sight and a role model in the wine industry. According to a 2020 Women Winemakers of California report, women hold just 14 percent of California’s lead winemaker positions. So, what does a leader and role model like Royal think is the key to attracting more female talent to the industry and closing the gender gap?

“One of the most important drivers for more female empowerment in the wine industry will be our male allies championing women, especially younger women, to encourage and develop a skillset for success. For BIPOC women specifically, a big driver will be an influx of resources to bring opportunities to middle and high schools to show what is possible,” says Brenae Royal.

Going organic

Today, eleven years since her first day at Louis M. Martini, the work in the vineyard and the wine industry still excites Brenae Royal. One recent initiative she’s especially excited about is Monte Rosso Vineyard’s ongoing certification to organic from sustainable.

“The fact that there are wines from this soil that still have life today after 70+ years is amazing, so getting the organic certification on the vineyard was very important to me. To know that the wines we are producing today are going to be amazing library wines that my son and his future family will be able to enjoy is so special to me,” says Brenae Royal.

And what wine will Brenae Royal be toasting with on International Women’s Day?

“2018 Monte Rosso Gnarly Vine Zinfandel. The first wine I was introduced to when I started as an intern. It opened up my world to what I am now able to produce.”