Tanya Woodley
Meet Tanya Woodley
Winemaker and Winery Owner, Sulei Cellars
Pictured from left: Elaine Jomwe: Operations Manager, Co-founder. Tanya Woodley: Winemaker, Co-founder.
June is Pride Month. Join us as we bring you this special series on the Grapevine, celebrating this community of Washington wine industry professionals, while learning what the culture of wine and Pride means to them.
Suman Kumar: As AWWaWine celebrates openly gay members of our Washington Wine industry during PRIDE Month, one area that I find which remains relatively unrepresented is the queer community. LGBTQIA+ wine professionals as a result, have their stories typically go untold. How do you build the momentum to change this for yourself or for your business?
Tanya Woodley: When discussing the history of our winery with customers, we are open about being a part of the LGBTQIA+ community and that we are a married couple.
SK: How long have you been in your current role?
TW: 15 years
SK: The language of wine has been largely built upon binaries that meet at intersections of gender. Structured wines are commonly described as masculine. Conversely, delicate and elegant wines, feminine. What in your opinion does it mean to define wine in this way?
TW: Of course, these descriptors are referring to the assigned binary gender roles. Men are “strong”, women are “soft” in theory. Thankfully, I do not hear wines being referenced as gender specific as much as they once were. A structured wine can present elegance. A delicate wine can be powerful. If tasters are relying on their own palate, they will take a wine at face value and appreciate all of its attributes at once.
SK: What challenges do you believe are unique to the LGTBQIA+ community in the wine industry?
TW: I identify as a female lesbian, if asked. My challenges within the wine industry have been gender related first, then sexuality. I feel that one of the LGTBQIA+ community challenges in the wine industry, beyond intolerance, could relate to the stigma of what the perfect American couple or family looks like. We are seeing ourselves in advertising more and more but we need to normalize different representations of what our families look like. Mainstream advertising and industry associations still tend to focus on the “perfect couple”, the binary husband and wife with two kids and a dog. While there absolutely nothing wrong with that family and of course it is a beautiful story, we need to start telling all of the stories. So, it’s time to actually listen to the individual and share who they are.
SK: What are some ways the wine industry can show up for the LGTBQIA+ community to foster more inclusivity?
TW: Feature LGTBQIA+ members year round.
SK: Is your partner also a part of your business? How is it like working together? How do you find ways to support one another?
TW: Yes. We work well together. We both bring our own strengths to the table and all business decisions are made together.
SK: What is your favorite thing to do together when your not in the winery?
TW: Travel. Even better if we can bring our pup.
SK: What are some things that have surprised you by becoming a winemaker and winery owner?
TW: The friends we have met along the way. We have met some truly wonderful people. The support has been our fuel for the fire.
SK: Tell me about your favorite wine, without telling me about the wine.
TW: I have many favorites. I like to be caught off guard sometimes. Order a glass, take a sip and be stopped in my tracks. I like a wine that demands my attention in that way, it has something to say.
SK: What does inclusivity look like to you within the Washington wine industry?
TW: Diversity should always be the answer. I don’t want to see a qualified or fiercely interested LGTBQIA+ person turned away because of their identity. I also do not want to see the same people hired into the industry to fill a diversity quota. I want the industry as a whole to look at the person at face value. I want every individual to be seen for exactly who they are and what they have to share. No boxes. That is inclusivity.
