Q & A With Marilee Bramhall
In a short Q & A with Marilee Bramhall for AWWW, Tanya Morning Star Darling asks the founder and CEO of iola wines in Seattle, WA, about the importance of mentorship in her success and her mission to elevate the work of women in the world of wine.
Q: What do you like best about wine?
A: I love the mysterious and arcane. Wine links us to the earth, to the past and to each other. In each glass there is a story. It’s been an element of human life for thousands of years.
Q: This isn’t your first career. How and why did you find yourself pursuing a career in wine?
A: Wine has been in my life for a long time, specifically French wine. To make a very long story short, I spent some time in France during college years where my interest in wine grew. When I went to work in the Washington wine industry after graduation, I hoped that somehow my passion for wine and French would converge. Instead, I got caught up in the corporate machine.
Eventually I had two important realizations:
Not everyone finds wine to be as awe-inspiring as I do!
Nobody was going to ask me if I wanted to start importing and selling sustainably grown wines made by women; it’s up to me to make it happen.
I didn’t want to look back years from now and wish I would’ve tried.
Q: Tell us about your business, and how you hit the idea. Why was it so important to work with other women?
A: It started in 2006 when I heard Stephen Lewis (UN Special Envoy for HIV/Aids) speak. He emphasized the critical importance of empowering women in order to create a safer, better and more just world. Fast forward 11 years: I was in the process of starting the import biz in 2017. Bold expressions of misogyny were rampant and #metoo happened. For centuries the world of wine has been built around men. It was immediately clear to me that my mission is to celebrate women in wine. I knew with conviction that all of the wines would be from woman-owned domaines.
Q: How has education and mentorship influenced your career path to success?
A: Without my teacher and mentor, Tanya Morning Star Darling, I wouldn’t be where I am. Tanya believed in me when I didn’t. She saw something in me and urged me on. Not only is she an incredible teacher, she has an extraordinary way of connecting, relating and genuinely caring about her students.
Q: This year you birthed your business and it’s going strong. That took a lot of tenacity during a pandemic...what are your goals for 2022?
A: Starting a business during the pandemic has definitely felt a little crazy! Prior to the pandemic I was selling wholesale to restaurants and small wine shops in Seattle. I really wanted to start an online direct to consumer business so when everything closed on March 15 2020, I saw it as an opportunity to try direct to consumer online. That’s when iola wines began and I love it! I’ve been delivering wine for the last 6 months; it’s so much fun to meet my customers. I love hearing about their lives.
Goals for this year: lots of celebrating of women in wine! Also, a website upgrade, launching the wine club and expanding the portfolio. Been having fun experimenting with some Washington wines – I would love to find more women winemakers in Washington and in Oregon.
Marilee is also a French Wine Scholar Instructor with The Cellar Muse. She is a certified French & Italian Wine Scholar with highest honors and awarded WSET Level 2.
Find her on Instagram @iola_wines and @marileebramhall
Lean more about iola wines at iolawines.com
