xeco wines founder, alexa keymer

Sherry Week: Xeco Wines aims for a revival with Alexa Keymer, founder

On the occasion of Sherry Week (Nov 8-14 2021), I wanted to talk about Xeco Wines and its founder, Alexa Keymer. I made the interview a while ago but thought that it would be a great time to share it to celebrate Sherry!
Back in 2019, I have done a research paper about the « Sherry Renaissance » for my WSET Diploma. I discovered that this fabulous drink (which I had never heard before, or so little…) has a long-lasting and fantastic history but, for some reason, it lost fashion among consumers. During my research, I came across Xeco Wines and its purpose to revive Sherry around the world.
Created in 2016 by Alexa and two of her friends, Xeco Wines aims to bring the « next generation Sherry » to the table and the world by finally giving some recognition to this underrated drink. They have loved this wine without being able to share about it with other friends for too long!

A l’occasion de la Sherry Week (8-14 Novembre 2021), je veux te parler de Xeco Wines et sa fondatrice, Alexa Keymer. J’ai réalisé cette interview il y a un moment, mais j’ai pensé que c’était le bon moment de la partager pour fêter le Xérès !
En 2019, j’ai effectué des recherches sur la « Renaissance du Xérès » pour mon WSET Diploma. J’ai découvert que ce vin fabuleux (dont je n’avais jamais, ou quasiment jamais, entendu parler…) a une fantastique histoire de longue date. Mais, pour certaines raisons, il n’est plus à la mode parmi les consommateurs. Pendant cette recherche, j’ai découvert Xeco Wines and son souhait de faire revivre le Xérès tout autour du monde.
Fondé en 2016 par Alexa et deux de ses amies, Xeco Wines a pour but d’amener la « nouvelle génération Xérès » en donnant enfin ses lettres de noblesse à cette boisson sous-estimée. Elles aiment ce vin sans être capables de le partager avec leurs autres amis depuis trop longtemps !

Senay Ozdemir in a vineyard

Senay Ozdemir empowers women in wine through her expo

Senay Ozdemir, native from Turkey, is a true storyteller and a great actress of women empowerment. She started as a TV-host, then launched her own magazine to become a publisher. She is also a TEDx speaker, and the organiser of the first WomeninWine Expo in Europe. This 2-day event has been created to gather and empower women in wine from all over the world. Build on partnerships with national wine organisations, the aim is to give the opportunity to like-minded women to exchange on the wine world through networking, education, business and fun. Indeed while women wine professionals are in increasing number, there is still a gender gap in the wine industry: they are both under-represented and under-paid.
The first edition took place in Rotterdam, Netherlands and Brussels, Belgium on 23 & 24 May 2019. It gathered 35 women from Holland, Belgium, Italy, Germany, Hungary, Moldova, Georgia, Turkey, Lebanon and the US. All were winemakers, sommeliers, buyers, writers, influencers… and talked about things to overcome and opportunities for women in wine.

Senay Ozdemir, originaire de Turquie, est une véritable écrivaine ainsi qu’une grande actrice de l’émancipation des femmes. Elle a commencé en tant que présentatrice télé puis a ensuite lancé son propre magazine pour devenir éditrice. Elle intervient également dans les conventions TEDx, elle a créé et organisé la première Expo WomeninWine en Europe. Cet événement se déroule sur 2 jours dans le but de rassembler et d’émanciper les femmes de l’industrie du vin partout dans le monde. Basé sur des partenariats avec des organisations du vin, le but est de donner l’opportunité aux femmes d’échanger sur le monde du vin à travers l’interconnexion de réseaux, l’éducation, le commerce et l’amusement. En effet, malgré le fait que les femmes soient de plus en plus nombreuses dans le secteur, il y a toujours des inégalités entre les sexes : elles sont à la fois sous-représentées et sous-payées.
La première édition de l’exposition a eu lieu à Rotterdam (Pays-Bas) et Bruxelles (Belgique) les 23 et 24 Mai 2019. 35 femmes venant de Hollande, Belgique, Italie, Allemagne, Hongrie, Moldavie, Géorgie, Turquie, Liban et des Etats-Unis se sont réunies. Elles étaient toutes vigneronnes, sommelières, acheteuses, écrivaines, influenceuses,… et ont parlé de toutes les choses à surmonter et des opportunités pour les femmes du vin.

women noting wine tasting notes on her phone

Women in Wine: what’s it actually like from 8 leading figures #IWD2021

To celebrate International Women’s Day 2021👊🏻, I’ve asked 7 top figures of the world of wine to share their view💬 on what’s it like to be #womeninwine today.
My guests are Laura Donadoni aka @theitalianwinegirl (wine journalist, educator & author), Marie-Françoise Devichi aka @mlledevichi (wine producer in Corsica, 6th generation & 1st woman running the estate), Virginie Lopes from @portuliege (CEO of the family business of corks), Senay Ozdemir aka @senay_pr (wine importer, storyteller & founder of @womeninwineexpo), @aureliavisinescu (wine producer for 30 years in Romania), Clara Herrero aka @claraconversa (wine grower in La Rioja, Spain) and @elizabethgabaymw (MW, Educator, consultant & author) ✨👏🏻

how to become a mw: sarah heller mw, glass in hand

How to become a MW: you’ll want to read this one

Available in English🇺🇸 + French🇫🇷!

Sarah Heller, based in Hong Kong, is a Master of Wine (Asia’s youngest one), visual artist, television host and wine expert. She also makes educational wine videos that millions of people have seen and produces a series of wonderful Visual Tasting Notes.

After graduated from Yale University with a fine art degree, Sarah started to work in the wine industry between New York, Hong Kong, France and Italy. She is a partner and buyer for the Almásy Collection, a brand ambassador and design collaborator with Lucaris Crystal, a member of the faculty of the Vinitaly International Academy, the wine editor for Asia Tatler and Chairman of WINE100, China’s largest wine competition. Finally, Sarah is a wine advisor in her own company and a great writer for both local and international publications…