A new digital wine conference has just been announced for your viewing, learning, and drinking pleasure. Lift Collectiveโformerly known as Wonder Women of Wineโis an Austin-based digital event calling for a more inclusive and equitable approach to the wine industry.ย After having to cancel a 2020 in-person event due to COVID-19, The Lift Collective returns in 2021 with an expanded mission: โenlightening and empowering marginalized groups in wine.โ
Created by sommelier Rania Zayyat of the now-tragically defunct Bufalina (RIP to the best natural wine happy hour in America, though Bufalina Due lives on), the event looks to โfilter our discussions through an intersectional lens and arm our community with actionable next steps that actualize change.โ
Taking place March 23rd and 24th, Lift Collective is two days of panel discussions and keynote speeches led by wine professionals from around the country. Topics include: Addressing Hospitality Abuse, Shifting โWomen in Wineโ Culture, Equality and Inclusion in the World of Wine, and Reimagining Wellness and Wine. Speakers include writer, speaker, and distiller Jackie Summers, wine professionals Miguel de Leon and Beck Hopkins, wellness advocate Laura Green, mixologist Keyatta Mincey Parker, and somms Hai Tran and Alpana Singh.
Tickets for the all-digital Lift Collective are on sale now. General admission tickets cost $75 and grant access to all panels and keynote addresses. For $145, attendees can get all access passes, which includes special events before and after the conference, a wine tasting with Zayyat, and Lift Collective branded swag. For more information on the event, to see a full roster of talks, or to purchase tickets, visit Lift Collectiveโs official website.
Zac Cadwaladerย is the managing editor at Sprudge Media Network and a staff writer based in Dallas.ย Read more Zac Cadwaladerย on Sprudge.
