Wine's queen of hearts: Queena Wong

Talking to Queena Wong you cannot help but feel at home. 

 

Despite being one of the most influential women in the UK wine scene, she is also one of the most humble, approachable and just all-round nice people. Advancing women, and the industry, is her life’s work and passion, and she lives and breathes everything she advocates for. A lot gets said about inclusivity and equal opportunity for women,
about the ongoing struggles – from harassment and exploitation to the gender pay gap – and how the ‘industry’ needs to do more. Often, these conversations peak around #Internationalwomensday and die down before Mother’s Day.

But for Queena, this is an ongoing battle – and she has all of us firmly in her corner. A wine lover and change-maker, Queena brings with her over 20 years of experience navigating the challenges of the consumer wine scene as a trailblazing female collector. “I used to be quite happy with my Sainsbury’s Pinot Grigio – until I started to learn more about the wonderful world of wine,” she says. “For me, the main barrier was confidence – and I was lucky enough to have a dear friend, Matt [Wilkin MS], guide me over many years. He was the ultimate reason I got into wine,” she says.

Founder and leader of Curious Vines, Queena brings together a community of over 1,300 women (and growing) across the industry through her newsletters and gatherings. A space to elevate each other, while sharing opportunities with fellow women, her newsletters have become a bit of an institution. As have the gatherings! So much so, that this year her first satellite sessions started to take place – with the first in Liverpool in January, and in Brighton at the end of March. And this is only the start! Queena hopes that these gatherings will gain momentum and become even more geographically inclusive.

KNOWLEDGE IS POWER

Knowing the root problems and understanding key issues are vital to affecting real and meaningful change. So, in 2023, Queena spearheaded the first UK Women in Wine Survey with support from the Bibendum Insights team (previously known as PROOF
Insights) – a groundbreaking initiative to highlight the experiences and challenges of women in the industry. The results called to protect, retain and uplift women working in wine, with 92% of respondents agreeing that the culture of wine was male-dominated and nearly half had considered leaving the industry due to challenges faced.

This influential survey led to the UK’s first sector-wide drinks industry programme, Drinks United, to tackle equity, diversity and inclusion; a partnership between the Wine & Spirits Trade Association, The Drinks Trust and the WSET.

With so many great initiatives in the works and supporters on board, I asked Queena what the future might hold.

What is the next big thing – the single biggest obstacle we need to overcome?

“To take ownership,” she says without hesitation. “It’s not that the industry doesn’t want to. It’s willing and understand what needs to be done. But it’s challenging! Any changes to structure costs money, and the industry, as we know, is struggling. The timing sucks a little bit.” 

“So, I am focusing on how I can help it,” she says. “I have to make sure with Curious Vines that I can maintain momentum. And with the first satellite sessions taking place earlier this year, it is exciting to see women from across the industry come forward and step up to help lead the charge.”

“We also need to look at the wider drinks space. It’s brilliant what was started with Drinks United, and we need to understand that it [the wine industry] is responsible for its own evolution. It can choose not to invest or work together, but I think if it does work together, there will be economies of scale and a provision of a sector-wide culture change.”

THE FUTURE IS BRIGHT - IF WE COME TOGETHER

“We need to collaborate to see progress.. I truly feel that I can’t do anymore unless the industry starts to take responsibility. It’s exciting though, because it’s willing – otherwise I won’t have 23 logos [of supporters] on my website. It’s a bit scary I guess, and the restructuring of the business model that needs to happen.” 

“But this will make it better for the industry as a whole,” she says. “Getting diversity of thought into the business and the category will only help find better solutions to ensure we can maintain our market share compared to other drinks. Wine as an industry needs to pull together.”

QUICKFIRE QUESTIONS with QUEENA

Queena is a very busy, one-woman band – but when she isn’t collecting wine, writing emails, judging at competitions, updating her website, doing her accounts or hosting events, she is probably drinking magnums of Champagne. Or eating. Or most probably, both.

So here are a few quick-fire questions to get to know a woman on a tight schedule…

1. Last restaurant visited? 

Mountain. 

2. Favourite restaurant? 

My local Chinese, where I go for dim sum with my family. 

3. Most underrated wine region? 

Canary Island wines. There's something very exciting about the soils and the wines they're making out there. It doesn't get much visibility, production levels are lower and it's still at a reasonable [fine wine] price. 

4. Must-have wine as a collector? 

What they like to drink. For me, if I had to choose one category, it will be Champagne. 

5. Favourite hobby outside of wine?

Eating! I'm a big foodie. But also love the theatre and dance. I went to see Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake at Christmas; it was amazing and so powerful. 

 

Find out how you can get involved by visiting the Curious Vines website.