The first wine industry equity pledge was created in 2019, mainly to address sexism, sexual harassment, and sexual assault in the field. I’d been pretty vocal about it for several years, and finally, after #MeToo, others started speaking up. After a panel discussion at minimo in 2018, several of us met a few times and floated the idea of creating a code of conduct. Using the We Have a Voice Collective code as a template, I corralled several people – wine industry, social justice, and legal professionals, to help. It circulated mainly within natural wine circles, and 75 businesses and people signed it.

In 2020, shortly after WINeFare, I began transitioning The Vinguard to a 501c3 non-profit organization. The Pledge has been a cornerstone of our work. While a start, the original version did not go nearly far enough, so I began working on a revision, with the invaluable help of others, to include specific sections on racism and colonialism. Many hours and deep thought went into it, but as soon as it was complete, I realized it still was not where it needed to be on several fronts. 

First, while I’m proud of the work that The Vinguard put into this Pledge and grateful to all who worked on previous iterations, it needs multiple stakeholders and voices. At the end of last year, I reached out to others in the industry, and in January, a group of 15 people began working on this version. We broke the Pledge down into sections, formed small committees, shared our work, reshared our work, tweaked areas, shared our work yet again, and finally felt it met the moment six months later. It’s been incredibly gratifying to witness the commitment and dedication and work closely on this endeavor with my esteemed colleagues. 

Could this group be more diverse? Of course, it can, and we hope that it will be in the future. I want to be transparent here. I asked several BIPOC if they wanted to participate; some said yes, some said no. This ask was not about performative representation but an earnest need to have not just one or two Voices of Color but a spectrum. No one Black person can speak for all Black people, the Latinx population in the wine industry is very diverse, and the experiences of AAPI are varied. For different reasons, some of the people I reached out to did not have the bandwidth or, for other reasons, were unable to participate in the Pledge revision. I understand this. Inequity and discrimination is a White problem, a male problem, a heterosexual problem, a cisgender problem, an able-bodied problem, and it is on those who are part of these demographics to change. The Wine Industry Equity Pledge might not be a high priority when Black, Brown, and Asian people continue to be murdered solely because of the color of their skin. Many of our colleagues of color are focused on amplifying the voices of and addressing healing in their communities. White people can go to protests and post their feelings on social media, but the most significant impact they can have is to try to change the culture in their work places, and social communities. This Pledge is meant to serve as a tool toward that end.

I am incredibly grateful to everyone who worked on this but am especially aware that it was more difficult for those who are BIPOC, Latinx, and AAPI. They had to carry the additional baggage of emotional labor. Did we get everything right? I’m not sure there is an answer to this question, but I hope that the Pledge gets people thinking and inspiring those who sign to act. We will continue our efforts to include a vast array of wine professionals who bring different experiences and backgrounds to the Pledge. The wine industry benefits from hearing their voices and ensuring they are included and assume leadership roles in this work.

Also, signing the Pledge is easy but doing the work is another thing, so we are implementing accountability measures, including requiring all signatories to commit to three goals from the outset and others over time. There is a lot here and we cannot possibly expect anyone to meet every tenet right away; it is aspirational. However, signing means you are willing to walk the walk, and support others in the Pledge community with their efforts. 

As times change, so must this Pledge.  It is a living document, and other wine professionals need to become active stakeholders in its evolution. The current committee hopes that more of you will get involved as signatories and active participants, shaping it as it goes forward.

Creating this Pledge took way more than a village. It required drawing on the vast wealth of experiential knowledge from many who came before us in the industry, among activists, and with educators. A big thank you to the We Have a Voice Collective, for their inspiring code of conduct and Jennie Anderson, Lori Andrus, Haley Bash, Alleah Friedrichs, Barbara Haimes, Sherry Zhong, and others for their work on the first two versions. Conversations with Samantha Brown, Tahiirah Habibi, Harry Matthiasson, Charlie Toledo, and nearly everyone who participated in WINeFare 2021 informed this Pledge, and for that, I am most grateful. 

The WINE Pledge provides a path forward, but it is up to us to commit to being part of the change. I’ve done many things over the last 31 years working in wine, but this is one of the most significant endeavors of my career. Please read it carefully and join our movement. 

Peace and solidarity,

Pamela Busch

Founder, The Vinguard and WINeFare

The Vinguard’s mission is to build a collaborative community in the natural wine space centered around its RENEW Wine program that uplifts and is driven by a diverse representation of women and non-binary genders.

WINeFare was founded in 2018 to give women who work in the natural wine space a platform for their work. While it started as a tasting, WINeFare is evolving to become a community based on our core values: equity, one struggle one fight, earth first, minimal intervention, give back pay forward.