Q&A: Rachel Allison, winner of E&J Gallo Women Behind the Wine award

Women Behind the Wine funds scholarships and awards to further the careers of women working in wine. Launched by E&J Gallo in 2019, the winery has partnered with Women of the Vine & Spirits on the administration of grants through their Women of the Vine & Spirits Foundation.

In 2021, Rachel Allison was announced as a New York winner of the “Fuel Your Dreams” Regional Award, receiving funding for her PhD thesis on wine flavour chemistry at Cornell University.

Ahead of the 2022 scholarship winners set to be announced in September, db caught up with Allison to learn more about how her prize will help her education in the wine world, and any tips she has for future scholarship applicants.

What is your career background?

I have been a student most of my life. I did my undergraduate studies in chemical engineering, occasionally testing the waters in various industry internships including mining, polymer research, and finance, until I found my way to pursuing a PhD in wine flavour chemistry.

How long have you been working in wine, and how did you get your start in the industry?

My detour into the scientific study of wine and flavour started with a lucky online search. I had always been interested in flavour and food, experimenting with recipes to accommodate chronic health conditions from a young age.

On a whim, and procrastinating from studying for an engineering midterm exam, I searched “food sciences summer school”, in the hopes of learning more about the field. I found Cornell’s Summer Scholars Program right before the application deadline, was accepted, and ended up matched to the wine chemistry lab; the same lab I would later return to for my PhD.

I spent about 6 years in my PhD, and this was primarily doing analytical chemistry adjacent research in enology. Through the graduate programme, I learned more about wine tasting. I met many other passionate students of wine who were always game to share their knowledge; we learned together through blind tasting groups, travel, and conferences.

What initially sparked your interest in viticulture and wine chemistry?

Like many people drawn to wine, I became interested in the blending of artistic and scientific approaches that make great wine. I loved how tangible it was, from watching how the season progressed, to seeing the grapes develop, and then the process of transforming raw materials into something that can elicit such profound reactions in people.

My own work starts partway into the process, when copper remediation, packaging selection and storage come into play.

What inspires you most about what you do?

I developed an appreciation for science communication throughout my PhD and found this to be the most rewarding part of being a researcher. It is very important in such an applied field, with dynamic inputs, to make the latest information accessible to those who may want to use it. Novel research findings are just another tool that informs winemaking and helps us to do the best with our resources.

What do you plan to do once you have completed your PhD?

In the future, I would like to consult in the wine industry and liaise between the V&E and wine appreciation sides of the industry.

How did the Fuel Your Dreams award help you?

The award gave me the momentum to pursue WSET Level 3. Preparing for this certification has been important to balance my perspective on wine, understand the factors of importance to the industry, and be able to communicate more clearly to a wider audience.

The Women Behind the Wine initiative is returning for 2022. Do you have any advice for women who have applied for the scholarships?

I think it is important to be both honest and aspirational in these applications. To the first point, authentic voices are very powerful in the wine industry because where we must connect with so many people. Genuine passion should shine through.

For the latter point, and alluded to in the name of the scholarship, this is an opportunity to be bold and dream big. You get to properly sit down, think up your wildest goals and identify what steps and support you need to make it a reality.

What advice would you give to women looking to get into the wine world?

In my experience, building community has been critical to enjoying the wine world. Finding great people, and inclusive and curious spaces, has made working in wine so rewarding.

There are so many topics you can study in wine and literally infinite sensory possibilities, so there’s a lot of knowledge to confront alone. The best communities (whether tasting group, classroom, bottle shop, etc.) allow support and knowledge to flow in freely and I think that can keep the wine world engaging for many.