We were honored to host our fourth annual Celebration of Women in Wine and Spirits, bringing together industry professionals for an evening of conversation, connection, and shared experience.
It’s always gratifying to see so many women of hospitality in one room, and to be part of an industry shaped by such a strong community of mentors and colleagues. Beyond the opportunity to connect, events like this invite us to consider how we can best use our time together and what purpose these gatherings can serve. While the beverage industry has made encouraging strides toward gender equity, inequity is not only reflected in numbers or titles. Advocacy, like education, is never done, and sharing our individual experiences can light paths for others. In that spirit, we were fortunate to learn from a diverse group of female professionals and benefit from their perspectives.
To bring these ideas to life, we were joined by a panel of women whose careers span across wine, spirits, and hospitality. Each brought a unique perspective shaped by their individual paths, offering insight into both the progress we’ve made and the work that continues.
AMANDA ELDER | Spirits Content & Education Manager, Skurnik Wines & Spirits
After a long career in pub bartending while pursuing degrees in Art History at the University of Michigan and Graphic Design at Parsons School of Design, Amanda Elder joined the opening team of East Village cocktail bar Pouring Ribbons in 2012. As Creative Director, she designed the bar’s thematic menus and spearheaded its ‘80s Night series, while continuing to build experience at notable venues including Mayahuel, Leyenda, and Donna Cocktail Club.
This combination of front-of-house service and real-time design trial and error uniquely influenced her views on spirits and cocktail education. For over eight years, Amanda has worked for importer and distributor Skurnik Wines & Spirits as a managing member of its spirits portfolio, adding formal training in copyediting to her resume. As Spirits Content & Education Manager, she applies her distinct skillset—including copywriting, editing, graphic design, and cocktail creation—to the ever-evolving challenges of hospitality education for the vibrant community that Skurnik serves.
BARBARA KOLLER | Export Manager, Schloss Gobelsburg
Barbara Koller is the Marketing Manager in Export Sales at Weingut Schloss Gobelsburg. Koller was born and grew up in Vienna, Austria. After graduating from high school, she studied Commercial Science at the University of Economics in Vienna. During her time at university, she traveled to the U.S. and Italy and studied abroad at École Supérieure des Sciences Commerciales d’Angers, developing her language skills along the way. Her love of travel and wine led to a career as a flight attendant for Austrian Airlines, where she served as an On Board Sommelier and led Customer Service and Staff Training for over 20 years. In 2002, she trained as a sommelier and, in 2012, achieved her WSET Level 4 diploma. She began an internship in the vineyards and cellar for the 2012 vintage at Schloss Gobelsburg and took over international sales and export for the winery in the same year.
CATHERINE KISTLER | Winemaker, Occidental Wines
Catherine Kistler grew up in Sonoma County, where some of her best memories as a kid are based in the vineyards and winery: following all the pickers’ headlamps moving through the rows, eating grapes off the vine with her sister, and tasting just-finished wine out of barrel in the cellar. After nearly ten years living on the East Coast, Catherine graduated from Harvard College in 2015 with a degree in The Classics and History. Even during the years that Catherine was living in Vermont and Boston, she always looked forward to returning to California to begin work in the winery. In 2017, Catherine joined her father, Steve Kistler, at Occidental and shares the title of Winemaker.
CHRISTA COTTON | CEO, El Guapo Bitters
A Georgia native, Christa moved to New Orleans after helping her parents establish Georgia’s first legal distillery since Prohibition. Christa is passionate about all things Southern, from cocktails and entertaining to the strong farming traditions and community essential to Southern culture. Christa became the CEO of El Guapo in 2017. As a certified sommelier, she sources the finest raw ingredients for her bitters, syrups, and mixers and is dedicated to sustainability—using only recycled materials for the labels, glass packaging, and supporting local farmers. When she’s not being a full-time mom or at the office, she also serves on the board of Glass Half Full, a New Orleans non-profit focused on glass recycling. Christa is the recipient of the 2025 Tory Burch Foundation Founder Award as well as Wine Enthusiast’s 2025 Future 40 Tastemaker.
DANIELLE FRANCOISE-FOURNIER | Director of Sales – CA, Skurnik Wines & Spirits
Danielle Françoise Fournier is the Director of Sales for Skurik Wines & Spirits, California. She started her professional career working in Strategic Management at NYC advertising firms. She moved to Los Angeles in 2010 and opened a small neighborhood wine bar, Vintage Enoteca, that she owned and operated for five years. It was there that she found her true love of wine. Following the wine bar, Danielle became an advanced sommelier and consulted for beverage programs before discovering her passion for sales and moving into distribution. She has worked for Skurnik in California since 2017
LARISSA DUBOSE | Senior Director, Vino Volo
Larissa C. Dubose is a business-savvy wine and spirits professional and hospitality brand leader with 15+ years of experience spanning business development in the wholesale wine sector and experience-driven beverage programs in travel and lifestyle environments. As Senior Director of Vino Volo, the popular airport wine bar concept with locations across North America, she’s committed to elevating guests’ experiences, edifying the team, and scaling the brand globally by blending storytelling with operational rigor to deliver consistency, profitability, and cultural relevance across diverse markets. She has shaped international wine and adult-beverage initiatives spanning menu strategy, training, partnerships, and compliance with a focus on making wine feel approachable, culturally relevant, and rooted in place.
The conversation continued beyond the panel, as guests gathered to connect more informally over two featured cocktails created for the evening, alongside a selection of wines produced by women. Each offering highlighted the diversity and creativity within our portfolio, while reflecting the collaborative spirit of the event.
Pom Pom Souchong – Non-alcoholic
- 2.5 oz Unified Ferments Lapsang Souchong
- .5 oz Giffard Grenadine Syrup
- .5 oz El Guapo Lime Cordial
- 4 dsh El Guapo Holiday Pie Bitters
Combine ingredients in a mixing tin; add ice and shake vigorously. Strain into a coupe and garnish with an orange twist or lime wedge. Top with .5 oz El Guapo Love Potion Bitters & Soda
Southern Peach – Spiritous
- .75 oz Claridad Espadín
- .75 oz Vicario Monk’s Secret
- .25 oz Giffard Crème de Peche de Vigne
- .5 oz El Guapo Sweet Potato Syrup
- .5 oz lemon juice
- 5 dashes El Guapo Crawfish Bitters
Combine ingredients in a mixing tin; add ice and shake. Strain into a rocks glass over ice and top with .5 oz club soda. Serve with a lemon wheel or a spiced salt rim.
