The Proof Is in Their Palates.

From left, Alexis Moniello, Heather Meyer and Tara Hammond at Ruffian Wine Bar & Chef’s Table in the East Village. They are members of a women-only group of beverage industry professionals that meets every other week to taste wines.

Credit

Krista Schlueter for The New York Times

At women-only wine tastings, these beverage industry professionals can show off and hone their strongest sense, without being undermined by male colleagues.

It was a Monday morning, but in the East Village of Manhattan, the mood was more 5 o’clock on a Thursday. A group of women swirled the red wine in their glasses, inhaled its scent, took careful sips and — in not-quite-happy-hour fashion — spat the liquid out into containers. Then they took notes.

The objective was to identify the wine by assessing the way it clung to the glass and how opaque its color was, as well as how it smelled and tasted. But in a broader sense, the meeting was meant to foster open discussion in an environment where these experts felt they would be heard.

By Valeriya Safronova.

Full story at NY Times.