Kim and Margo Longbottom, the mother-daughter winemaking team at Australian Vintage Longbottom, are planning a champagne brunch for Mother’s Day.

“There’s a great little restaurant that we frequent with an adjoining nursery at the back,” Kim says.

Margo can’t wait to be there. “Their philosophy is that they don’t grow, they source it locally,” she says. “Mom and I are huge fans of supporting local businesses.”

On Mother’s Day, many people will spiritually or physically raise a glass to the matriarchs and mother figures in their lives. But how do multigenerational wine families manage collaborations every other day of the year? Are there challenges in working alongside your parent or child in the cellar, vineyard or CEO’s office?

Kim and Margo think their closeness is an asset.

“It makes our business stronger,” Kim says of their relationship. “We make sure that we both stick to the roles where we add the most value.”

Margo agrees. “We both find that we benefit from using each other as a sounding board, another perspective is integral to our growth,” she says.

Are there challenges in working alongside your parent or child in the cellar, vineyard or CEO’s office?

Growing up in the Padthaway region of South Australia, Margo spent a lot of time in the vineyards. Kim and her late husband, Mark Longbottom, released their label’s first wine Henry’s Road in 1998, the year Margo was born.

Kim and Margo launched Vintage Longbottom in 2018. They produce classic South Australian-style wines from McLaren Vale and Adelaide Hills.

Their relationship is also useful from a marketing standpoint.

“Being a mother-daughter business gives us a unique story to tell,” says Kim.

The Austrian Netzl winery also started out as a husband and wife operation. In the 1980s, Franz & Christine Netzl took over a farm in the Austrian region of Carnuntum. In 2007 Christina, the daughter of Franz and Christine, completed her studies in oenology and wine management in London and joined her parents in the cellar.

Sustainable agriculture was already part of Netzl’s mission, but it was Christina’s influence that led to organic farming.

Christina has taken on some of the challenges of working as a family.

“Each generation has their own opinion, and it’s our job to bring them together and keep everyone happy,” she says.

Working as a family also has its advantages.

“It’s easier to work with people you’ve known all your life,” says Christina. “You don’t have to explain certain things and ideas, because we understand everyone’s minds.”

This year, the family’s Mother’s Day celebration will be multigenerational.

“We celebrate Mother’s Day with all the mothers in our family together: my grandmothers, my mom, my stepmother and, of course, my daughters,” says Christina.

Josè Rallo, CEO of Donnafugata Wines of Sicily, also hopes to reunite his extended family for Mother’s Day.

Her parents, Giacomo and Gabriella Rallo, founded the Donnafugata wines in 1983. Gabriella is a founding member of the Associazione Nazionale Donne del Vino (National Association of Women in Wine).

“Working with my mother Gabriella has always been very inspiring for me,” says Josè. “Seeing her so resourceful, dynamic and determined is the motivation to move forward and give the best of me.

“We don’t always agree on everything, but I certainly recognize his great intuition and ability both in the vineyard and in the design of our labels,” she says.

Gabriella is honored to have her daughter at the helm of Donnafugata.

“I am proud and grateful to see that the values ​​of equal opportunity continue through my daughter’s passionate work in the family business,” she says.

For Mother’s Day, Gabrielle and Josè plan to taste traditional Sicilian dishes for lunch.

“If possible, a third generation can join us on this occasion: my daughter, Gabriella, who bears my mother’s name,” says Josè. “The wine for this special occasion will be a Cerasuolo de Vittoria, Floramundi, fruity and very sweet. The perfect wine for us.

In Oregon, Angelica O’Reilly launched Nomen wine with her three oldest daughters: Brigid, Moira and Me-Z. If her name sounds familiar to you, it’s because O’Reilly and her husband, David, are the founders of Owen Roe Wines.

To celebrate the women of the wine industry and her family, Angelica created Distaff Wine Company in 2019. Nomen is her first project.

The name, Nomen, is more than a fun pun. It is also Latin for “last name”.

Brigid believes her family’s dynamic creates a “more fun and creative environment” than other wineries. “We already know each other so well and are aware of each other’s strengths that we can encourage each other and work more effectively towards the same goal,” she says.

“One of our goals with our business is to showcase and support other women, and that’s exactly what we’ll be doing on Mother’s Day,” says Brigid.

The O’Reilly women are planning a special outdoor event for mothers and their families with live music, a food truck brunch and, of course, wine.

“Our mother will relax at her own table with a glass of rosé, and we plan to end the day with a family dinner for her,” says Brigid.