Yuka Lagrange-Gansser has been working in Moët & Chandon for the past 10 years. Given her excellent language skills, and her tertiary education at the prestigious Sorbonne University of Paris and the Oriental Language Institute of Paris, she was in charge of the Japanese market and eventually managed the entire operations for the whole Asia-Pacific region. She has been travelling in the region for the past decade promoting the mystic of Moët & Chandon and Dom Pérignon Champagnes.

Today, as a mother of two, Yuka Lagrange-Gansser has opted for less traveling and took up a position in the Public Relations department where she is responsible for "Heritage & Hospitality".

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One of the first to introduce bio-dynamic methods in France, Anne Claude Leflaive started a revolution in wine making which has brought about tremendous results. Once a controversial topic in conservative Burgundy, bio-dynamism is now a practice that many embrace.

Anne Claude Leflaive devoted her life to fight against the practice of using chemicals in the vineyard. She is adamantly against the use of fertilizers, herbicides and insecticides. With great determination, Anne spearheaded the movement against genetic engineering in French wine making and embraced bio-dynamism with passion.

Today, it is no exaggeration to say that her domain makes some of the world's greatest white wines which are graceful and polished.

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Domaine du Pegau, the 32-acre Rhone Valley estate owned by Laurence Feraud and her father is renowned for producing one of the most majestic, old-style, robust Châteauneuf du Pape.

Charming and articulated, Laurence Feraud is clearly the dynamic force that has led her estate to be one of the world's most famous wine producers. With her sharp business acumen, Laurence Feraud persuaded her father to estate-bottle their wines instead of selling most of them to wine brokers. In turn, their efforts have resulted in the highly coveted Cuvée Reserve and Cuvée Laurence, which are both glorious and expressive.

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Florence Cathiard, mother of two daughters, launched her own advertising agency with three offices in Grenoble, Lyon and Paris, and became the Vice President of McCann-Erickson for Europe in 1985. After eight years in advertising, Florence Cathiard finally found her heart and passion in Bordeaux. Together with her husband, she now resides and manages the little paradise vineyard, Château Smith Haut Lafitte.

An auburn-haired dynamo, Florence Cathiard applies her boundless energy to Château Smith Haut Lafitte as she does in advertising, constantly challenging traditions and baffling her fellow wine makers with her foresight of the region's marketing trends.

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Crusader of fine wines, International Wine Ambassador, Decanter Woman of the Year in 1994, the list of accolades is formidable. And the bearer of these sterling achievements is none other than May-Eliane de Lencquesaing.

This amazing lady is often referred as "Madame La Générale", with much due respect and honour, as one who has proven herself in the mostly male dominated wine industry.

Ms de Lencquesaing became the owner and administrator of Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande in 1978. The family business rose to great heights as she took the reins with ease, combining her love and passion for wine with strict discipline.

To many, it may seem that it was perhaps mere restless energy and fortitude that has propelled this remarkable lady to earn the status she has today. To May-Eliane de Lencquesaing, it is her focused passion for Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande, her family, the people and tradition, that makes her wines the best they will ever be.

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Located in the commune of Barsac, Château Nairac is owned and managed by Nicole Tari. Although the appellation allows a production of 25hl/ha, only 7hl/ha are produced. This has resulted in achieving and maintaining the highest quality wines as every harvest has to undergo a stringent selection process, a measure that has been culled from generations.

Putting her heart and soul into developing this extraordinary vineyard, Nicole Tari has carefully produced wines with vintages exhibiting complex aromas and characters that have gained worldwide fame.

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Nestled in the midst of beautifully contoured vineyards, the Pfeffingen wine estate has a surrealistic wonder that is both captivating and intriguing. The entire estate, with its abundance of flowers, artifacts left over from Roman times and its friendly people, make it seem that it could never have been any other way. This has been the life work of Karl and Helene Fuhrmann, whose daughter, Doris Eymael now runs and maintains this magnificent estate with the same love and care of her parents.

Under Doris Eymael's leadership, Pfeffingen wines have received numerous awards and recognition internationally. Their signature grape varieties, Riesling and Scheurebe have produced wines of aromatic clarity, maturity and elegant body which have gained a world-class status.

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If there is a Garden of Eden for wine lovers, Casa Lapostolle wines would be its temptation. Alexandra Marnier-Lapostolle of the famed Grand Marnier had great plans for Casa Lapostolle, the family's newest venture. This young dynamic lady had a dream to produce varietal wines for everyone's enjoyment. "World class wines. in the New World".

This project was a model of new entrepreneurship, a personal treasure for Alexandra Marnier-Lapostolle. Her vast experience in the business, together with a shrewd use of innovation has turned this dream into reality and the wines speak for themselves.

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Like her family, Christine Forner's love for fine wines started young. Armed with qualifications in Oenology, she began her career at her family-owned Château Camensac, Gran Cru Classé in Haut Médoc and then moved on to Bodegas Marqués de Cáceres .

Rioja has always been considered unsuitable to produce quality wines by many, however, Christine Forner has managed to steer Marqués de Cáceres towards acquiring a significant reputation with excellent brand prestige. Her steadfast motto that has proven successful is "not merely complying with standards, but to exceed them and achieve maximum quality".

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Jenny Dobson embraces the tradition of great wine making. Her pursuit for greater knowledge in wine making took her to Burgundy and Paris and on to Bordeaux, where she earned herself a name in the wine scene. Within eight months at Château Sénéjac, Haut Médoc, Jenny had already been singled out as one of the few female winemakers for making excellent wines in Bordeaux.

In 1994, Jenny Dobson left Bordeaux and spent eight enriching months at Frankland Estate in Western Australia before returning to New Zealand. Having identified Hawke's Bay as a fine wine producing area, she set up her now renowned winery - Te Awa Farm.

Her years of honing her expertise in the art of wine making and blending have resulted in well-balanced wines that showcase complexity and finesse with layered aromas and flavours. Jenny Dobson has imprinted this signature quality in all her wines, a testimony to the success that Te Awa Farm has achieved both within New Zealand and across the globe.