Pride in Wine: Renée Sferrazza
Renée Sferrazza is a sommelier, wine communicator, host, content creator and writer.
When did you know you were LGBTQ?
This is always a funny question for me because I always just knew I was myself. I don't have an interesting coming out story because I don't have one at all. I have chosen to live a life that is unapologetically me. My family has always been supportive of whatever I would become and I think it is with their love that I was able to grow to learn who I am.
There were many confusing moments in my life where I might have not been confident about who I was but there was also solace in knowing that I was me and nothing could take that truth away from me. I really gained the confidence to live opening proud in my late 20s and just felt at peace with where I was in life, who I was and where I would be able to go.
How did you discover your love of wine?
Being part of an immigrant Italian family, wine was always present in my life but trust me it wasn't the good stuff. I really started to get into wine when I was working for fine dining restaurants. I took on learning the wine list and then went back to Italy to work on a vineyard. In that moment, being back in Italy, I knew this is what I was supposed to do for the rest of my life. Wine looked like, and still has, all the opportunities I wanted and It is an industry/topic I never seem to be board of.
What challenges do you think are unique to LGBTQ people in wine?
I think there are many challenges faced by LGBTQIA2S+ people in wine. While I am out and proud there are moments where I will 'closet' myself so to speak in certain situations. It is a heavily straight white male dominated world. As a woman there was always the pressure of when I would be having a family, the assumption of who my boyfriend was (although I didn't have one). I would find myself in many situations that I would start to test the waters, to figure out the bigotry around me before I would begin to speak openly.
I became more aware of the privilege I have by the way that I look and it has been very eye opening. To be faced with situations where close minded people feel confident enough to say things about others I could never imagine saying myself. It was a big moment of change for me, that I had an opportunity to create a different narrative and change up the conversation. I will always do my best to make this community more open to the respect, love and opportunities we all deserve.
If you had to choose just one, what would be your favorite wine so far?
My favourite wine has always been the productions by Arianna Occhipinti. Her wines give me a sense of home and I can never get over Etna wine - I love them too much! A top fav from her would be her Fossa di Lupo Il Frappato.
What is your go-to wine and food pairing?
My go to food and wine pairing? Oh gosh that is a hard one, but if I had to choose, it would be Chablis and oysters as I always love that combo.
What does the future of queer people in wine look like to you?
Just more of us! Speaking freely, living our lives, and conquering the world without the internal and external questions that can often surround queer life.
As a queer person in wine, do you ever feel that your visibility leads to being treated like a token or being pigeon holed?
I think because of my apperance I am not even thought of as queer. This has been my issue with the community and general society that is changing slowly - the question of what does queerness look like?
For the wine industry, I think that I have not been treated as a token queer person, but I have been pigeon holed when people get into my personal life and find that they don’t agree with who I am. It is an interesting place to be in - not gay enough in both dicertions. It mainly just makes me feel like I am Renée, full stop.