The Buyer | Katy Keating & her peers on being pregnant in the wine trade

Katy Keating, Managing director, Flint Wines

The first time, it felt so hard.

Hard being in the first trimester, wanting privacy to get through those first 12 weeks when things are most likely to go wrong, yet sitting around a table full of colleagues and contemporaries with five tempting yet untouchable glasses in front of me.

I was in Bordeaux to taste the 2018 vintage en primeur, with 10 colleagues. We hadjust arrived at dinner at Chateau Lynch-Bages, and I had the honour of sitting next to Jean-Michel Cazes. I had just fake-sipped Champagne and would soon be faced with ’17 Blanc de Lynch-Bages, ’04 Ormes de Pez, ’90 Lynch, and ’80 Graham’s.

And all the feelings: guilt at wasting special wine, FOMO at not enjoying them, concern at being ‘found out’, shame of seeming impolite.

My husband had tried to reassure me ahead of time – ‘no one will notice’ and ‘it doesn’t matter if anyone guesses’ and ‘it’s the right thing to do to put your and the baby’s health first’ – but I couldn’t shake the feelings.

But you know what? If anyone guessed (likely), no one said anything (respectful!), and when I finally shared the news, everyone was so kind and supportive.

Did I need to worry? No. Did it work out? Yes.

Did I have a baby sip of the Grand Vin on that night? Mais-oui!

Kathrine Larsen-Roberts MS
Head of wine, Europe, 67 Pall Mall

I was 26 when I was expecting my son Elias, and at the time I was working as assistant head sommelier at Skylon on the South Bank. Looking back, I feel fortunate to have had quite an easy pregnancy, and both my employer and colleagues were incredibly supportive throughout.

The team was unfailingly kind, which made balancing the demands of a busy restaurant floor with pregnancy far less daunting than it might have been.

One of the most memorable aspects of that period was sitting the Court of Master Sommeliers Advanced Exam when I was seven months pregnant. I can still picture the looks of surprise from some of the other candidates - a mix of curiosity and admiration, I think - wondering what on earth I was doing there. But everyone was welcoming and encouraging.

When I passed, I marked the occasion not with Champagne, but by buying the sweetest little green baby outfit.

Elias is 15 now, so it feels like another lifetime, but my memories of that time are genuinely warm. I don’t recall obsessing over whether my sense of smell was heightened or not - I was simply focused on doing the job I loved and enjoying the journey.

Alexandra Petit-Mentzelopoulos
Co-owner, Chateau Margaux and founder, Clarette

During the 2022 harvest at Château Margaux, I was not even 12 weeks pregnant and still keeping the news to myself. The only slightly tricky part was staying discreet during harvest lunches, when wine is often served, especially if guests are around. I didn’t want people wondering why I wasn’t touching my glass. Fortunately, my brother, who was in the confidence, quietly and happily helped divert attention.

One thing I learned throughout my pregnancy is that people will judge you no matter what. I was even judged for *not* drinking while pregnant, which made me realise very quickly that you simply can’t win. So the best approach is to trust yourself and do what feels right.

That mindset stayed with me later, when attending great tasting or wine dinners during both pregnancies. When exceptional wines were poured, I stopped worrying about what others might think. I enjoyed them the way that felt right to me: a small sip here and there, taken with care and moderation, but still very much appreciated. It allowed me to stay part of the moment without feeling I had to justify anything.

Toward the end of my pregnancy, though, my tastes shifted completely. I had no desire for wine at all and instead found myself craving something cold and refreshing.

I remembered that I used to enjoy Bud Light (in my earlier and less refined years…), tried some again, and it was exactly what I wanted.

Pregnancy may be unpredictable, but at least it keeps things interesting, sometimes in very unexpected ways.

Pauline Vicard
Co-founder and executive director at ARENI Global

The bigger my belly grew, the more I lost sleep. As a business owner, getting pregnant came with a lot of fears. And I must say that I was quite right to worry, because I did lose both business opportunities and my ability to taste. At least for my first pregnancy, which happened when I was still living in France. Both of these consequences didn’t happen during my second pregnancy, this time in London.

Yes, both countries do have a different business culture - generally speaking, being a (pregnant) woman in the wine trade is much easier in London than in France.

But I believe that the biggest difference came from me, and the way I acted. How will people see me now? Will they take me seriously if I walk into a room with flat shoes and pregnancy clothes? Will I be judged if I wanted to continue tasting?

I was so afraid of being mis-judged that I didn’t dare. I lost my voice, and I lost my presence. My palate changed drastically, so I just stopped tasting. I lost business, and I lost experience.

During my second pregnancy however, I couldn’t care less about what other people were thinking. The confidence I had in myself had grown exponentially in the four years that separated my two kids, notably thanks to all the amazing and inspirational women I had the chance to meet in London.

I asked them tons of questions, and discovered that some led board meetings or even sat their MW exams while pregnant. So if they could do it, why notme?

Watching them, walking into a leader room, pregnant or not, felt more natural. I didn’t care so much about the way I looked (there are so many styles in London anyway) or even didn’t question my presence in these rooms. And while I was tired, or feeling sick, I had the confidence to share it with my clients and team, whom I found to be extremely understanding.

Once again, my palate changed drastically. But that time, I didn’t stop tasting. I identified that my bitterness threshold went through the roof. So I just changed my benchmark and continued tasting, and evaluating wine, through that new grid.

Being pregnant in the (wine) business world can be challenging. One is still exposed to clichés. Some people are still prone to judge a woman’s capacities based on her appearance. While this continues to change at society levels, I want to express my gratitude to all the amazing women that preceded me, and gave me the confidence to stand, however big my belly is.

Catherine Jaën MW
Buying director, Lay & Wheeler

Pregnancy puts a huge physical and mental load on you. When you have a fast-paced job, something’s got to give. You need to find a way to cope. Mine was to slow down.

I was heading to Burgundy to taste the 2020s from barrel. I simply couldn’t keep pace with my peers (or former self), cramming in seven or eight visits per day, scribbling notes without always giving the wines the time they deserve. Instead, I shifted to three or four visits a day, and I made them all count.

Fundamentally, I wasn’t overwhelmed by the load. But this new pace also allowed me to keep up my tasting notes and vintage report in real time, meaning I didn’t condemn myself to a mountain of writing at the end of the trip. Yes, the trip was a little longer, but the content was better, and so was my mental and physical health.

I’ve carried this lesson forward with me, and often find that applying the brakes is the key to unlocking a workload problem.

Sophie Vajra
G.D. Vajra, Barolo

I’ve always felt incredibly grateful to work alongside my husband and his family in our winery. From the beginning, I’ve been supported—not just as a professional, but as a mother. No one ever doubted that I could be both, and that confidence gave me the space to grow into each role with purpose.

Being pregnant - and later raising four children - while working in wine has brought its own rhythm. The vineyard doesn’t pause, and neither do family needs. In Italy, summer stretches over three full months, and just as harvest begins, the kids are still home - full of energy, barefoot in the courtyard, often helping sort grapes or sneaking a few from the table.

Some days are a whirlwind of calls, logistics, and school pickups. But those are the days I love most - the ones that blur the lines between work and family life in the best possible way.

I realised early on that the goal wasn’t balance, but harmony. When I embraced that, everything made perfect sense.

It’s a joy to raise our children in this environment - watching them grow up among the vines, learning the seasons and the stories.

It’s a life rooted in passion, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

Emily Roskilly

Chief financial officer, The Wine Society

Working whilst pregnant in any industry can be challenging – excitement, tiredness and pregnancy anxiety working overtime alongside continuing to perform in your role – and being pregnant whilst working in the wine industry was no different for me, other than perfecting my ability to pretend to sip glasses of wine (if you have multiple wines throughout a meal, ask for just a small amount for a couple of them – much easier to disguise at the end of a meal as your ‘favourites’).

What was challenging for me was balancing my soon to be expanding family (not to mention the waistline) with business decision making. Whilst I was pregnant, and before I had announced my news to the wider organisation, we made the decision to review, and enhance, some of our family related benefits, including the maternity policy.

Knowing that any change would impact me personally meant that being Emily the CFO rather than Emily the expectant mum during those conversations was certainly a balancing act – which, I suppose, was the first lesson in the juggling act that was coming for me.

I actually found the two sides to me to be really helpful in giving me a different perspective and we struck a goodbalance with the changes we made.

I’m proud to have been part of that change for The Wine Society (and glad to have benefited from it).

Saskia de Rothschild
Chief executive, Les Domaines Barons de Rothschild Lafite

For my first child, I was pregnant during Covid and I had to stay socially distant from all our team. I remember cooking hundreds of canelés with the egg yolks from our collages for all the vineyard teams and leaving them at the end of the rows every morning.

Blending Lafite 2019 with our team in early 2020 is a great memory because, when you are pregnant, your sense of smell is so much sharper and I felt like each vat I was tasting was talking to me in a clearer voice than ever.

The day before I gave birth, I walked eight kilometres in our Pauillac vines with my father to check all the rows for mildew. That might be what got my child out.

There were of course moments where I pushed a little too hard: I remember fainting as I walked the vines of Littorai in Sonoma while Ted Lemon was giving me a fascinating lecture on biodynamics.

So we sat down on the ground, in the shade of the rows for half an hour and we talked philosophy of patience and slowing down.

Cecily Chappel
Chief executive, Chelsea Vintners

The first trimester whilst working in wine has got to be one of the trickiest to navigate. The wine industry is geared to events, tastings and evening commitments.

My morning sickness used to hit me in the evenings, which was particularly unhelpful. There were always things to lug about and so many wines and spirits to taste.

Having lost a baby to an ectopic pregnancy, I was very fearful of telling anyone about being pregnant before the 12-week scan, so going from regularly sharing bottles of wine with private clients and producers to trying to find excuses for not drinking was pretty stressful.

Once the news was out, everything outside of tying my shoes became much, much easier.

I was born in France and my mother was prescribed a daily glass of red whilst pregnant with me. I decided daily drinking wasn’t necessary, but my rule was if I couldn’t afford it, go for it.

That made for a particularly fun evening in Singapore when a dinner à deux turned into a dinner à dix with a wine theme of Lafleur vs Le Pin. How could I say no?!

However, when my bump was really showing (and bearing in mind I had twins, so my bump was pretty impressive) I was surprised by the number of scathing looks I received when I had a glass of wine in my hand. These looks were mostly from a generation older than me and those not in the industry.

Whether you agree with drinking modestly whilst pregnant or not, what I will say is that your sense of smell is heightened to levels unimaginable, which meant at blind tastings I was unstoppable.

The downside - there were certain aromas I wish didn’t come across so powerfully!

Fiona Hayes
Wine buyer, The Wine Society

Travelling to wine regions is the probably the main highlight of a wine buyer’s job, however it can be a lot more complicated when you are pregnant.

In the first trimester you are avoiding telling family, friends and colleagues, so trying to hide being extremely tired and queasy along with declining that steak saignant and unpasteurised cheese you would usually tuck right into, combined with declining the amazing wines on offer over dinner becomes equally as exhausting.

Once it is out in the open, it becomes a lot easier and there is a lot of support out there and an appreciation from other working mums who have been through it all before.

I found that my senses were definitely heightened when I was pregnant, which made tasting, especially blind tasting a lot easier.

Towards the latter stages of pregnancy, I found standing up in cellars all day very tiring, but thankfully so many producers I worked with at the time were family businesses and they would offer a chair or move the tastings to more warm and comfortable settings.

Pregnancy and working in wine certainly presents itself with challenges, but I think many businesses are providing the right support from pregnancy and beyond.

Sunaina Sethi
Co-founder and chief people officer, JKS Restaurants

Something I never thought I would do but found myself doing (and it being okay) was…worrying that my palate would be altered forever.

I had heard the stories, taste buds shifting, sensitivities changing, which made me genuinely anxious. Your palate is your compass. Mine did change during pregnancy, and I remember tasting things and thinking, “Oh no, is this forever?”

Thankfully, it wasn’t. Everything settled back post-baby, but those months were a strange kind of limbo.

There is also the quiet stigma around alcohol and pregnancy. I felt it in certain conversations, even in silence. But my doctor was refreshingly pragmatic: “Just don’t be silly with it and fall over,” she said.

That grounded me more than any lecture could. And actually, my body just rejected wanting to drink alcohol.

And I’ll admit (cautiously), the first drink I craved after giving birth wasn’t wine. It was bourbon. Maybe because I watched my husband enjoying his whilst I was pregnant, or maybe I was subconsciously avoiding wine, afraid it wouldn’t taste the same.

But that first bourbon? It was glorious.

When I finally did return to wine, it felt like nothing had changed.