{"id":147582,"date":"2020-02-01T22:51:37","date_gmt":"2020-02-02T03:51:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fourseasons.com\/magazine\/?p=147582"},"modified":"2021-03-02T15:11:28","modified_gmt":"2021-03-02T20:11:28","slug":"four-seasons-women","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fourseasons.com\/magazine\/discover\/four-seasons-women\/","title":{"rendered":"Women Who Inspire"},"content":{"rendered":"
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To celebrate International Women\u2019s Day on March 8, we\u2019re highlighting a handful of the most inspiring Four Seasons team members. From a wine connoisseur in Lisbon who has been awarded the honour of Sommelier of the Year to an adventure guide in Los Cabos who connects guests more deeply with nature and local culture, these are the women who make the Four Seasons shine.<\/p>\n

Here, they share their inspirations as well as the experiences they love in their destinations.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Gabriela Marques
\nSommelier
\nFour Seasons Hotel Ritz Lisbon<\/h2>\n

\u201cFor many years, the sommelier was seen as a job for men,\u201d says Gabriela Marques, Sommelier at Four Seasons Hotel Ritz Lisbon<\/a>. \u201cThe challenge for me was to keep up the pace with my advanced sommelier colleagues and let go of the social stigma that being a lady would be an issue to my career path. Work hard, study hard, play hard, be truly committed and you will get there fast.\u201d The hard work paid off. In 2018, Revista de Vinhos honoured Marques as Sommelier\/Wine Director of the Year.<\/p>\n

Early on in her hospitality career, Marques became fascinated with wine, devouring books and eventually signing up for a sommelier course at the School of Hospitality in Lisbon. As Sommelier of Four Seasons Hotel Ritz Lisbon\u2019s Varanda restaurant and its new restaurant, CURA, which specializes in organic and biodynamic wines, Marques strives to share her passion with guests.<\/p>\n

\u201cWine is not only just something you drink. It is also a lifetime\u2019s work,\u201d she says. \u201cIt is a heritage that runs through time to your glass. It is a family that works from dusk till dawn until the harvest. It is love and friendship and stories that can be shared. It brings culture and places within, and most of all it brings people together.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Insights: Lisbon<\/h2>\n<\/header>\n
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\u201cGuests who are visiting in autumn should arrange with the Concierge to visit the seventh-generation, 650-hectare Jos\u00e9 Maria da Fonseca estate during Vindimas, the festive harvest time when the grapes are picked.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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\u201cThe Concierge can organize an exclusive moto-sidecar tour of the city with a focus on urban art. Look out for the Vhils pieces. And guests can always ask for a picnic basket, prepared by our chef, to enjoy in the gardens of the Gulbenkian Museum.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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\u201cRunning or cycling by the river Tagus is a wonderful experience. The light is just unique, and you get to see the bridge, the Christ the King and sometimes, if you\u2019re lucky, the dolphins. Don\u2019t forget to go to the top of the MAAT museum for an amazing view.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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