In Japan's otherwise troubled economy, women's buying power has been often cited as the force behind a stunning phenomenon of growth in the '90s -- the wine industry. In fact, during that time, Japanese women not only drove the rise in wine consumption, but they also found professional opportunities in the wine trade.

At first glance, it seems counterintuitive that women here should encounter new job options in wine, a field that elsewhere in the world has long been considered stodgy, elitist and traditional. Caves Taillevent sommelier Benoit Monier recalls that "Until recently, at a three-star Michelin restaurant in France, for example, the only woman staff member would be found at the reception desk."

Notes U.S. winemaker Bruce Gutlove, who has worked in Japan for the past decade: "There's generally an Old World aspect to winemaking. A generation ago, some places would not even allow women in the cellar."