Everyone loves a good winery getaway. From Napa to Cape Town there is a certain je ne sais quoi-type of feeling you get when you’re strolling the vineyard through fields of lush grapes, sipping an expensive Bordeaux with bae or with your girls learning how to find the right aged Riesling to pair with an entrée.
There’s only one thing that can make a visit to a winery even more delicious, and that’s if it’s a Black-owned business. The new wave of African-Americans who are making a name for themselves in the wine industry will have your glass overflowing with joy. ESSENCE caught up with the founders of some of the most sought after Black-owned vineyards and wineries in the world to learn more about their journeys and what makes their wines so special.
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01
Theopolis Vineyards
Theodora Lee is known in the wine world as “Theo-patra, Queen of the Vineyards” for her love of grape farming and “living that wine lifestyle.” Her business, Theopolis Vineyards, is a vineyard and winery situated in California’s upscale Yorkville Highlands of the Anderson Valley. Lee’s business started as a hobby. “I picked the grapes, plowed the land, pruned the vines and fertilized the soil,” Lee said. In 2003, she decided to grow a vineyard and began selling her wine to local winemakers. Not long after, renowned wine critic Robert Parker bestowed grapes grown from Theopolis Vineyards with a stellar rating of 94-96 points.
02
Maison Noir
Earning the title as the first African American to win America’s Best Young Sommelier was the push Andre Hueston Mack needed to create Maison Noir, a two-fold lifestyle project that aims to pair black culture and wine, his two biggest passions. What separates his wines from the rest are his catchy hip-hop themed wine names (O.P.P. and Love Drunk to name a few), but more importantly, Maison Noir’s grapes are grown in a special cross section of vineyards throughout Oregon’s Willamette Valley. “We have always strived to make wines that are not only transparent, honest and truly speak of a place, but at farms with respect for the land and low intervention.”
03
L’Objet Wines
Danny Glover (no relation to the actor) was a songwriter and producer in Los Angeles when the art of winemaking caught his eye. Without hesitation, he changed careers and has not looked back ever since he founded L’Object Wines, a producer of Pinot Noir crafted in an old school French style. “I started L’Objet Wines close to 10 years ago,” said Glover. “It’s not easy and I’m not getting rich but I can’t think of anything else to do.” Tucked in California’s prestigious Sonoma County, his grapes produce multifarious and nuanced wines with a crisp earthiness and velvety texture.
04
Taste Collection Cellars
Private chef Rhonda Russell’s near-perfect food and wine pairings caught the eye of Travel Channel producers, who asked her to tour around the country to do cooking demos and pair it with wine on their Taste Stage. “I immediately thought this is it!” Russell said. “I’m going to pay homage to my Southern upbringing and prepare Louisiana dishes and pair it with wine – but my own wine.” Years later, Taste Collection Cellars was born, a winery located in the heart of Lodi, California. Her Chardonnay and Rosé are connoisseur favorites, she said.
05
Markell-Bani Fine Wines and Sparkling Beverages
In 2007, lifelong friends Greg (Markell) Lawrence and Sean (Bani) Yisrael founded Markell-Bani Fine Wines and Sparkling Beverages with the intent to impact their community legacy through entrepreneurship. Using Concord and Niagara grapes grown in Maryland, the pair created a flavor that they said would be a friendly introduction to African American wine drinkers, their primary audience. “Markell-Bani Wines (Aniyah Rouge and Demera Blanc) are known for their distinctive sweet flavor and amazing taste,” said Lawrence. Markell-Bani will feature at the Black Wine Experience during the 2019 ESSENCE Festival.
06
Frichette Winery
Fate led Shae Frichette and her husband, Greg, to move to Washington, where they founded Frichette Winery, a winery that exclusively uses wine grapes from the Red Mountain AVA. “We like to think of ourselves as ‘edutainers’ in that we are knowledgeable in wines and can share that info in an entertaining and pleasurable way,” Frichette said. The winery is known to produce wines that are smooth and approachable and comes equipped with a charming tasting room where tourists can sample their Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Cabernet Franc to name a few.
07
Charles Wine Company
Paul Charles found it intriguing that the same wine varietal taste changed across different regions, so after tasting his way through Europe, South America and Australia, he purchased a wine kit and boom! – Charles Wine Company was born. The family-owned business brags a portfolio of boutique wines from its specially-grown Zinfandel called Passport to its Pinot Noir (Melanin). “We work on the [winemaking] process from beginning to end – harvest to bottle,” said Charles, whose wines are from the Lodi region of Northern California.
