Family and wine go together for these Black-owned businesses (#winePW)

February is Black History Month, and this year’s theme is “Black Family.” A fitting time to focus on two Black-owned family businesses, right?

But why wait for February to amplify the voices of Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) winemakers and winery owners? Throughout the year, I’m intending to do my part to spread the word by periodically searching out BIPOC-produced wines and sharing their stories.

For now, the Wine Pairing Weekend (#winePW) bloggers are offering an opportunity for everyone to celebrate BIPOC winemakers and winery owners. Our March Twitter chat is devoted to this subject. Please join Nicole from Somm’s Table, our host, and the #winePW bloggers on Saturday 2/13, starting at 8 am PT/11 am ET. Simply follow the hashtag.

McBride Sisters Collection

Two sisters – same father, different mothers – grow up on opposite sides of the globe: Robin McBride in California, Andréa McBride John in New Zealand. As adults, they bond over wine and in 2005, they become the first African-American sister duo to establish a wine business. Over time, the McBride Sisters Collection grows and is now the largest Black-owned wine company, by volume, in the United States. Today, both sisters and their business are located in the San Francisco Bay area.

The sisters started out by importing a small line of New Zealand wines. In 2010, they founded the EcoLove brand, a sustainable wine company focused on New Zealand wines they sourced from around the country. In 2015, they started Truvée, a partnership with Diageo Chateau & Estate Wines focused on California Central Coast wines. Along the journey, they learned the business of wine.

In 2017, the sisters launched their own brand to cover all of the wines in their portfolio. Their wines are from both New Zealand and California. They are distributed throughout the country and are easy to find by using this handy tool.

According to Nielsen, the McBride Sisters Collection sold more than 35,000 cases of wine in retail outlets in the 12 months prior to October 2020, up 40 percent from the previous year. By value, sales were up 43 percent, to $5.52 million.

The sisters’ New Zealand portfolio spans Marlborough, Central Otago, and Hawkes Bay. In California, their wines include Chardonnay from the Central Coast, a red blend (usually Merlot and Cabernet) from Paso Robles, and a Santa Lucia Pinot Noir.

Robin oversees the winemaking and operations, while Andréa oversees sales and marketing. The sisters are in charge of their own sourcing and wine style decisions, along with winemakers Amy Butler in the States and Diana Hawkins in New Zealand. They focus on everyday wines at an affordable price.

The McBride sisters’ success is a story in itself. But wait… they also give back to their community. In 2019, Robin and Andréa created the McBride Sisters SHE CAN Professional Development Fund to help close the gender and race gap. (The name is also used for the sisters’ She Can line of canned wines and spritzers.) In the first year, the fund awarded scholarships of nearly $40,000 to empower women to strive for change and create opportunities for themselves and others.

This year, the global pandemic hit Black-owned small businesses especially hard. At the beginning of February 2020, there were more than 1 million Black-owned businesses in the United States. By mid-April, 440,000 or 41% of Black businesses had shuttered. By comparison, 17% of white-owned businesses closed during the same period. (Source: McBride Sisters)

Meanwhile, the SHE CAN Professional Development Fund has grown by more than 600 percent, thanks to individual donors following the #SheCanThrive2020 social media campaign, major corporate donors including Morgan Stanley and Silicon Valley Bank, and a partnership with Facebook. As a result, the sisters will distribute $300,000 in 2020 grants. The list of recipients was expanded beyond the wine industry to include all Black women–owned businesses.

The McBride sisters received more than 1,500 grant applications for the 2020 campaign. Applications for the 2021 grants will be accepted beginning March 8. (Source: Wine Spectator)

• The wine – 2019 Black Girl Magic Riesling
  100% Riesling
  Robin and Andréa describe the Black Girl Magic collection as a personal ode to their culture and story, “inspired by the magic and resilience of Black women, to be enjoyed by all.” Grapes are grown in the Paso Robles, Edna Valley, and Monterey American Viticultural Areas (AVAs) of the California Central Coast and in the Hawkes’ Bay Region of New Zealand.
  My tasting notes: Pale yellow in color. A blend of pineapple and apricot aromas with a hint of white flowers. The palate is off-dry, with pineapple, primarily, and some lemon zest. Medium acidity. Medium finish. Alcohol: 12.5%. Price: $21.99.
• The pairing – Braised Thai-style chicken
  A little bit of residual sugar goes a long way. This approachable Riesling will tone down the heat of anything spicy, from Thai to Indian to Mexican foods. The spouse and I sampled the wine with various meals, including braised Thai-style chicken pictured above (yum) and chicken burritos from the local food truck (not pictured but also yum).
  Here are easy-peasy instructions for Thai-style chicken:

1. Season 4-6 chicken thighs or drumsticks with salt and pepper and braise in a little hot vegetable oil for 5 minutes on each side. Remove the chicken to a plate.
2. Deglaze the pan with ¼ cup dry white wine.
3. Add a half jar (6 oz.) of Trader Joe’s Thai Green Curry Simmer Sauce and ½ cup of chicken broth to the pan. Stir together and heat to boiling. Boil and stir for a minute or two.
4. Return the chicken to the pan and simmer for 20-25 minutes. I stirred in roasted potatoes and cooked green beans about 5 minutes before serving.

Brown Estate Vineyards

California’s Napa Valley – possibly America’s most famous wine region. Here, the family-owned Brown Estate Vineyards has its own claim to fame, as the first and only Black-owned estate winery in the region. Best known for its Zinfandel (Zin), Brown Estate also produces Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, and Petite Sirah.

The Browns were farmers first and farmers they remain. Their 50 acres of vineyards are planted amidst wilderness that they strive “to tend rather than tame.” At first, the Browns sold their highly regarded Zin and other vinifera grapes to area wineries. Now, thanks to the second generation of Browns, the family produces its own wine.

Theirs is a story of growth and perseverance despite setbacks. In 1980, Bassett and Marcela Abrahams Brown, from Jamaica and Panama, respectively, bought a 450-acre abandoned ranch in the Chiles Valley AVA of Napa Valley (east of Rutherford – see map). Two 19^th century structures – a redwood barn and a Victorian-era home – were as untended as the land. The Browns cut roads and brought in plumbing and electricity. In 1985, they planted their first vineyard, approximately nine acres of Zin. The grape is well suited to the extreme temperatures shifts in the Chiles Valley.

In 1995, the kids got into the act. David Brown had been farming his family’s vineyards for five years. He learned to make wine through a series of apprenticeships. David, along with siblings Deneen and Coral, officially launched the Brown Estate label in 1996, when the family harvested what would become their first bottling of Brown Zin. In January 2000, they debuted their first three vintages at the annual Zinfandel Advocates & Producers Grand Tasting in San Francisco.

Six months later, in June 2000, tragedy struck. A fire broke out at the warehouse where the Browns stored their wine. With the exception of 16 bottles – two that went to wine critic Robert M. Parker, Jr. for review, two that went to Christie’s for auction, and 12 that the Browns had stored at home – all of their 1998 Zin was destroyed, as were the remaining cases of their first two vintages. The loss left the Browns out of the Zin market for a year and kept their Zin bottlings on a perennially early release schedule. (Source: Wikipedia)

Meanwhile, the Browns were outgrowing the small production capacity they had at a local crush facility. To continue growing, they began construction on a winery of their own in the old barn. By September 2002, Brown was a full-fledged estate winery. Jump to April 2017 and the Browns’ next venture: opening of a downtown Napa tasting room (closed for now, unfortunately, due to the pandemic).

• The wine – 2018 House of Brown California Chardonnay. 95% Chardonnay, 5% Vermentino
  Made from sustainably grown wine grapes with small amounts of naturally occurring and added sulfites.
  My tasting notes: Straw-colored. Aromas of apple, pear, and nectarine, and a tropical, slightly yeasty palate full of orange and orange zest, pineapple, and mango. Round mouthfeel. Medium+ acidity. Medium finish. Alcohol: 13.5% Price: $19.99. Pretty label, pretty Chard. Eager to taste a Brown Estate Zin next time.
• The pairing – Mac and cheese with peas. From one family to another… We opened this wine for mid-week comfort food with the other two adults and almost 2-year-old in our extended household. For the adults, this bright, round Chard and cheesy macaroni played together like two close friends. The toddler, meanwhile, seemed to enjoy the meal paired with milk. So everyone was happy.

Check out all of this month’s featured BIPOC wineries and winemakers:

• Truffle Chip-Crusted Goat Cheese Truffles + McBride Sisters Brut Rosé on Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• The Many Talents of John Legend from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Family and Wine Go Together for These Black-owned Businesses by My Full Wine Glass
• Black-Eyed Peas with Collard Greens and Maison Noir OPP on Cooking Chat
• Where’s Linus Sauvignon Blanc with a Shaved Vegetable Salad, Crostini, and Scallops on Cauliflower Rice Risotto from Crushed Grape Chronicles 
• A Taste of Theopolis Vineyards by ENOFYLZ
• Pairing Crab Legs with Carmen Stevens’ Sauvignon Blanc on Our Good Life
• Meet Cheramie Law: Black, Female, and Founder of Texas’Cheramie Wine from The Corkscrew Concierge
• Sipping Wines from the McBride Sisters’ Black Girl Magic Line by Avvinare
• Camins 2 Dreams: When a Chumash Winemaker Meets a Spanish One And Sparks Fly and Kita: When a Chumash Winemaker Meets a Spanish One And Sparks Fly Part 2 on Wine Predator
• An Inauguration Day Toast with Bodkin The Fearless Blanc de Blanc and Cauliflower Curry from Somm’s Table.