The recent political unrest that followed the killing of George Floyd has shed a spotlight on racial inequities in the US. Winemaking is one area where African Americans are significantly under represented compared to their white counterparts. In fact, less than one percent of US wineries are black-owned or have black winemakers—a statistic that parallels the number of US farmers who are black.
“I believe the small percentage is due to the fact that there has been a serious lack of awareness: both that a career path exists and that there actually are black winemakers and proprietors in the industry,” says Phil Long, owner of Longevity Wines and president of the Association of African American Vintners. “One of my primary goals as president is to increase exposure for black winemakers in the industry today and establish a career path through scholarships and internships to help inspire the black winemakers of tomorrow.”
Here is a list of wineries that are black-owned, or have black winemakers or winegrowers.
California
Central Coast
Indigené Cellars
Paso Robles, CA
indigenecellars.com
Longevity Wines
Livermore, CA
longevitywines.com
Proprietor Phil Long is the president of the Association of African American Vintners.
McBride Sisters Collection
Oakland, CA
mcbridesisters.com
Oceano Wines
San Luis Obispo, CA
oceanowines.com
Mendocino
Theopolis Vineyards
Yorkville, CA
theopolisvineyards.com
Thomas T. Thomas Vineyard
Philo, CA
thomastthomasvineyard.com
Napa Valley
Brown Estate
Napa, CA
brownestate.com
Darjean Jones Wines
Napa, CA
darjeanjoneswines.com
J. Moss Wines
Napa, CA
jmosswines.com
Okapi Wines
Napa, CA
okapiwines.com
Sonoma
Bodkin Wines
Healdsburg, CA
bodkinwines.com
Corner 103
Sonoma, CA
corner103.com
L’Objet Wines
Healdsburg, CA
lobjetwines.com
Monte Rosso Vineyard
Sonoma, CA
gallo.com
Brenae Royal, the vineyard manager for E & J Gallo’s Monte Rosso Vineyard, is one of California’s few (if not only) black female winegrowers.
P. Harrell Wines
Sonoma, CA
pharrellwines.com
Tympany Vineyards
Healdsburg, CA
tympanyvineyards.com
Vision Cellars
Windsor, CA
visioncellars.com
Oregon
Abbey Creek Vineyard
North Plains, OR
abbeycreekvineyard.com
In 2012, Bertony Faustin of Abbey Creek Vineyard became the first known black winemaker in Oregon.
Maison Noir Wines
McMinnville, OR
maisonnoirwines.com
ROCO Winery
Newberg, OR
rocowinery.com
Kansas
Jenny Dawn Cellars
Wichita, KS
jennydawncellars.com
Vermont
ZAFA Wines
Burlington, VT
zafawines.com
In 2018, Krista Scruggs started converting a 10-acre vineyard in Grand Isle to biodynamic farming and, in two years, has expanded her farming to more than 100 acres.
Washington
Frichette Winery
Benton City, WA
frichettewinery.com
is the tasting coordinator for US wines at Wine & Spirits magazine.
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