"God of our weary years, God of our silent tears.." With those words the Reverend Joseph Lowery began his inaugurual benediction prayer. He was quoting the last stanza of the Negro National Anthem. No doubt I'll be singing it a lot this month at schools, community events,and cultural programs in celebration of Black History Month.
And all during the month I'll marry my appreciation of black history with my enthusiasm for wine. During February's Black History Month, wine lovers can get a taste of history (pun intended) by celebrating wines produced by African American wine makers. Winemakers of color are few in number, but their wines are widely recognized particularly in top restaurants, and among wine lovers.
Whenever I can get it, I have a bottle of the velvety, spicy Brown Estate Zinfandel in my wine rack. Zin is my favorite red wine, and the Brown Estate wine does not disappoint. The winemakers are a family whose Napa winery was featured in the New York Times several years ago. There is always a waiting list for their wines, and it's hard to get on the list. Economically your best bet is to find Brown Estate Zinfandel by the glass, because it is in the 50 dollar range. And yeah, it's worth it.
Mac Macdonald was the first African American wine maker I met. He and his wife Lil own Vision Cellars. Mac founded,and was the first president of, the African American Vinters Association. He is an ebullient booster of the member wines. Mac is a sought after speaker, and stumps nationwide to increase wine appreciation in America. I first tasted his Pinots in Sonoma California in his home where he poured from bottles from his cellar. I enjoyed what I didn't know at the time was an impromptu vertical tasting (In a vertical tasting you sample the same wine produced in consecutive years.) To my palate on that sunny day, all of the wines represented good years. I inhaled the aromas of cherry fruit with a hint of smokiness. This was before PInot Noir was lionized in the movie Sideways, but even then I recognized Pinot Noir's special qualities. Mac specializes in Pinot Noir, but a few years ago expanded his offerings to include Riesling and Rose' wines. Vision Cellars wines are distributed nationwide, and are distinguished by the stylized African mask on the label. Mac's wines range in price from 30 to about 50 dollar a bottle.
Lauren and Jerry Bias of SugarLeaf Vineyards bought their Virginia winery just a few years ago, and became part of one of the busiest wine producing states in the nation. While every state in the US has a winery, some like Virginia have built an winemaking industry. Virginia's wine trail is a popular tourist attraction with wineries like Sugarleaf Vineyards wending through the state. Sugarleaf,located in Virginia's Monticello region, has quickly moved to garner attention for its wines, winning awards for its Cabernet Sauvignon ,Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. I have sampled the Vidal Blanc ,a slightly sweet white wine which has also won several awards. Tasty. Sugarleaf's wines are priced between 26 to 40 dollars a bottle.
Sample the wines of winemakers of color all during February and enjoy a mixed case Black History celebration:)
Winemakers of color-- bottling history and legacy 365 days a year...
More African American owned vineyards :
Black Coyote
Esterlina
Sharp Cellars
Enjoy!
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