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No matter what you’re buying, where you spend your money can make a big difference — especially now, when so many small businesses have been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic.
That’s true of the wine industry as a whole, too. Despite a boom in booze sales, wineries and wine retailers are trying to stay in business.
If you’re a wine lover, it’s important to check out the labels on your cabernets and chardonnays and seek out smaller businesses whenever you can. That includes supporting Black-owned wine brands and winemakers who have often been overlooked by the overwhelming white wine industry.
“The spotlight on Black voices in the wine world is overdue but so welcome,” TJ Douglas, owner of Urban Grape in Boston, wrote in an email to HuffPost Finds. “My hope, however, is that when this spotlight inevitably dies down — and it will — that the media and customers will still seek us out. Not to talk just about the Black experience in wine, but to utilize our expertise and knowledge about wine itself.”
In addition to buying from Black-owned wine brands, you can make sure these brands are stocked on store shelves in the first place.
Robin McBride, one of the owners of the McBride Sisters Collection, recommends telling your favorite wine shops, restaurant and bars to carry Black-owned brands in their stores and online. It’s one of the ways to make sure this is “a movement and not a moment,” she said.
If you want to stock your wine rack with a few bottles by Black-owned wine makers but aren’t sure about where to start, we asked wine experts — including sommeliers, owners of wine stores or those with their own wine lines — for their recommendations of Black-owned brands that everyone should try out.
Remember you can always support Black-owned businesses, including Black-owned Etsy home decor shops and Black-owned beauty brands, along with buying books by Black authors and art from Black artists.
Check out these expert-recommended Black-owned wine brands:
The label has lots of offerings, including this sauvignon blanc called "The Victor's Spoils" for $18 and a chardonnay called "Oakliss" for $25.
Check out Bodkin Wines.
Cohen called the label "exciting, dynamic, and unbuttoned," adding that "these aren't your grandma's wines."
Salcito said owner André Mack, a longtime friend and a sommelier at famous New York City restaurant Per Se, sells wines that "are all Oregonian in origin ... with clever, eye-catching labels."
You'll find options like a "Knock On Wood Chardonnay" and this "Love Drunk" rosé.
Check out Maison Noir Wines.
Long says on his website that the label "handle[s] everything from bin to bottle." The brand's shop includes this sparkling wine with "crisp citrus notes."
Check out Longevity Wines.
"What she’s accomplished as a trial lawyer and winemaker is incredible — no wonder she’s affectionately dubbed 'Queen of the Vineyards,'" Salcito said.
Theopolis Vineyards has an affordable assortment of pinot noirs and a "Petite Sirah" wine that Cohen called a "standout."
Check out Theopolis Vineyards.
Check out Okapi Vineyards.
Salcito said the brand "represents one of the most interesting Champagnes available right now." However, bottles are pretty pricey, like the top-rated Brut Gold that's $300, so you might want to save them for when you really feel like celebrating.
Check out Armand de Brignac.
Douglas said the brand by Kristen Scruggs — who was profiled in Bon Appetit last year — has "natural and experimental wine."
Den Haan said Zafa Wines is among her favorite brands, but warned the "wines are very hard to get your hands on." That's definitely true — all of the wines in the line are currently sold out — so you'll want to bookmark the brand for when the shop's stocked up again.
Check out Zafa Wines.
Salcito described the line as having options that are "bright, fruity and [at] an accessible price point." The brand's namesake bottle, La Fête du Rosé, starts at $25.
Check out the La Fête du Rosé.
You'll find offerings like this sauvignon blanc in a can and dry rosé spritzer on the site's shop.
Check out the McBride Sisters Collection.
"Her wines are very clean and fresh and total people pleasers," Den Haan said.
Check out Aslina Wines.