23 Black-Owned Wineries Worth Supporting Right Now

Source: Newsweek

BY JANICE WILLIAMS ON 6/6/20 AT 10:00 AM EDT

All across the United States, people are fighting the fight against racial injustice, police brutality and the killings of unarmed black Americans. And while some are showing their solidarity by filling the streets at protests, calling local governments with demands for change, signing petitions and donating dollars to social initiatives and organizations, others are showing their support by shopping and promoting black-owned businesses.

Read our list of a few black-owned wineries to support right now below.

1. Abbey Creek Wine

Bertony Faustin became the first black winemaker in Oregon after planting his grapes and creating his first wine label in 2008. Named after the creek that runs through the vineyard, Abbey Creek produces a number of prestigious wines that go hand-in-hand with a number of occasions whether it be ready-to-drink Chardonnay and Rosé or cellar savers like Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon.

2. Aslina Wines

Ntsiki Biyela's winery might be an ocean away in South Africa, but the Cabernets, Chardonnays and Sauvignon Blancs in her inventory are more than worth the shipping and handling. With more than 13-years as a winemaker under her belt, Biyela, South Africa's first woman winemaker brings a wealth of expertise and innovation to the wines she produces but she also uses her position to inspire the winemakers of tomorrow with Pinotage Youth Development Academy, a technical training and personal development for young people in the Cape Winelands that prepares them for a career in the wine industry.

3. Bodkin Wines

Founded by Chris Christensen in 2011, the Sonoma Valley-based winery is most known for its sparkling Sauvignon Blanc—America's very first bubbly Sauv Blanc. In the many years since, the Iowa native, along with his business partner and former Oregon resident Andrew Chambers, has produced 15 varietals of wine from Verdelho to Chardonnay, Zinfandel and more.

4. Brown Estate

The family-owned winery was established in Napa Valley in 1996 by siblings Deneen, David and Coral Brown. Although Brown Estate is known for its impeccable Zinfandel, they produce a number of mouth-watering wines including Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Sirah, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and a number of blends. In 2017, the company opened the doors to its first tasting room, Brown Downtown, in the heart of Napa.

5. Charles Wine Co

The Los Angeles-based wine company was born with a few Cabernet and Zinfandel grapevines planted in Paul Charles' own backyard. But now the winemaker and his partners De'Ondre Charles and Dr. Cherise Moore produce more than 500 cases a year for their loyal customers since launching their first bottle label in 2014. The winery has since expanded its roster of grapes, now featuring Chardonnay and Pinot Noir on the tasting menu as well.

6. Darjean Jones Wines

It was 2010 when winery owner Dawna Darjean Jones first sourced grapes to produce her very own Merlot in Napa Valley with hopes of spreading a little "joie de vivre" or joy of living to her fellow wine lovers. She's been doing just that for the last 10 years with the winery's signature Merlot, award-winning Cabernet Franc, delectable Chardonnay, vivacious Viognier and splashy Rosés that may leave you begging for another glass.

7. Domaine Curry Wine

Explosive, racy, complex and serious—these are just a few words wine critics have used to describe the Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc under Domaine Curry, the wine label love child of Steph Curry's wife Ayesha Curry and his sister Sydel Curry.

8. Dwade Cellars

Dwyane Wade may have been most famous for his skills on the basketball court that lead him to win three NBA championships while he was in the league. But he has a hidden talent many of his fans often forget: he's a total wine connoisseur. His travels abroad and love of grapes led him to produce his own wine label featuring a red, white and Rosé option grown and bottled in Napa Valley.

9. FLO Wine 360

Named after the acronym "for the love," Marcus Johnson's winery was launched in 2011 with the intention of leading sippers to rediscover the things they love that may help life flow more meaningfully. He produces three varietals including a not-so-oaky Chardonnay, Moscato and a red blend comprised of Zinfandel, Cabernet and Merlot.

10. Frichette Winery

Based in Washington State's Red Mountain AVA (American Viticultural Area), Frichette winery was an idea born from the minds of couple Greg and Shae Frichette as they decided to trade in their Southern California careers for a more balanced and family-oriented lifestyle. Their first vintage arrived in 2011 and by 2013, the couple's family business had expanded with the opening of their first tasting room. Now the family is producing over 2000 cases of wine under their Frichette and Sashay labels including wines like Syrah, Cabernet, Zinfandel, Malbec, Merlot and Semillon.

11. Indigené Cellars

Nestled in the hills of Carmel Valley, California is Raymond Smith's vineyard, which produces distinguished and structured wines loved by master collectors and new drinkers alike. The estate makes a variety of wines, but it's the robust and addictive reds that stand out the most including the cocoa-spice Edna Valley Pinot Noir and the opulent Sangiovese Riserva.

12. Jenny Dawn Cellars

There was a time when Jennifer McDonald was merely dreaming about turning her home-made wine into Wichita's first urban winery, but in 2019 that dream came true when she opened the doors of Jenny Dawn Cellars. Although the winemaker had originally partnered with a facilitator in Napa to make her wine, Witchita now serves as the base of her wine-making operations. Customers can shop her white wine blends, rosé, pinot noir and more wines directly in Kansas and 37 more states.

13. La Fête du Rose

There are few things classier than a glass of rosé from Provence. That's why Donae Burston, a luxury wine and spirits expert who's worked in the industry for nearly two decades now, launched his own label straight from the vineyards of Saint-Tropez. After working for luxury houses like LVMH and serving as the regional director of the prestigious Armand de Brignac Champagne—otherwise known as the highly coveted gold-bottled Ace of Spades—for three years, Burston set forth to bring his own little bit of elegance to the wine world with the creation of La Fête du Rosé, made with Grenache, Mourvèdre and Syrah grapes.

14. L' Objet Wines

It was a seductive Pinot Noir that drew artist and industry expert Danny Glover to the world of wine many moons ago. While the winemaker long-lasting love affair with Pinot Noir has resulted in him producing many bottles of the good stuff at his Nappa Valley estate, his winery is also known to dabble in Sauvignon Blancs too.

15. Longevity Wines

A lover of big, bold wines, Phil Long made his entry into the business by making wine in his garage with the help of his wife Debra. In 2006 he began producing wine under his Longevity label in California's Livermore Valley at various facilities. Today, the winemaker has his own Livermore property—launched in 2008—where he produces high-quality Pinot Blanc, Muscat, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Barbera and more annually. Although Longevity is currently only on shelves of wine shops in states including California, Texas, Colorado, Georgia, Missouri and South Dakota, Long's recent partnership Bronco Wine Co. for the national launch of his wines will soon bring Longevity to several more retail locations in various states in the future.

16. LVE Wines

Chances are you probably can't sing like John Legend, and you likely can't play the piano, write songs or perform all around the world like him either. But there is something you can do like the award-winning musician: You can drink like him. Apparently, 2019's sexiest man alive has an affinity for rosé and he's sharing it with fans and wine lovers alike through his very own brand, LVE.

17. Markell-Bani Wines

The brainchild of lifelong friends and Cincinnati natives Gregory Markell Lawrence and Sean Bani Yisrael, Markell-Bani was created in response to the wine industry's lacking representation of black Americans. Founded in 2008, the winery produces a sweet white blend, sweet red blend.

18. McBride Sisters

If you're in the mood for an inspiring sip, look no further than McBride Sisters Collection. Robin and Andréa McBride have turned the wine industry on its head with their highly regarded Black Girl Magic collection, which serves as the sisters' ode to the inspiring black women of the past and present, and the SHE CAN Rosé is quite literally female empowerment in a can.

19. Okapi Wines

Dan Johnson was a lawyer with winemaking dreams before he decided to trade in the courthouse for the vineyard by establishing his own small winery, Okapi, in Napa in 2006. Although his business his relatively small—Okapi produces about 300 cases a year—what the winery lacks in quantity is made up in quality with unique blends, red and white wines that zing with innovation and creativity.

20. P. Harrell Wines

Paula J Harrell's longstanding appreciation for wine led her to develop a winery of her own in Sonoma, California. Although the winery only produces three varietals, it's worth noting that her limited production has worked in her favor. The company's rosé and Zinfandel are both incredible standouts, but Harrell's signature Riesling is an award-winning fan favorite. Bursting with notes of citrus and minerality, Harrell's 2019 Dry Creek Valley Riesling took home a gold award at the San Francisco Chronicle International Wine Competition last year.

21. Stuyvesant Champagne

There was a time when Marvina Robinson and her friends had to combine their money just to purchase a bottle of Moet & Chandon White Star sparkling wine, and now—after spending the first half of her career in finance—Robinson makes her own cuvee named after her Bedford-Stuyvesant hometown in New York.

22. Theopolis Vineyards

Founded by lawyer-turned-winemaker Theodora R. Lee in 2003, the vast Theopolis Vineyards located in in California's Anderson Valley produces a number of award-winning Petite Sirahs and Pinot Noir.

23. Zafa Wines

Krista Scrugg's Burlington, Vermont vineyard is as natural as it gets. The burgeoning winemaker's first vintage of natural wine came in 2017 but it was an instant standout for oenophiles. Her methods are simple: "No fining, filtering, additives or funny business"—just pure fermented grape juice, and apple juice too for the cider lovers.