June 26th 2023.
On June 16, 2023, the "Black on Black" dinner at the annual Food & Wine Classic brought together Black wine entrepreneurs from all over the country to push for more diversity in the white- and male-dominated industry. Guests from near and far, including former and current NBA players Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul, and Channing Frye, rapper E-40, celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson, and many more all gathered in Aspen, Colorado, to discuss solutions to the surprising lack of Black-owned wineries in the United States.
CNN reported that less than 1% of the total 11,500 wineries in the United States are owned by Black people. Alicia Towns Franken, Executive Director of Wine Unify and owner of Towns Wine Co., was in attendance and was in awe of the energy in the room. "I wish we could have bottled it. It's important for those people to tell their stories," she said. Guests were also treated to the first sip of Franken's South African pinot noir, named Inkwell, an homage to the Martha's Vineyard beach where Black families often make lifetime memories.
Franken is passionate about expanding accessibility in the industry through her work at Wine Unify, a nonprofit that focuses on bringing minorities into the industry via educational and career opportunities. "I wanted to help bring more people [of color] in, because that diversity of thought improves everything," she said. "What we're trying to do is change what leadership looks like and bring more people into the wine industry. So many people have thought that [this] has not been for them."
Ikimi Dubose-Woodson, co-founder and CEO of The Roots Fund, echoed this sentiment and believes that deep damage to the relationship between Black people and the earth happened during slavery, something she's working to mend. "It's never been corrected that the land provides and the land feeds, despite the negative connotation that goes with it," she said. "[Land] was a big part of Black wealth 200 years ago—so it's [about] making a good connection back to it."
For wine brand La Fête's founder and CEO, Donae Burston, it's about the possibilities the industry holds for Black people. "The amount of money and wealth that's generated in the wine and spirits industry is never talked about," he said. "Those stories have to get out there for Black people to say this is a real career." NBA champion and owner of Chosen Family Wines Channing Frye shared the same sentiments and believes that bridging the communication gap between the wine industry and Black communities could be a crucial first step to increased diversity. "This is the honest truth: They don't know how to talk to us. It's as simple as that," he said.
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