Racism in the wine industry

Racism in the wine industry has resulted in low participation in the industry by blacks.

Background

Racism in the wine industry has been a topic of discussion within the industry at least as early as 2018, when Julia Coney wrote an open letter to Karen MacNeil and the wine industry entitled Your Wine Glass Ceiling is My Wine Glass Box in response to an article MacNeil had written for SOMM journal which discussed the lack of women in the wine industry and highlighted dozens of female wine professionals, none of whom were women of color.[1][2] Sommelier Ashtin Berry said that the industry was both racist and classist.[3]

In June of 2020, during the 2020 United States racial injustice reckoning sparked by the George Floyd protests, wine writer Dorothy Gaiter wrote an opinion piece on SevenFifty Daily, a wine industry news site.[4] Economist Karl Storchmann posted data from the American Association of Wine Economists that the US wine industry overwhelmingly supported Donald Trump.[5] Jancis Robinson wrote a piece for Financial Times, Too White Wines,[6] discussing the industry's racism.[4]

According to Coney, "One of the problems is that most wine is not marketed to people who look like us. We have to change the perception of what a wine drinker looks like.”[7]

Representation within the industry

Winemaker Phil Long, president of the Association of African American Vintners (AAAV), in 2020 estimated that "About 1 percent of 1 percent of all winemakers are black."[8] He said that in 2020 there were "a few dozen" who were both the winemaker and the brand owner.[8] Bloomberg estimated .1% of US winemakers and brand owners are black.[7]

A 2019 survey by SevenFifty of 3100 industry professionals found that only 2% identify as black.[1] The Washington Post pointed out that:[1]

A major entry obstacle for people of color interested in the wine profession is money. It is expensive to learn about wine, from tasting rare, famous bottlings to taking classes for professional certifications. Aspiring winemakers and other wine professionals build their résumés by traveling the world and working harvests in France and elsewhere. Opportunity comes with money.

In South Africe, there are approximately 60 black-owned wine brands[7] representing 3% of the country's wine industry.[9]

Microaggressions

Black wine professionals have reported experiencing microaggressions from others in the industry and other wine consumers.[1][2][10] Coney has said that in restaurants, servers and sommeliers will "steer her to cheaper wines or sweeter choices that fit their stereotype of what she might enjoy."[11] She has related stories of pours at tastings being smaller for her than for white men[12] and of being followed by staff at retail shops.[13] Other black wine professionals tell of being assumed to be servers at wine tasting events.[14] Some report being grilled about their qualifications at wine events, asked who they knew who had invited them, or treated as if they were "either an imposter or an assistant, never the boss."[14] Until June of 2020, the Court of Master Sommeliers required students to address Master Sommeliers as "master"; after sommelier Tahiirah Habibi related her discomfort during her 2011 introductory-level exam when she was the only person of color in the room, writing that her discomfort had been profound enough that she never again pursued any wine credentialling, they revised that requirement.[4][15][16][17] Brenae Royal, vineyard manager at Gallo’s Monte Rosso Vineyard, describes being mistaken for clerical staff in meetings.[9]

Developments

San Francisco sommelier Tonya Pitts reported that Millennial and Gen Z wine drinkers proactively requested wines from women and persons of color and were willing to pay more for those wines.[8]

Long and winemakers Theodora Lee and Danny Glover reported profoundly increased sales during the US racial reckoning.[8] In June of 2020 the organization was reporting a surge in both memberships and donations.[10]

Mac MacDonald founded the AAAV in 2002 with Ernie Bates and Vance Sharp to not only "find the needle in the haystack that is the black winemaker, but also know it's there in the first place."[8] The organization was founded with the help of Urban Connoisseurs and the United Negro College Fund and supports African Americans pursuing careers in the wine industry.[10]

In 2005 Selena Cuffe co-founded Heritage Link Brands to support black South African and Brazilian winemakers.[8]

Habibi in 2017 founded the Hue Society to provide a safe space for black wine connoisseurs to enjoy win without experiencing racism.[16][17]

Coney created the Black Wine Professionals database in 2020 because she was tired of "being the only Black person invited to a tasting or on a sponsored trip to a wine region" and "seeing the wine industry toss money only to white social-media influencers"[11] and because industry "gatekeepers" had said they didn't contact black wine professionals because they didn't know how.[11][18]

A group of wine professionals published Actionable Items for the Wine Community, a list of demands, on June 9.[19][20]

Robinson and Mags Janjo were as of June 25 planning a survey of UK wine industry diversity.[4]

References
  1. McIntyre, Dave (26 June 2020). "The wine industry is overwhelmingly white. Now, the push for inclusivity is gaining momentum". Washington Post. Retrieved 2020-07-03.
  2. "Diversity, but also inclusion – Julia Coney ⋆ ARENI Global". ARENI Global. 2020-03-31. Retrieved 2020-07-03.
  3. Morales, Christina (2020-06-22). "Prestigious Wine Organization Drops Use of Term 'Master'". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-07-04.
  4. "Waking up to the whiteness of the trade - Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News". harpers.co.uk. Retrieved 2020-07-04.
  5. Alberty, Michael (2020-06-12). "Oregon winery comes under scrutiny for social justice statement, Trump donations". oregonlive. Retrieved 2020-07-04.
  6. Robinson, Jancis. "Too white wine: Jancis Robinson on the industry's diversity problem". www.ft.com. Retrieved 2020-07-04.
  7. McCoy, Elin (2020-07-02). "Just .1% U.S. Winemakers Are Black. Here's How to Start Changing That | Financial Post". Bloomberg News. Retrieved 2020-07-07.
  8. "A Black Winemaking Revolution in the Making | Wine-Searcher News & Features". Wine-Searcher. Retrieved 2020-07-04.
  9. Beckett, Fiona (2020-07-03). "'It's time the wine industry stopped taking safe stances to keep its primarily white audience comfortable' | Fiona Beckett on wine". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2020-07-07.
  10. Worobiec, MaryAnn (18 June 2020). "A Voice for Black Winemakers". Wine Spectator. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
  11. Asimov, Eric (2020-06-29). "Black Wine Professionals Demand to Be Seen". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-07-03.
  12. Garrett, Brianne. "How Black Women In Wine—And Their Allies—Are Banding Together To Achieve Better Representation". Forbes. Retrieved 2020-07-03.
  13. Huyghe, Cathy. ""It's Like Mansplaining, But For Race": What The Wine Industry Can Learn About Black Consumers". Forbes. Retrieved 2020-07-04.
  14. DeSimone, Mike; Jenssen, Jeff (8 June 2020). "Does The Wine Industry Have A Racism Problem?". Forbes. Retrieved 2020-07-04.
  15. "The 'master' controversy is bigger than the Court of Master Sommeliers". SFChronicle.com. 2020-06-25. Retrieved 2020-07-04.
  16. McIntyre, Dave (3 July 2020). "The Court of Master Sommeliers has been called out for racism. Now, it is pledging change". Washington Post. Retrieved 2020-07-04.
  17. "Court of Master Sommeliers, facing racism charges, to eliminate 'master' address". SFChronicle.com. 2020-06-23. Retrieved 2020-07-04.
  18. "What Being an Ally Really Means". SevenFifty Daily. 2020-06-15. Retrieved 2020-07-03.
  19. Leon, Miguel de (2020-06-09). "Actionable Items for the Wine Community". Medium. Retrieved 2020-07-04.
  20. De Leon, Miguel (25 June 2020). "It's Time to Decolonize Wine". PUNCH. Retrieved 2020-07-04.
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