The African-American community can rightly take great pride in the accomplishments of its members in recent decades in a wide range of fields. African-Americans are now a highly visible presence in the arts, the media and academia as well as corporate America. In the wine world, however, they are only beginning to make their mark.Out of 900+ wineries in California, for example, fewer than ten are owned by African-Americans.
+/- African-American vintners and winemakers
Although few in number, these producers have enjoyed phenomenal growth and critical success over recent years; they should, I think, be given greater recognition than they are by both the regular and the wine press for the quality of the products they craft and for their perseverance in pursuing and realizing their dream. They have proved that there is room for everybody and that great winemaking, like anything else, isn't a question of color, religion or race, but simply a matter of skill, experience, knowledge and savoir-faire with a little help from Mother Nature.
Part of the problem has been the lack of information and wine education available about and directed toward the African-American community. In the last decade, however, significant efforts have been made to counter this lack. The year 2002 saw the creation of two associations to respond to the needs of the African-American community: The "African American Wine Tasting Society" (AAWTS) and "The Association of African American Vintners" (AAAV) which includes several Californian wineries, including Vision Cellars, Sharp Cellars, Running Tigers, Black Coyote, Stover Oaks, Theopolis Vineyards and Esterlina.
I bought for the store a few wines produced by Vision Cellars, a winery established in 1995 and dynamically run by its owner Mac McDonald, one of the pioneer African-American winemakers, who realized his dream of making wine and proudly released his first vintage in 1997. Although based in Windsor, a town in Sonoma, Mac produces a small quantity of a dozen different wines from various regions of California including: Mendocino county, the Santa Lucia Highlands, Russian River, Chileno Valley, and Marin County.
We carry three of his wine at the store, two different Pinot Noirs and a white blend. The wines are very good, balanced, complex and well crafted, and I did not buy them because they were a novelty, something to have in the store to show off. No, I bought them because the wines spoke for themselves, showing great character and taste. In fact, it was only after tasting the wines, while talking with my sales rep about the winery, that I realized that the winery was owned by an African-American family. I'm proud to have their wines on the shelves, and I do enjoy the reactions of people when I tell them the story of the winery. I invite you to visit the winery web site at www.visioncellars.com for more information.
Here are the three wines to discover available at the store:
2007 Vision Cellars White Wine (Blanc Gris) California $19.99
Vision's 2007 white is sourced mostly from Napa Sauvignon Blanc with a healthy splash of Pinot Gris from the Santa Lucia Highlands. Pale gold in the glass, it offers aromas of apple, citrus and tropical fruit that immediately greet the nose, joined by layers of grass and river rocks. Its mouth-feel is light and refreshing, with flavors of citrus, dried stone fruit and mineral vivid through the mid-palate. The fruity core is balanced by tangy acidity into a long finish that ends with crisp lemon and lime notes. Enjoy it on its own, or paired with light pastas, seafood and poultry.
2006 Vision Cellars Pinot Noir Gary's vineyard Santa Lucia Highlands California $49.99
This boutique Sonoma winery, established in 1995, is all about capturing the essence of the Pinot Noir grape. This is a single-vineyard Pinot sourced from Gary's Vineyard in the Santa Lucia Highlands; tangy and rich, it shows lots of concentrated cherry and cocoa on the nose and palate along with a long, spicy finish. Silky, balanced and delicious; only 252 cases produced.
2007 Vision Cellars Pinot Noir Coster Vineyard Russian River valley California $48.99
This dark, rich Pinot is sourced from Russian River grapes. Its nose is redolent of plump red cherries, cola, spice and mint. Fresh and smooth in the mouth, it has flavors of plum, cherries, caramel and spice that unfold on the palate, supported by fine tannins into a spicy, persistent finish. Less than 300 cases produced.
You can also see and order this wine directly on our website at http://www.heightschateau.com/catalog/product_search_results.php/search=dmlzaW9uIGNlbGxhcnM=
–Dominique