Let Freedom Ring to the Sound of Clinking Wine Glasses

By Dianne Boate and Robert Meyer

Be prepared to be surprised!

It was to be a regular summer Saturday in June. Robert was going to have a garage sale and Dianne was all set to go to the Palace of Legion of Honor for a lecture. But on Friday, Robert took notice of a press release from COPIA, THE AMERICAN CENTER FOR WINE, FOOD & THE ARTS in Napa, and announced that the Saturday event was something important and unusual and we should go.
You would not have wanted to hear the wailing and carrying on about missing the lecture, but in the end, there was a compromise and Dianne heard one hour of the lecture before we drove to Napa.
What was going on that was worth all of this? Well, it was Junteenth, something neither one of us knew much about, especially this Junteenth celebration at COPIA where the first-ever African American Vintners Association was invited to participate in a seminar and wine tasting complete with Southern-style food, a quilt display, and craft activity. African American vintners? Where did they come from? Please listen.

About Junteenth
Generally celebrated on June 19th, this is a 139-year-old tradition for African Americans to honor the time when the laws of slavery changed and everyone was suddenly free. One man told Dianne, “It actually happened in January, 1865, but it took until June for the news to get around.”

The Day Itself...June 19, 2004, at COPIA
The African American Vinters Panel Discussion and wine tasting was a beautifully planned and executed event. In the Meyer Food Forum auditorium, seats were quickly filled. There was an air of anticipation for what would happen next. TV journalist Pam Moore from KRON 4 News gracefully introduced the seven men seated in the stage area, saying, “These men opened up the wine business for people of color. These are our pioneers!”

Each person then gave a thumbnail sketch of how they shaped their lives, step-by-step, from being lawyers, business executives, and in one case, a neurosurgeon. What is impressive is that these seven men, all independent of each other, started to dream about a new way of life, following a path that sometimes zigzagged, but the compass point was always on the goal of winemaking and the wine business. Eventually, they became known to each other and formed this unique association. Aside from new opportunities to pool resources advantageously, this group has another far-reaching goal: To encourage young black people to get into the wine business.

In the meantime, they are being hailed as the new leaders in opening new wine markets which means good business for all wine people. We learned that no wine is sold in the entire section of Harlem in New York City, but that is soon to change. Also changing are stereotypical ideas about who drinks what in terms of racial preferences. Hooray, hooray.

The African American Vintners Association Members

Vance Sharp, of Sharp Cellars
“I learned to love wine, living in Europe for 20 years. When we moved back in 1988, we fell in love with California but I had to overcome my fear of earthquakes. Eighteen acres of land became ours in 1995, intended for just growing grapes, but the whole winemaking process became a passion that went beyond just growing. Our first release was a 2001 zinfandel.”

Marc Norwood, of Marc Norwood Winery
“I was a high-tech Silicon Valley executive. It dawned on me that I needed to get out of the rat race and recapture life. I decided on farming and that led to grape growing. I am still learning, but having a wonderful life!”

Craig Sterling, Esterlina Vineyard & Winery
“I came from Louisiana, land of moonshine and other beverages that used any kind of fruit to get the desired alcoholic results. I became a lawyer, while my father and brother acquired land in Anderson Valley in Mendicino County. It’s the smallest appelation in California: Cole Ranch. I admired my family for making their dream come true, and decided to join them rather than sitting in an office in the Embarcadero Center. There was an industry-wide slump at that time, but I knew that it was a much better life going through tough times in the wine business than good times in the legal field. Because there was already a famous winery with our name, we chose the Spanish word for Sterling.”

Daniel J. Bryant, A Color of Grape (Wine Tours/Education)
“When I moved to Sonoma county I was not sure I would like rural life, but then I discovered that there were 80 wineries where I could taste wine between home and work without getting on the freeway. In leading my family and friends to these places, I gradually realized there was a market for the knowledge I had acquired about wine and wineries. Tours and tastings and education became my business and now I am doing seminars, too.”

Mac McDonald, Vision Cellars
“Back in Texas where I grew up, I had a dad named Sue who was a moonshiner. At 12 years old, I had tasted wine and knew right then I was going to be in the wine business. By its existence and success, this association is bucking the stereotype notions that black folks can’t get along and don’t drink wine.”

Lou Garcia, Stover Oaks Vineyard & Winery
“I spent 25 years working for large companies. There had been an occasion in the past where I was served wine from Stag’s Leap and from Cakebread Cellars, my first taste of great wines and I never forgot it. I gradually gravitated to buying property in Placerville (El Dorado County) and started in! We are realizing our dream of having a vineyard, a tasting room, a Bed and Breakfast, and a place for weddings.”

Dr. Ernest Bates, Black Coyote
“Well, when you are a successful doctor, you are expected to buy a sailboat and a vineyard. In 1998, I decided to make just enough wine to give as Christmas gifts. The quality of the wine, and the appreciation of it changed my mind and I turned it into a business. I wish we could take the wholesome efforts connected to the success of the Association into other areas of business.”

Freedom
In this month of July, let us all truly celebrate freedom by practicing freedom. We know a lot of people who were never “slaves” but are enslaved by their thoughts. True freedom emancipates one from other’s opinions, what happens in the marketplace, and from old useless ideas kicking around that produce nothing but fear. We in the West have a special heritage from the pioneers who came here seeking freedom. We have been rudely talked about but we still exercise our precious right of freedom in the new ideas spawned here in every area of life. As native Californians who have seen a few other places, we think that this is where it’s at. Let’s drink to that!

Dianne Boate is a San Francisco based writer and photographer. Her work can be seen at www.danielart.com. Robert Meyer is a consultant to the wine and spirits industry. This month marks 25 years of tasting together.