Listen, Learn and Act: Supporting our Black Wine Community
As an Australian-born white woman, I have been a beneficiary of white privilege my entire life. Much like the majority of this community, understanding the complexity, scale and generational trauma experienced by our Black community is something I will never comprehend, but I want to understand better and advocate for a more just future.
The intention for ABG has always been to support the community, through resources, tools, connections and networks. This week, rather than add to the cacophony of opinions, I want to offer resources that put the power to make changes in your hands.
Here are the critical ways that I believe that we can step up.
Watch, Listen, and Learn.
Julia Coney is an industry leader and advocate for improving diversity in wine, and earlier this week, hosted two powerful Instagram Live sessions addressing the issues of systemic racism in the wine business. Part I with Shakera Jones and Part Two with Cheramie Laws were powerful, uncomfortable, and a much-needed wakeup call for the wine industry. Our industry must address its own racism, implicit bias, and passivity, but also be the ones to make the changes.
Build Relationships.
The wine industry is built on relationships, so take a hard look at the diversity in your own network. Could it be better? There is ALWAYS room at the table. Coney is leading a collaborative effort to develop a robust and growing list of black wine professionals. Learn more at @BlackWineProfessionals on Instagram and start by connecting, following, supporting and including these talented professionals in your endeavors.
Hold the door open for more people to come in and keep that door jammed open.
Be an Ally
We all need this industry to be better, but no-one can be everywhere, so please speak up when you see racist behavior. Call it out. Represent those without a voice, and check yourself when you are in the quietest of spaces. Are you doing your best?
Support Black-Owned Wineries and Businesses.
Spend money where it can support black-owned wineries and businesses. Start here with Black-Owned Wineries Around the World or 42 Black-Owned Wineries , and support the Association of African American Vintners. Download the App @EatOkra, for a guide to black-owned restaurants; CNN Traveler have compiled a solid list here.
Spend your money, spread the word. This community is a powerful group of global professionals who have the capacity to build brands and support them by word of mouth. Please put it to use.
Prepare to get Uncomfortable, Fail and Fall.
Take it upon yourself to do the work to better understand the issues, and listen, listen, listen. Get uncomfortable. Humans make mistakes, it’s how we learn. But that should not stop us from making the effort to listen, learn, and take action. Start here with this list of Scaffolded anti-racism resources and A List of Resources for Supporting the Black Lives Matter Movement.
Show Up As Best You Can.
This issue is incredibly complex, so choose a focus. Not sure where to start? Look at your own role in the wine business. Can you help another by sharing your skills? Do you have access to resources? A platform? Are you an executive? Find a way to use your voice.
In a world that’s loud with calls for change, it can be easy to mistake quiet contemplation for complacency. But, please, do not make assumptions about what others are doing or feeling. For some, the deepest work of grieving, healing, listening and questioning can only be done in the safety of space and silence. Please be kind, to yourself, each other and the community at large. We are stronger together.
This community is a solid group of people who have proven they know how to show up. So now is the time. And if you need to lean on someone to help you understand, please ask. We are all in this.
A final note to the Black members of our community – we commit to do better. We see you, we stand with you, and we love you.
In love, peace, and hope for a better future,
Namaste,
Beck
What We’re Reading:
There is no shortage of wine news, and here's what has piqued our interest this week.
What it’s Like to be a Black Wine Blogger, by Katrina Rene
“It was like a slap in the face, yet just another reminder.” Rene articulates a dozen responses to the question, “What can I do?” She doesn’t know, she writes, but her “I can tell you this” statements offer twelve realities of her life to consider.
Listening, Learning, Making Change: Reflections + Resources from Woman-Owned Wineries, by Amy Bess Cook.
Bess, the owner of Women Owned Wineries of Sonoma, offers her perspective, along with resources to “shop the change” with black-owned businesses, along with action and resources for people to do the work.
5 Racist Anti-Racism Responses “Good” White Women Give to Viral Posts, by Katie Anthony
Anthony is a white woman who wrote this post for other white women, as she counters five commonly-heard responses with three direct questions each: Why do you want to say it? What’s the problem with it? And, what should you say instead?
An Anti-Racist Reading List, by Ibram X. Kendi in the New York Times
First, go through this list to check how many you’ve already read. Then quadruple it, at least.
Meet the Community!
Our community is only as strong as the company we keep, and here we meet some of the folks who make our profession so dynamic.
Philippe André, US Ambassador Champagne Charles Heidsieck, and Founder, The Grand Cru & Co. (New York, USA)
Years in the Industry:
15 years and counting! I found my passion for hospitality and wine while growing up in and working with my parents at their established fine dinning restaurant, Oceanique in Evanston, just north of Chicago. At a very early age I saw the dedication it takes to run a successful small business. Stepping up when the team was short staffed and punching out when the job is done was and still is how my parents operate their business. These are principals instilled in me however in my current role working with clients that communicate at all hours it can be difficult at times to “punch out.
After nine years on the floor I challenged myself to further explore my passion for the wine industry. After being immersed in Oregon’s Willamette Valley while attending Oregon Pinot Camp, I was offered a winemaking apprenticeship position for the 2013 harvest at a biodynamic family owned estate in McMinnville. Shortly after harvest, I moved back to Chicago to join the renowned auction house, Hart Davis Hart Wine Co, before joining the Moët Hennessy team at Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits managing development and partnerships with the top restaurants in Chicago.
Realizing my desire to start my own business, I founded The Grand Cru & Co. and assembled a multidisciplinary consultancy focusing on unique opportunities for producers to directly interact with the collector communities across the US. After a year of activations in 17 cities I was contacted by the EPI group and was invited to be the first employee of the historic Champagne house Charles Heidsieck to be based here in the US.
My Biggest Challenge To Wellness:
As the sole US Ambassador for Charles Heidsieck Champagne I have the great responsibly of developing our business by supporting our partners nationally here in the US. This pulls me in many directions as there is now an incredible momentum for our wines in multiple regional markets. While I’m extremely proud of my work ethic and ability to grind it’s the awareness and willingness to turn it off that is my greatest challenge.
How I Keep It Together To Stay Well:
Ha, absolutely no idea!! I think my wife Paige could say quite a few words on this one.. she is my greatest supporter and is quick to remind me when I’m pushing myself too hard or when I need to eject my phone. It’s also key that she’s a “muggle” and not in the wine industry so I have some insight as to what “normalcy” can be. But I truly believe my secret to this is simply communicating when I need the support to help me fully recharge.
Finding your “beach” is the easy part, admitting to others that you need it, takes courage. I rely a lot on the incredibly supportive relationships I’ve been fortunate to build over my career; they are a huge asset for my mental health. The mentors, Chefs, Sommeliers, hospitality professionals, gourmands and wine collectors in my world each help me to find those moments of joy in my passion for sharing appropriately large bottles paired with a well-aged double corona from Cuba. And in these rare moments I revel in the thought that at the end of the day it’s just fermented grape juice... but from Champagne of course ;)
You can connect with Philippe on Instagram @niquesomm @oceanique505 and @charlesheidsieckchampagne
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