Wine has always been one of our planets great social connectors, as well as a symbol of generosity, pleasure, and celebration.

This spring, however, while the COVID-19 pandemic has reminded us how important human connection is, and the global Black Lives Matter protests have shown how far we have to go in creating a more equitable society, theres renewed energy toward making the wine world more inclusive.

Although there are more than 8,000 wineries in the United States, about one-tenth of 1% of the winemakers and brand owners are Black, estimates Phil Long, president of the Association of African-American Vintners and owner of the Longevity winery in the California Bay Areas Livermore Valley.

Which is why, Long says, the real goal of our organization is promoting awareness letting people know we exist, and we make great wine.

Its true. Many of the wines are absolutely delicious, and range from big, bold reds with savory flavors to refreshing whites, as well as unusual, experimental sparkling wines made from hybrid grapes.

I didnt know winemaking was a career choice, says Long, who has a degree in architecture and spent years as a creative director in the Bay Area. For Italian-Americans, wine is part of their culture and heritage. Most Black winemakers dont have that.

Getting attention hasnt been so easy. The only Black-owned labels that most people are aware of are celebrity brands such as singer-songwriter John Legends LVE collection, made by Napas Raymond Winery, and NBA star Dwyane Wades D. Wade Cellars, made by Napas Pahlmeyer.

Theodora Lee, owner of Theopolis winery in Mendocino, California, is starting to see some change, though. While acknowledging that the injustices and killings of Black men by the police are driving the Black Lives Matter protests, Lee says the movement has helped spotlight Black wines, causing a surge in sales.

Lee, a shareholder, partner, and trial lawyer at Littler Mendelson, says sales have doubled from January to June, and shes signed up many more wine club numbers.

Lee grew up in Texas as the daughter of educators. She learned to love wine via visits to law firm mentors in Napa, California, and thought: I could be a grape farmer and still keep my job. She took viticulture courses at University of California at Davis, hired soil experts to help her decide what grapes to plant, and ended up with five acres of petite sirah in Mendocino County. In 2006, she sold her first harvest and six years later started bottling her own wine.

COVID-19, she says, has encouraged direct-to-consumer sales, which has also helped support Black business owners. Shed like to see bigger wineries partner with Black wineries to help them with distribution.

Thats what happened to the AAVs Long, who launched a national distribution deal with giant Bronco Wine Co. for his two entry-level wines just before the coronavirus hit. After the Black Lives Matter protests, he saw more online sales in the first two weeks of June than in all of 2019. The question, he says, is how we keep that going.

In South Africa, the path to becoming a Black winemaker hasnt been easy either, despite empowerment efforts. The country now has about 60 Black-owned brands, according to Wines of South Africa. Ten are imported into the U.S.

Ntsiki Byela, the countrys first Black female winemaker, says, Wine is not part of our history. A collaboration with Napas Helen Keplinger, set up by Mika Bulmash of U.S. importer Wine for the World, gave her the funds to start her own winery, Aslina.

Its great that people are publishing lists of Black winemakers, says Krista Scruggs, owner of Zafa Wines, based in Burlington, Vermont. But we need to go way beyond that. She is pushing boundaries by making cider and wine blends and using hybrid grapes to make natural sparkling wines.

Julia Coney, a Black wine and travel writer in Washington, explains, 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.

Coney just launched Black Wine Professionals to help address the diversity problem in the wine industry. Meanwhile, AAAV sponsors scholarships to encourage others to work in wine and nonprofit organization Wine Empowered is offering tuition-free wine classes to women and minorities in the hospitality industry.

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Less than 1% of US winemakers are Black, but efforts being made toward inclusion - yoursun.com