January 20, 2021 Today, the first Black and Indian Woman, Kamala Harris, walks into the White House as Vice President. Madam Vice President. An HBCU grad (to be specific a HOWARD grad) and member of the Divine Nine, AKA Sorority, Inc. Little girls all around the world know they can dream bigger and the universe …
Pinot Noir can be a difficult grape to grow and work with but Shalini Sekhar does it with finesse. She has crafted a few for Waits-Mast Family Cellars. Waits-Mast, owned by Jennifer Waits and Brian Mast, is a small-lot boutique winery in California that produces 50 to 100 case lots each year and others are …
I’m so excited! My first story is up on @thevintnerproject! I featured Ottavino Wines Rockstar Winemaker, Shalini Sekhar. Please read and share her amazing story! Cheers!
Some think that Champagne should be popped or pfft (ha!) for only special occasions. Well, it shouldn’t be. I decided to open my little Thiénot to enjoy with a Jamaican curry veggie patty (not pictured). And why not open my little Gaston Chiquet to go with some curry chicken from Negril Jamaican Eatery. Yes! Why …
The Black is Beautiful Beer initiative is the brainchild of Marcus B, Founder & Head Brewer of Weathered Souls Brewing (San Antonio, TX). This was started as a “collaborative effort to raise awareness for the injustices People of Color face daily.” When Weathered Souls put out the call for their peers to join them over …
Before: So, I decided at the last minute to come to Story District’s Breaking Bread “Stories from Celebrity Chefs and Industry Insiders” by myself. Story District’s mission is to “build community, promote empathy, and enrich an understanding of our common humanity through the art of autobiographical storytelling.” At first, I wasn’t feeling it but thought …
To be honest, prior to planning a trip to Morocco, I figured it was going to be mostly a “dry” trip. I prepared myself to be sober for a few weeks. Yikes! I naively thought that the North African country seriously frowned upon all drinking. Well, all things except Moroccan Whiskey aka Mint Tea. Ya’ll …
Last month, I finally crossed one of my dream destinations off my list…Morocco!! I took this adventure with a brave tour guide and 33 women (this included the entire DMV Travel Crew + 1 new friend) and it was an amazing trip. You ever take so many pictures on vacation that you end up not …
I had the pleasure to sit and chat with Rachel Martin, Owner/Vintner of Oceano Wines (Marbue Marke is the Winemaker). If her name sounds familiar it’s because she used to work with her family at Boxwood Estate Winery (Middleburg, VA) before starting Oceano. We sampled two Chardonnays – 2016 & 2017. This beautiful expression of …
I went to a wonderful tasting at Chat’s Liquors on Saturday with Ntsiki Biyela! She is the Owner and Winemaker of Aslina wines from South Africa (South Africa’s first Black Female Winemaker!). Ms Biyela showcased her 2018 Sauvignon Blanc, 2017 & 2018 Chardonnay, 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon and 2015 & 2016 Red Blend. Made using grapes …
I don’t even know where to start about my “quick” weekend experience. So I’ll start at the beginning. I found out about the Batonnage Forum from Julia Coney on Instagram and thought I NEED to be at this conference! Now if you know me personally, follow me on IG or Twitter or even read my …
To me, a dream combination of wine tasting is a female winemaker and beautiful wine. I achieved both at Corison Winery. The owner and winemaker is Napa superstar Cathy Corison. Even though it was a rainy day in Napa, walking in the doors of Corison made me smile. I mean how can you frown when …
Part two of our tour with Force Majeure takes us to the top of some serious uninhabited land in an area called North Fork. The area is named North Fork because the “North Fork of the Walla Walla River runs along the bottom of the canyon.” Since our large coach bus can’t make it up …
This Wednesday, I take off for my first Wine Bloggers Conference (WBC) being held in Walla Walla, Washington. WBC is a jam packed, 3-day schedule where wine bloggers from around the world get together for wine education and to taste wine from the host city. One of the sessions is Live Red and White Wine …
Founded in 2002, one of the African American Vintners Association’s (AAVA) purposes is to “develop a sense of community among members of the organization through friendly and informal networking and social functions.” This purpose allowed me to have a wonderful time on Sunday at the AAVA tasting held at City Winery. I had been following …
