In the News
Explore articles that highlight some of our mentors and leaders.
Wine Unify announces a new position within the organization, Executive Director. Alicia Towns Franken, who has worked with Wine Unify since its founding, will take on the role beginning November 2022.
Wine Unify celebrates its progress in fostering diversity, inclusion, and empowerment of BIPOC in the wine industry. Founded by Mary Margaret McCamic MW, DLynn Proctor, and Martin R. Reyes MW, Wine Unify’s purpose is to elevate, amplify, and welcome BIPOC voices in the wine industry.
Napa Valley Vintners Pledge to Diversity & Inclusion in Wine
Read the full press release from one of our supporters, Napa Valley Vintners.
Wine Unify is proud to announce 20 recipients of its first annual Welcome Awards, doubling the initial goal of providing 10 opportunities as part of its first initiative.
The significant number of passionate, determined applicants combined with generous founding donations from supporters allowed Wine Unify to provide more awards than expected in its first year.
Wine Unify in the News
Wine Unify’s Co-Founder DLynn Proctor and mentor, ambassador, and advisory board member Tonya Pitts discuss their experiences in the wine industry along with their work for change with Wine Unify.
How Bay Area locals are combating wine’s overwhelmingly white makeup
by Esther Mobley
Like virtually every American industry, the wine industry is reckoning with its systemic inequalities and lack of racial diversity.
The numbers are dismal. Less than 1% of U.S. wineries have a Black owner or winemaker, according to Wine & Spirits magazine.
Alicia Towns Franken: Taking BAME representation in wine 'beyond a hashtag'
By Jacpo Mazzeo
To tackle these issues, a group of non-white American wine professionals recently launched Wine Unify, a platform that aims to make the American wine industry a more inclusive environment by ‘welcoming, elevating, and amplifying’ its BAME voices. Wine Unify was co-founded by masters of wine Martin Reyes and Mary Margaret McCamic, and renowned former somm, and now director of Fantesca Estate & Winery, D
A Call to Action for the Wine Industry: Diversity Organizations Need Your Support
By Maryam Ahmed & Elaine Chukan Brown
“Our goal is to make ourselves obsolete,” says Miguel de Leon, co-founder of the Open Wine Forum and general manager and wine director at the New York City restaurants Pinch Chinese and Jeepney, “so that organizations like these don’t have to exist anymore.”
Our Leaders in the News
Black Wine Professionals Demand to Be Seen
By Eric Asimov
It’s an old story, of being ignored, patronized, or dismissed. But for Black retailers, sommeliers, writers and winemakers, the days of invisibility are over.
The many hues of wine talent
By Jancis Robinson
It's time for change. Black talent in the wine business needs recognition and positive encouragement. It's long overdue – and would surely also help to recruit much-needed new wine drinkers. See details of who is pictured above at the end of this article. A slightly shorter version of it has been published in the Financial Times (and dismissed by one commenter as 'Marxist claptrap'). You have been warned.
How the Netflix Film ‘Uncorked’ Breaks New Ground for Black Wine Drinkers
By Julia Coney
“Uncorked,” which releases today on Netflix, is a film that represents a cultural shift. Historically, the wine industry has ignored the $1.2 trillion in spending power of black Americans. And while athletes have become trend-setting, bottle-moving oenophiles, Hollywood also has been late to the party.
A Day in the Life of Wine Director Tonya Pitts
By Kate Sweeney
Tonya Pitts is One Market restaurant’s fantastic sommelier and wine director. Although she’s been in the beverage industry for over 20 years and works at one of San Francisco’s establishment restaurants, she’s incredibly down-to-earth, friendly, and approachable. Whether you want to know exactly how One Market’s special Iron Horse cuvee sparkling wine is made or simply are looking for the best Pinot Blanc, she kindly treats everyone’s needs, both high and low brow, equally.
A Top Sommelier Is Upending Culinary Perspectives with His Ham Bar
By Hannah Goldfield
In her 1976 book, “The Taste of Country Cooking,” the late, great chef Edna Lewis wrote that, in her home town of Freetown, Virginia, a farming community founded by former slaves, “ham held the same rating as the basic black dress. If you had a ham in the meat house, any situation could be faced.” André Mack has a ham in the meat house, and then some.
Meet Martin Reyes, a History-Making Master of Wine
By Julie H. Case
Martin Reyes, MW, did not set out to become a Master of Wine. Nor did he set out to become a winemaker, wine brand ambassador, importer, or wine educator. Yet he’s currently filling all those professional roles. Reyes is the winemaker and chief wine officer for Peter Paul Wines in Napa Valley, California. He’s an ambassador for Vice Versa in St. Helena. He imports for the Pennsylvania market through Reyes Selections.
Panel of Prominent Black Wine Professionals Discuss Diversity in the Wine Industry in New Virtual Series
By SommCon
SommCon®, a leading conference for wine, beer, and spirit professionals and serious enthusiasts, co-hosts the Unheard Voices in Wine webinar series with Diversity in Wine and Spirits (DWS). The two-part series amplifies melanated voices through necessary conversations that address the lack of representation of black individuals in the wine industry…
‘Grapes Don’t Care if You are a Man or a Woman,’ Says Priyanka French
By Virginie Boone
Founded in 1977, Signorello Estate is in the midst of a rebirth. It was one of the few wineries to burn in the 2017 wildfires that hit Northern California, and French is key to its bright future.
A native of Mumbai, she worked in France and New Zealand as well as alongside Andy Erickson and Michel Rolland at Dalla Valle Vineyards before being named Signorello’s winemaker in the spring of 2019.
The Rise of American Wine Pioneer Tonya Pitts
By Victoria James
Long before master sommeliers were pop culture icons and the subject of TV series, Tonya Pitts was building wine programs with a sense of place and purpose. Throughout her 20-year career, she has been an advocate for featuring women and people of color on wine lists—even before that was a movement.
Videos & Interviews
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