This February I want to highlight black winemakers, a cause that is of special importance to me.
Only 2% of the wine industry is black, with an estimated 0.1% of wine labels being black owned internationally. This ownership disparity is not exclusive to the wine and spirits industry– but there are many large brands and companies that market to and profit from black communities, without investment in or empowerment of them. Part of my love of natural wine is how it empowers small business and personal winemaking. Another part is how it encourages diverse storytelling. Focusing on black winemakers in different parts of the world gives us an opportunity to highlight these virtues while we enjoy some tasty juice.
Aslina is a wine company owned by Ntsiki Biyela, the first black woman winemaker in South Africa. She is a highly awarded winemaker, and in September 2017, Food & Wine Magazine (in partnership with Fortune Magazine) named her amongst the Most Innovative Women in Food & Drink. Aslina is the name of her late grandmother who was, and remains, her inspiration. She grew up in Mahlabathini, a rural village in Kwazulu Natal, and matriculated from high school in 1996. Having spent a year as a domestic worker, she was awarded a scholarship to study in 1999 at Stellenbosch University with one catch: she had to study winemaking. After training in Tuscany and Bordeaux, and working as a winemaker for Stellekaya, she launched the Aslina line of premium South African wines in 2016.
Chenin Blanc is considered the cardinal white wine varietal in South Africa, and Biyela’s take uses restraint in its skin contact. Aslina’s Chenin Blanc takes 20% of the grapes and ferments them on the skins while the other 80% are stirred on the lees for aromatics. The result is a wine that shows exceptional balance and versatility. Notes of yellow pear, herbal tea, lemon, and stone fruit with a supple and sustained mouthfeel make this a wine that can be enjoyed on its own or paired with a wide range of cuisines. This isn’t the most natty wine–I wanted to show an example of skin contact use that isn’t a wine’s defining characteristic. This wine is bottled with SO2. Try it with parents or old school palates as an attempt to bridge the gap. Pair with roasted chicken and veggies, Grilled salmon, and middle eastern flavors.
Ashanta Wines was founded by 5th generation Oakland native and 5th generation winemaker, Chenoa Ashton-Lewis, and cinematographer, Will Basanta. Reclaiming unkept vines owned by her family in 2019, Ashton-Lewis and Basanta bottled a co-ferment of Pinot and Syrah that would become the impetus to fully start winemaking in 2020 during the COVID quarantine. Revitalizing over 160 hectares of vines that seemed dead, they were mentored by local winemaking legend Tony Coturri and inspired to launch their own wine label, Ashanta. Focusing on artisanal natural winemaking, the founders of Ashanta are involved in every step of the winemaking process, from hand harvesting to coming to the East Coast to discuss their wines. Sourcing from organic and biodynamic farms, they produce a wide range of wines that are always evolving.
The nose offers aromas of ripe pie cherries, fresh tarragon, dry rose petals, and blue spruce. On the palate, it is balanced and lingering. Ashanta Under Currents is crafted from old-vine Carignan grapes sourced from the Testa Vineyard in Mendocino County, California. This black owned wine vineyard, with vines over 70 years old, is situated on sandy and pebbly loam soils, providing an ideal terroir for Carignan wine cultivation. The grapes are hand-harvested and undergo a partial carbonic maceration process, where 20% of the clusters are left whole, and the remainder is de-stemmed and crushed into an open-top fermenter. After two weeks of primary fermentation, the wine is basket-pressed and aged for 11.5 months in neutral French oak barrels. Adhering to natural winemaking principles, the wine is produced without any additions or subtractions, remaining unfined, unfiltered, and with zero added sulfur dioxide. Pair with grilled lamb, steak tacos, and charcuterie.
