Cultureshift — Wine

Andréa McBride was a 16 year old living in foster care in New Zealand when she got a phone call from her biological dad in Alabama. He told her he was dying of cancer and wanted to do one last thing before passing: connect her to another daughter he had — her sister, Robin.

The entire state of California has become a destination for wine lovers, with regions like Napa Valley, Sonoma Valley, Paso Robles, and Temecula Valley enjoying a boom in wine-related tourism. Once thought of as a pastime reserved for the elite, wine culture has endeared itself to new drinkers in recent decades, especially as more wine-growing regions sprout up and natural wines gain in popularity. Despite this growth, Black-owned wineries still make up less than 1% of the industry, according to Association of African American Vintners (AAA Vintners) president Phil Long. Thankfully, a new guard of Black winemakers in California are stepping forward, with the intention of changing the...

When most people think of NBA veteran Dwyane Wade, viniculture probably isn’t at the top of the list of things that come to mind. And sure, he’s a basketball legend with three NBA championship rings and countless other accolades, but well before he retired from the game in 2019, Wade’s been hard at work establishing his own presence in the world of wine. In 2014, the star teamed up with legendary Napa winemaker Pahlmeyer for his own label, called Wade Cellars, which has earned accolades from industry publications like Wine Enthusiast for its wine line-up, which includes cabernet sauvignon, chenin blanc, and rosé....