The Exclusive Blacklist...A True Story

I want to tell you a true story.  Just a little over a year ago, I called an old friend who had been one of my wine reps when I first got into the industry.  I called him because I was looking for a particular brand of wine that I knew his distribution company carried.  How did I know that they carried it?  Two reasons.  Our ABC board has a website that will list every wine, spirit, and beer that is approved in the Commonwealth.  I also knew because I had reached out to the winery owner to find out which distribution company had it and just how many cases they had in its warehouse.  I called my friend because I was surprised when I was told by another person at the same company that they didn't carry it.  Because I knew that my friend would tell me the truth, I called him.

At first, my friend told me that they didn't have it.  When I explained to him how I knew that they had it, he asked for some time to look into it.  The following day, he called me back to tell me that they had it in a warehouse in Norfolk and no one was interested in getting it here to Richmond.  Because my friend realized that it made no sense and wanted the sale, he made sure that his company transported my order to the Richmond warehouse so that I could pick it up.

I've always wondered had this wine not been owned and produced by an African-American would I have had to jump through such hoops.  I could understand if it didn't sell well.  But it seemed to be selling just fine in Total Wine and other big box stores.  Hmmm.

I do not believe that this story is unique.  So what can we do about it? I know, it's wine.  Doesn't seem that important.  But it is important.  The Exclusive Blacklist is important and events like it are lifelines for those brave souls who dare enter this tough industry.

I've charged myself with hosting an event to celebrate African-Americans in the wine industry.  The purpose is to introduce these wines to my family, friends, and colleagues and passing the assignment on to them.  If we like the wines, we should buy the wines and ask the wine retailers and restaurants that we support to make these wines available.  Just how much Yellow Tail can we drink?  We deserve the best!  And many of the wines that you will taste at The Exclusive Blacklist are rated high and receive critical acclaim by wine aficionados everywhere.  We invite you to be the judge!

This year, cast your vote to decide who goes home with our beautiful People's Choice award.  In order to vote, you must be present.  Here's how:

The Exclusive Blacklist
The Shoppes at The Renaissance
101 W. Broad Street
Richmond, VA 23220

Call 804-993-4130 for tickets or email me at thevinewineclub@gmail.com for more information.

Mixing it Up with Wine: My Lemon Drop

I don't drink wine all of the time.  I love a good cocktail.  One of my absolute favorites is the Lemon Drop Martini.  Normally made with vodka, my favorite variation includes a bit of Limoncello. Recently, I've tried to create a spin on the lemon drop using wine.  My friend Mel and I (and a secret taster) went into the lab to see what we could come up with that would resemble the lemon drop martini.  Immediately, we knew that we wanted our base to be Pinot Grigio.  On hand, we had one from Italy.  Pinot Grigio's from Italy are my personal favorite because they taste "clean" and not overly done.  The fruit is subtle but bright with hints of citrus rind.  Perfect for the lemon drop, I thought.  To about 2 ounces of Pinot Grigio, we added a half lemon squeezed and an ounce of simple syrup.  Of course, we didn't neglect the sugar rim!  Refreshing!

The beauty of using wines to make cocktails for me is that if you drink 4 or 5 of them, it is equivalent to about 2 glasses of wine.  Wine cocktails are perfect conversation sippers and are often times less expensive than using liquors and spirits.  I won't lie to you and tell you that it is a perfect substitution but it is a very close "cousin" of the original.

Recipe:

2 oz Ilauri Pinot Grigio (Can be found at The Vine Wine Club)
1 Half Freshly Squeezed Lemon
1 oz Simple Syrup (or sweeten to your personal taste)

Shake over ice and pour in a sugar-rimmed martini glass.

Follow us on Twitter @thevinewineclub

"Like" us on Facebook at The Vine Wine Club

Visit us at home...The Vine Wine Club...and let us send wine to yours!

You Ready?  February 2016.

Make Good Use of Wine That's Not So Good

Have you ever opened a bottle of wine that you just didn't enjoy quite so much?  I am not talking about a bottle that was corked or bad for some other reason.  It was just one that wasn't pleasing to your palate.  I've had that experience more than a few times.  Even though I know pretty much what I am buying when I shop for wine, there are still many times that I pick up a new vintage that wasn't as good as the last or a grape varietal that I typically love from a winemaker with whom I am less than familiar.  It just doesn't taste like I expected it to taste.  It happens!  What do we do with the less than appealing wine?  

Waste Not!

I had a grandmother who made you clean your plate no matter what.  You didn't have to like what was on it. You just had to eat it.  And if you said that you didn't like, she gave you more!  I was smart and learned quickly to never say a word at her table.  Just eat those turnips, liver, or eggs that she had prepared and to keep my mouth shut.  Make no facial gestures, pretended that it tasted like chicken, and finish the meal.  So I have sorta taken that approach with wine.  Typically, I cook with leftover wine.  I add red wine to my tomato based pasta sauces or create pan sauces for my beef, pork, or lamb dishes.  With the whites, pan sauces for chicken or just add them as the liquid in the pan when I am sauteing.  Once I had a Chef do a demonstration in my wine shop.  He used a Pinot Grigio to make his Chicken Piccata.  You can Google and find many, many recipes with wine as an ingredient.  I saw a recipe using red wine to make a chocolate cake!  

When I did my search, I found a few things to be quite interesting.  Did you know that white wine can be used to eliminate a red wine stain?  Did you know that red wine could be used to clean produce (it removes bacteria)?  White wine mixed with baking soda removes grease stains?  Did you know that by dumping wine into the compost bin (red wine), it becomes a great fertilizer for your plants?  

As I finished a bottle of wine that I probably won't purchase again, I found it quite interesting to learn what I could have been doing with the wine had I not been so determined to finish it.  Not only is wine delicious but it is functional.  Can't do that with milk!

The Reason Behind "The Exclusive Blacklist"

The Exclusive Blacklist is a first of its kind in Richmond, VA.  Hosted by The Vine Wine Club, the event features six African-American wineries and wine brands that have not quite enjoyed mainstream exposure in the area.  From each of the six wineries and brands represented, our guests will be able to taste 3 of their superior wines.  Heavy hors d’ oeuvres and live jazz will cap off a phenomenal experience.  The Exclusive Blacklist will be held on February 12, 2015 at Richmond’s picturesque Virginia War Memorial.  Tickets are $75.

Why The Exclusive Blacklist?

I’ve been to lots and lots of wine tastings and expos.  I’ve attended Virginia wine festivals, Italian Wine Festivals, Napa festivals, and many others.  After leaving those events, I sought out many of the brands that I had tasted and identified new favorites over the years.  So back in November, jazz great Marcus Johnson was a guest on my show “Off the Vine with Benita and Terricinia”.  During the show, he shared with us that he was in Minneapolis meeting with the corporate offices of a chain of well-known stores.  He was trying to get his wines on the shelves.  We continued the conversation to talk about the various obstacles to getting a brand on the shelf.  Money is the biggest barrier because advertising and marketing make it easier to get a store to carry the brand.  And with states having varying laws that regulate the sale of alcohol, it may be a challenging finding distribution in that particular state.  So this idea of an expo was born.  But we wanted this event to be celebratory.  We wanted to “toast” to the brands and shine a spotlight on phenomenal artisan wines, with a backdrop of great food, music, and fellowship.  The Exclusive Blacklist is a marketing event.  It is a wine tasting with an up close and personal meet and greet with some of the owners.  Marcus Johnson of Flo Brands and Gwen Hurt of Shoe Crazy Wines will be there to meet the guests and discuss their wines.  We will also introduce Felicia Cosby, an aspiring urban winery owner, who is already making wines that will sure to develop a cult following.

Other featured wines are Wisdom Oak of Charlottesville, VA, Mouton Noir of Oregon, and Seven Sisters from South Africa.

Our event sponsors are The Law Offices of Alex Taylor, Speak to Your Spirit, Boss-Chi Catering and Concessions, Inc., Dr. Charles Sutton, Moore’s Auto Body and Paint Shop, and Haywood’s Photos.

Our goal is to make this an annual event by introducing six new wineries each year.  The objective is to grow awareness organically by introducing the owners to the people who will support the brands.  The Exclusive Blacklist will be our signature event.

The Vine Wine Club

The Vine Wine Club is an online retail shop and club that cellars quality and limited produced wines from all over the world.  Our goal is to deliver the best pours to your door by purchasing, signing up for classes, and memorable educational and promotional events.  The membership is $40 per month which includes 2 bottles of wine, discounts on other events, and special member only offerings.  The Vine Wine Club hosts a weekly radio show that airs on Fridays at 3:00 on the May We Help You Radio Network.  Visit our site at www.thevinewineclub.com or call 804-993-4130 for tickets and more information about upcoming events.

Like us on Facebook at The Vine Wine Club

Follow us on Twitter @thevinewineclub

Listen to the show on our You Tube Channel!  The Vine Wine Club!