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.

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.

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