The Hidden History: Black Pioneers in American Winemaking

The Untold Story of Black Americans in Winemaking

When we think of American wine history, we often picture European immigrants bringing Old World traditions to California's valleys or the East Coast. But there's a crucial chapter that's been largely erased from the narrative: the foundational role that Black Americans—both enslaved and free—played in building the American wine industry from its earliest days.

From the colonial vineyards of Virginia and the Carolinas to California's Gold Rush era and beyond, Black hands planted vines, tended grapes, and crafted wines that helped establish America's viticultural reputation. This is their story—a history of resilience, expertise, and contributions that deserve recognition.

The Colonial Era: Enslaved Viticulturists Build America's First Vineyards

The story begins in the 1600s and 1700s, when European colonists attempted to establish vineyards along the Eastern Seaboard. What's rarely acknowledged is that enslaved Africans provided the agricultural labor and expertise that made these early wine ventures possible.

Thomas Jefferson's Monticello Vineyards

Thomas Jefferson, one of America's most famous wine enthusiasts, maintained extensive vineyards at Monticello in Virginia. While Jefferson is often credited with pioneering American viticulture, the reality is that enslaved workers performed all the actual vineyard work—planting, pruning, harvesting, and winemaking.

These enslaved viticulturists brought agricultural knowledge from Africa and the Caribbean, adapting European grape varieties to American soil and climate. They experimented with native American grape varieties when European vines failed, developing techniques that would influence American winemaking for generations.

Yet their names, their innovations, and their expertise have been largely lost to history, credited instead to the plantation owners who enslaved them.

South Carolina and Georgia Wine Production

In the Carolinas and Georgia, enslaved workers cultivated both European and native grape varieties throughout the 18th and early 19th centuries. They developed knowledge of local terroir, pest management, and winemaking techniques suited to the humid Southern climate—expertise that was essential but unacknowledged.

The wine produced on these plantations was consumed locally and sometimes exported, contributing to the early American economy. But the people who made it possible remained invisible in the historical record.

California's Gold Rush Era: Free Black Winemakers Stake Their Claim

The California Gold Rush of 1849 brought a wave of fortune-seekers from around the world, including free Black Americans seeking opportunity in the West. While most histories focus on European immigrants establishing California's wine industry, Black Americans were also among the early pioneers.

The Forgotten Vintners of Early California

During the 1850s-1880s, several Black Americans owned vineyards and produced wine in California, particularly in the Sierra Foothills and early Napa Valley. These pioneers faced enormous challenges—racial discrimination, limited access to capital, and exclusion from wine industry organizations—yet they persevered.

Many of these early Black vintners were skilled craftsmen who had purchased their freedom or migrated from free states. They brought winemaking knowledge acquired in the East or learned from European immigrants, establishing small but successful operations.

Unfortunately, most of their names and stories have been lost. Property records were often incomplete or destroyed, and wine industry publications of the era rarely acknowledged Black winemakers. What remains are fragments—a deed here, a newspaper mention there—hinting at a larger story waiting to be fully uncovered.

The Jim Crow Era: Erasure and Exclusion

The late 19th and early 20th centuries saw the formalization of racial segregation across America, and the wine industry was no exception. As California's wine industry professionalized and organized, Black Americans were systematically excluded from ownership, employment in skilled positions, and participation in industry organizations.

Lost Opportunities and Stolen Land

During this period, many Black-owned vineyards and farms were lost through discriminatory lending practices, legal manipulation, and outright theft. The same patterns that dispossessed Black farmers across America also affected Black vineyard owners.

Even as Black workers continued to provide essential labor in California vineyards—planting, harvesting, and cellar work—they were relegated to the lowest-paid positions with no path to ownership or advancement. Their contributions were essential but unrecognized.

Prohibition's Devastating Impact

Prohibition (1920-1933) devastated the American wine industry, but it hit Black winemakers particularly hard. Without the capital reserves and political connections that helped some white vintners survive through legal loopholes (sacramental wine, medicinal wine), most Black-owned wine operations disappeared entirely.

When Prohibition ended, the wine industry rebuilt—but almost exclusively under white ownership. The few Black Americans who had managed to maintain vineyard ownership before Prohibition found themselves unable to compete in the new, more capital-intensive industry.

The Long Silence: 1933-1990s

For more than half a century following Prohibition, Black Americans were almost entirely absent from wine ownership and winemaking in the United States. This wasn't due to lack of interest or ability—it was the result of systematic exclusion through discriminatory lending, restrictive covenants, industry gatekeeping, and lack of access to education and training.

During this period, the American wine industry grew and professionalized, but it remained overwhelmingly white. Wine schools, industry organizations, and financing networks operated as closed systems that excluded people of color.

Black Americans continued to work in vineyards as laborers, but the path from field worker to winemaker or owner was effectively blocked. The knowledge and traditions that Black viticulturists had contributed to American winemaking for centuries were forgotten or attributed to others.

The Modern Renaissance: Breaking Through Barriers

Brown Estate: Reclaiming Napa Valley (1980-Present)

In 1980, Dr. Bassett and Marcela Brown made history by purchasing a ranch in the eastern hills of Napa Valley. They planted grapes—mostly Zinfandel—and sold them to local winemakers for a decade. Then in 1995, their children Deneen, David, and Coral Brown founded Brown Estate, planting additional vines and bottling their first vintage of Zinfandel in 1996.

This was revolutionary. Brown Estate became the only Black-owned business in Napa Valley that grows, produces, and bottles wine on one contiguous property that they own. In a region where land costs millions per acre and barriers to entry are extraordinarily high, the Brown family achieved what had been impossible for Black Americans for over a century.

The 2021 Brown Estate Zinfandel represents more than just exceptional winemaking—it represents generational wealth, land ownership, and the reclamation of a place in American wine history that had been denied to Black Americans for so long.

Today, Brown Estate is highly regarded for the quality of its wines, all sustainably grown on their estate. The family has also created House of Brown, a second-generation label with diversity and inclusivity at its heart, making premium wine more accessible while maintaining their commitment to excellence.

The 2022 House of Brown Chardonnay and 2022 House of Brown Red Blend continue the family's mission of creating wines "where everyone is welcome."

The 2000s-2020s: A New Generation of Black Winemakers

The Brown family's success helped pave the way for a new generation of Black winemakers and wine entrepreneurs. While still vastly underrepresented, Black Americans are increasingly claiming their place in the industry:

In California: Winemakers like Phil Long (Longevity Wines), Danny Glover (L'Objet Wines), and Theodora R. Lee (Theopolis Vineyards) have established successful operations, each overcoming significant barriers to entry.

In the Mid-Atlantic: A new wave of Black women winemakers is establishing Maryland and Virginia as centers of diversity in American wine. Ifeoma Cleopatra Onyia (Clyopatra Winery), Kimberly T. Johnson and Denise Roles Matthews (Philosophy Winery), and others are creating the first African American-owned wineries in their regions.

Across America: From Oregon to New York, Black winemakers are establishing operations, mentoring the next generation, and slowly changing the face of American wine.

Why This History Matters

Acknowledging Stolen Labor and Lost Legacies

For centuries, Black Americans provided the labor, expertise, and innovation that built American viticulture—first as enslaved workers, then as excluded laborers. Their contributions were essential but unacknowledged, their innovations uncredited, their potential ownership denied.

Recognizing this history isn't about guilt—it's about truth. It's about understanding that the American wine industry was built on Black labor and knowledge, even as Black Americans were systematically excluded from its benefits.

Understanding Current Disparities

Today, Black Americans represent less than 1% of wine industry ownership and winemaking positions. This isn't accidental or natural—it's the direct result of centuries of exclusion, discrimination, and denied opportunity.

Understanding this history helps us see that current disparities aren't about lack of interest or ability. They're about systematic barriers that have existed for generations: access to capital, access to land, access to education and training, access to industry networks.

Supporting a More Inclusive Future

When we support Black-owned wineries and Black winemakers today, we're not just buying wine—we're supporting the correction of a historical injustice. We're helping to create the opportunities that should have existed all along.

Every bottle from Brown Estate, every wine from a Black woman winemaker in Maryland, every success story represents a small step toward the inclusive industry that should have existed from the beginning.

The Work Continues: Organizations Supporting Black Winemakers

The Association of African American Vintners (AAAV)

Founded to increase diversity in the wine industry, the AAAV supports Black winemakers through networking, education, and advocacy. They work to address the systemic barriers that have historically excluded Black Americans from wine ownership and winemaking.

Black Cellar Club (BLACC)

This non-profit organization works to support Black winemakers and sommeliers across the globe, providing mentorship, resources, and community for professionals working to increase diversity in wine.

Diversity in Wine Leadership Coalition

This coalition of wine industry professionals works to address racial equity issues in wine, from representation in leadership positions to access to capital and land for aspiring Black vintners.

How You Can Honor This History

1. Learn and Share: Educate yourself about the true history of Black Americans in winemaking. Share these stories with others. Challenge the whitewashed narratives that erase Black contributions.

2. Support Black-Owned Wineries: When you purchase wines from Black-owned operations like Brown Estate, you're supporting generational wealth creation and helping to correct historical injustices. Our Black Wine Producers Subscription Box makes it easy to discover and support these producers.

3. Demand Representation: Ask wine shops, restaurants, and wine publications to feature Black winemakers and tell their stories. Consumer demand drives industry change.

4. Support Industry Organizations: Organizations like the AAAV and BLACC need support to continue their work breaking down barriers and creating opportunities.

5. Acknowledge the Full Story: When discussing American wine history, include the contributions of Black Americans—both the enslaved viticulturists who built early vineyards and the modern pioneers overcoming centuries of exclusion.

Looking Forward: A More Complete History

Much of the history of Black Americans in winemaking remains to be uncovered. Researchers are working to identify the names, stories, and contributions of early Black vintners whose records were lost or destroyed. Oral histories are being collected from descendants of Black vineyard workers. Archives are being searched for evidence of Black-owned wine operations.

As this work continues, we're likely to discover even more evidence of Black Americans' foundational role in American viticulture. Each new discovery adds to our understanding and helps correct the incomplete narrative we've inherited.

Raising a Glass to the Pioneers

This Black History Month, as we celebrate the achievements of modern Black winemakers, let's also remember the countless unnamed Black Americans who planted vines, tended grapes, and made wine throughout American history—often without recognition, compensation, or the opportunity to own the fruits of their labor.

Their contributions built the foundation of American wine. Their descendants are now reclaiming their rightful place in the industry. And their legacy reminds us that the story of American wine is incomplete without acknowledging the Black hands that made it possible.

The next time you enjoy a glass of American wine, remember: this industry was built by people of all backgrounds, even when only some were allowed to own the vineyards and claim the credit. The true history is richer, more complex, and more inclusive than we've been told.

Let's honor that history by supporting the Black winemakers who are writing the next chapter.

Explore our collection of wines from Black-owned wineries and Black winemakers, including Brown Estate and many others. Learn more in our related articles: Black Women Winemakers Leading the Charge, Black-Owned Wineries, and Diverse Voices in Wine.