Edward “Mac” McDonald’s father was a moonlight maker in East Texas. McDonald’s decided to follow in his father’s footsteps when he started making wine at the age of 12. The famous vineyard owner created Vision Cellars in 1995, but only sold wine in 1996. By 2002, McDonald had formed the Association of African-American Vintners. . The organization is made up of 46 wineries and vineyards, including McBride Sisters, Longevity and Theopolis Vineyards. McDonald’s believes the wine industry “is a business based on the recognition of name, location, color and finances.” Making and marketing wine is McDonald’s full time job. He takes care of the wine from aging to bottling. He continues to produce and harvest wine every year.

In 1995, siblings Deneen, David and Coral Brown established Brown Estate, the first black-owned winery in Napa Valley. The following year, Brown produced his first Napa Valley Zinfandel. The trio decided to start producing and selling wine as part of a family heirloom. In 1980, their parents bought an abandoned ranch and planted grapes, which they sold to local winemakers. Attend a party or small gathering in California and expect to see Brown get served. The brand has gained popularity with its full-bodied Zinfandel. In 2019, Delta One’s domestic customer menu included Brown Estate 2017 Betelgeuse Sauvignon Blanc and 2017 Chaos Theory. The Brown Downtown tasting room was founded in 2017 and reopened in September.

A native of Southern California, Phil Long began making wine in his garage in 2003. By 2008, he and his wife quit their full-time job to open a tasting room in the Livermore Valley. Longevity has made a name for itself in the wine industry. It is the third largest wine brand in the Livermore Valley. Long eventually expanded his brand with wineries in Puerto Rico and the UK. In 2019, Longevity was named Livermore Valley Winery of the Year. Long hopes to create more diversity in the wine industry.

Long is the current president of the Association of African American Winegrowers. Asked about the challenges he faces as an owner of a black vineyard, Long said all winemakers face the same challenges. “The hardest part in the wine business isn’t making wine, it’s selling wine.” According to Long, his brand sells 3,500 cases of wine a year. His son works alongside him as an assistant winegrower.

In 2003, lawyer Theodora Lee started Theopolis Vineyards. Lee grew up in Texas and his grandfather was a sharecropper and a cattle rancher. Theopolis Vineyards started selling wine in 2014 and was named the 2020 Wine Industry Leader by winebusiness.com. Lee was introduced to wine by mentors at her law firm. The first time she tried the wine, she didn’t like it, but she knew she would love to harvest and grow grapes because of her upbringing. “I have agriculture in my blood. I learned to drive a tractor when I was 8 years old. When I discovered the vine, I returned to my agricultural roots. Lee took courses in growing grapes at the University of California-Davis. Although she is a full time lawyer, she is engaged in the wine making process. Lee thinks the two biggest challenges she’s faced are having resources and distributing wine. “There are still some distributors who think you are too small to care,” she says. But Theopolis Vineyards has made a name for itself and continues to attract visitors from across the United States.