About

This all basically started as a response to someone who was frustrated at certain repeating scenarios combined with the frustrations I see not only in the world of wine, but the U.S. wine market specifically.

So, what happens when you take an unapologetic Black guy from West Philly – West Philadelphia born and raised – with a diverse background whose been in many places and spaces that most folks would never imagine who falls in love with wine and learns it from a different perspective from how many are traditionally taught? Throw him in a scenario where he then puts a wine deal together and sees both the lies and the truths and realizes he could do it better, he just needs the money. Then set him on a course that would introduce him to thousands of wines and winemakers, taking him to portfolio tastings, trade shows and lunches, hosted tours, and B2B experiences from NY to DC in the United States, as well as Italy, Portugal and Spain, making tons of friends and associates along the way. And also uncovering more lies that most people never see.

That’s one way of looking at what has transpired since I first had some wonderful wines that fateful Friday night in 2006 when I went into Panorama Restaurant for a glass of wine, not knowing where that would lead me. And before I had gotten the idea and inspiration to jump into the industry, I could see so many issues within it, and so many missed opportunities.

So these are my thoughts, musings, analysis, critiques, experiences, and revelations. If you want to know about my journey so far, this is for you. If you look like me, and are considering jumping into the wine industry, you want to read this one. If you are trying to sell wines in the US market [or are doing it and could be selling more], give this a read. You might agree, you might disagree, you might laugh and you might get pissed off at various parts of this book. Honestly, you should. But let me tell you one very important thing, I don’t hold back, and so you might come away with some different ways of looking at things that you might not have ever considered before.

Let's Look at the Wine Industry from a Different Perspective

What if a lot of what we think of the world of wine and the wine industry isn't true, or just happens to be very biased?

The honest answer is that it is very biased, and those biases as well as several others affect not only what we drink, but what is sold to whom, if anything is sold at all. Consumers think one thing, wine "professionals" think something else, and foreign producers are told something else as well. It's actually pretty sad, very messed up, and sometimes even criminal.

I choose to focus on several things I have observed over my time from drinking wine to jumping into the actual industry:

• The tired [and excessive] focus on France, French wines and other wines made from traditionally "French" grapes, and how this came to be
• The glossing over of wines from other countries [and of other grapes]
• The U.S. wine market
• How racism led to the lack of engagement of the African American market/demographic [which means a lot of producers are missing out]
• My journey, experiences and interactions, some of which are based on race, and some on knowing more than others
• Everything isn't what it seems

The Stories And Them Related Things

So, the world of wine is not just wine, or should I say that if you talk strictly about wine then you're missing a lot of things that give better context to the larger thing. If you enter the wine industry, then you cannot simply have every conversation in which you are talking about wine, as you'll fail to make many much needed connections. And it's what you bring to the table from the other things that you have done in life that can positively impact your movements in this space. There are not only degrees of separation that you can use to actually get you closer to people and your goals, but applying what you learned doing something else to what you are doing here.

And of course there are some funny stories and experiences along the way, as well as the things that I have done which have intersected with my movements in learning wine and in the business of wine. People always wonder what happens on these trade trips or at these shows, or even what I am really doing when I go. I can tell you that I don't do anything except for meet with folks, eat, drink, and make new friends. There are no love-children that I don't know about, nor have I been secretly married and keeping it under wraps. If anything, I am known for bringing music with me, always!

Now, what I don't do for the most part is sugar-coat these experiences, or always try to paint a rosy picture. I'm real with it, so you also get the dirty dirt of it all, whether it be an email conversation, one on Instagram, or even one on Twitter or Facebook messenger; I just am nice enough to remove the names of the offending parties... in most cases. It ain't libel if it's their own words in print! Some of these crazy things include:

• The Italian importer who likened the reason why there aren't many Black people in wine as the same reason there aren't many Black kickers in the NFL
• The 2x Somm of the Year who argued with me on his premise that wine doesn't pair well with chocolate; he started it and it didn't go well for him
• The guy trying to get some Black people to start Champagne brands in which he was screwing them in the deal
• The guy who is thinking that he is making Amarone, though he never had one and ferments everything in 55-gal plastic drums
• The "Pinot Noir company" that came to me to distribute their wines; notwithstanding that their math wasn't mathing when it came to their prices
• The time I did a job for someone who analyzes potential thoroughbred racehorses, and whose calculations were ALL WRONG; this is all related to American Pharoah and yes, it is a juicy story and you'd be surprised how many people in the industry deal with horses
• Getting Covid while at VinItaly, and having to quarantine for a week; it wasn't so bad as I had made friends and folks took care of me
• The woman who tried to set me up when I was in VinItaly; I'm from Philly so I know all about the South Philly Set-Up
• The wine distributor who actually told an account that I had for them that they really knew nothing about wine
• And many more which you wouldn't believe if I didn't tell them