20 Black-Owned Wine & Spirits Brands You Must Try

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There are many trailblazing Black vintners, distillers, and entrepreneurs who have been continuously transforming the wine and spirits industry. And you don’t have to search far to find them. We’ve collected up 20 Black-owned and -founded alcohol brands to add to your bar cart.

There are a range of Black-owned legacy brands on the market that can help you craft the perfect signature cocktail, such as Appleton Estate’s aged rum, which dates back to the mid-1700s and brings the rich history and culture of Jamaica to the American market. There are also celebrity wine and spirits enthusiasts who have taken on the challenge of creating brands of their own, from Issa Rae’s Viarae Prosecco to Michael Jordan’s Cincoro tequila. And many of these founders also enlist experts in the industry, like Black master blenders, to help lead their brands and ensure quality.

Ahead, learn more about 20 amazing Black-owned wine and spirits brands, then shop to try them for yourself (prices listed may vary based on your location). From small-batch wines from Black-owned wineries to the best whiskies money can buy, each of these bottles deserve a spot on your shelf.

Central Coast Chardonnay

After discovering they were long-lost sisters in adulthood, Robin and Andréa McBride bonded over the wine regions they grew up in. The siblings took their shared love of wine to create the McBride Sisters Wine Company, a California-based brand of canned and bottled vino. Known for popular collections like their award-winning Black Girl Magic wines, the brand offers an array of rosé, red, and white wines fitting for all palates and as an homage to Black women’s resilience and culture.

This McBride Sisters Collection Central Coast Chardonnay pairs notes like lemon zest, green apple, and pineapple with added complexity from flint, wet rock, and nectarine on the palate. The brand recommends pairing this bottle with fish (think: grilled halibut) or Dijon mustard-coated chicken cutlets.

Tequila Blanco

The brainchild of Tiffany Capri Hainesworth, TCapri Tequila is the first and only tequila created and owned by a Black woman. When she couldn’t find the right tequila to feature in her homemade cocktails, she researched and partnered with artisan distillers out of Jalisco, Mexico, to create a tequila blanco and resposado of her own.

The small-batch tequila is free of additives and made with 100 percent Blue Weber agave, natural yeast, and volcanic-filtered well water sourced directly at the Tepozán distillery. It gets its brightness and citrus notes from fruits grown on the distillery.

Prosecco DOC

Multi-hyphenate Issa Rae tells us that her Viarae Prosecco is for “catching up, turning up, or whatever’s up.” Ever since Insecure director Melina Matsoukas introduced Rae to prosecco over a sushi dinner, it’s been her signature drink. And when setting out to make her own sparkling wine, the actress, writer, and producer kept approachability in mind with bright and crisp flavors that are smooth on the palate.

While Viarae Prosecco is great on its own, it’s also just as good as a cocktail mixer. Not sure what mixed drink to make? Take a cue from Rae’s prosecco-inspired game of F*ck, Marry, Kill with a Mimosa, French 75, and Aperol spritz. “I would kill a mimosa because I'm not really a juice person, though I appreciate the vitamin C in orange juice,” Rae says. “I would f*ck an Aperol spritz. It's seasonal to me. I appreciate it. And then I would marry a French 75 because it's perfect, it gets you right, and it’s citrusy, which I love.”

Plain Hooch

During the peak years of prohibition, Birdie Brown homesteaded in Montana by using grains to create home-distilled hooch, which gained popularity in the early 1900s as a smooth and safe drink. She is now known as one of the few Black women homesteaders from that period.

Today, the Birdie Brown spirits brand honors her legacy by distilling wheat (just like Birdie!), oats, and barley in their plain hooch and three-year aged straight wheat whiskey. The result? A blend of smooth, yet mild and balanced flavors in every glass.

Kentucky Straight Bourbon by Steph Curry

The basketball world may know NBA champion and MVP Steph Curry as the greatest shooter of all time, but he’s stepped onto a brand-new court with his Gentleman's Cut Kentucky Straight Bourbon.

Created at the Game Changer Distillery in Boone County, Kentucky, the newly-launched spirit is first distilled in 500-gallon copper pot stills for a full-bodied and aromatic palate. From there, the brand ages the alcohol for five to seven years in new white oak barrels, leaving it with cinnamon, seared caramel, and sweet toasted chestnut notes. Curry had a hand in the whole process, from manufacturing and blending to aging and packaging, to help sports and bourbon fans alike enjoy this whiskey for all their celebrations.

Reposado Tequila

One might call this tequila the GOAT. Alongside four other friends and basketball franchise owners, NBA legend Michael Jordan co-owns Cincoro Tequila.

What is cultivated from highlands in Jalisco, Mexico, and distilled with Weber blue agave turns into blanco, reposado, añejo, gold, and extra añejo varieties, all offering a range of smooth to sweet finishes. You may end up showing off this bottle like a trophy, too: It’s shaped like an agave leaf with five points to represent the five owners.

Champagne Brut Réserve

You guessed it: HRLM Champagne was created in Harlem, New York City, and like the storied neighborhood, co-founder Darda Coaxum and winemaker Johnathan Sacy produce the wine in a region rich in history. They work closely with producers out of Verzy, France, to make this Champagne defined by citrus and white flower notes and a crisp green apple finish.

2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

Sisters-in-law Ayesha Curry and Sydel Curry-Lee co-founded Domaine Curry in 2015 as an homage to the amazing women in their lives. Just like the matriarchs who raised them, the red wines in their collection embody strength, structure, and softness. The duo and their team describe the Domaine Curry 2021 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon as having velvety tannins and a savory finish from notes like red fruits, caramel, and cinnamon toast.

1856 Premium Whiskey

Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey honors Nearest Green, the first-known African American master distiller. Launched in 2017 by his great-great-granddaughter and Master Distiller Victoria Eady Butler and founder Fawn Weaver, the brand started with its award-winning 100-proof 1856 and has since expanded to a whole array of whiskeys, including its 100-proof Uncle Nearest Straight Rye Whiskey and 93-proof Uncle Nearest 1884 Small Batch Whiskey.

Calling it "very easy to drink," Carisha Swanson, Market Director at House Beautiful says she doesn’t even need ice to enjoy the brand’s 1856 whiskey, which has caramel, dried fruit, spicy, stone fruit, and vanilla notes.

Sparkling Sauvignon Blanc

Known as the first American to create a sparkling Sauvignon Blanc, Bodkin Wines owner Chris Christensen has bubbled up in the wine world as a self-taught vintner who is continuously expanding his portfolio, including with his sparkling rosé.

Shop his signature bubbly Sauvignon Blanc in canned form, which is produced at Sandy Bend Vineyard in Lake County, California. The dry wine features lemon-line and passionfruit on the palate and zero sugar, perfect for anyone who loves sweets sans the sugar intake.

Old Tom Gin with Sweet Lime

The Tom Bullock’s brand is inspired by its namesake, who was the first African American to write a cocktail book, “The Ideal Bartender,” in 1917. In addition to it's popular four-year aged bourbon, the brand offers an Old Tom gin, which is infused with citrusy flavors like lemon and lime, as well as herbal tasting notes. Not sure what to pair with the gin? The brand recommends fresh and soft cheese, cured meats, lamb, oily fish, dried fruit, or nuts.

Caribbean Dark Rum

Named after the quote “One from ten leaves zero” by Trinidad and Tobago’s first prime minister, Eric Williams, Ten to One was founded on the principle of being stronger together than apart. Founder Marc Farrell aimed to incorporate this “elevated but not exclusive” mentality into the brand, which is rooted in Caribbean culture.

The brand’s dark rum blends eight-year-old aged Barbados and Dominican column still rums with high ester Jamaican pot still rum and Trinidadian rum. Just like the brand’s white rum, this variety is free of added sugars, color, and flavorings. The result? Notes of cooked fruit and baking spices, like yellow apple and toffee.

Three by Wade Cabernet Sauvignon

NBA hall of famer Dwyane Wade’s Wade Cellars was inspired by his love of Napa Valley wine. Since debuting a Wade Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon and Three by Wade Red Blend in 2015, Wade Cellars has grown its catalog with rosés and white wines and its most affordable Cabernet Sauvignon to date: the 2020 California Cabernet. This variety is described as a medium- to full-bodied red wine with dark fruit, black currants, graphite, and tobacco notes that pairs beautifully with hard cheese, beef, and lamb.

Manhattan

If you want a ready-to-pour cocktail at your fingertips, Courage + Stone would make a great addition to your home bar. Author, director, actress, and comedian Aisha Tyler had this in mind when making her own recipes, and she’s since helped formulate the brand’s signature selection: The Courage + Stone Classic Old Fashioned and Classic Manhattan. The latter cocktail mixture features distilled rye whiskey, vermouth, bitters, and oak spice you can serve up straight from the bottle.

Huckleberry Vodka

Founded by entrepreneur Ken Wyatt, 44 North is the first vodka with the Idaho Potato Commission’s official seal. The brand offers gluten-free spirits, all infused with ingredients from the state’s landscape, like Idaho mountain huckleberries, Rainier cherries, and sunnyslope nectarines. 44 North’s Huckleberry Vodka is infused with the state's local fruit and water from the Snake River aquifer.

Blended Canadian Whisky

Courtesy of founder and rapper A$AP Rocky, Mercer + Prince Canadian whisky is twice distilled and aged for at least four years in American white oak. This whisky has fruity aromas and vanilla, caramel, baked apple, and cinnamon notes on the palate. What’s more, its aging process stems from Japanese Mizunara Oak influences to set it apart from traditional Canadian whiskies.

1978 Blanco Tequila

Brothers William and Donta Henson developed Los Hermanos 1978 Tequila because of their own bond and passion for the spirit. To reflect the essence of connection, their small-batch brand is rooted in slowing down and enjoying the company that’s around you. This smooth, citrusy blanco is great to pair with spicy foods, seafood, or salty snacks at your next get-together, according to the brand.

Reserve 8-Year Rum

Appleton Estate Rum dates back to its first distillation in Nassau Valley, Jamaica, in 1749. Today, you’ll find aged rum varieties that embody the Jamaican landscape, thanks to Master Blender Joy Spence, who has led the brand since 1997 and was the first woman in the spirits industry to hold the title.

This Appleton Estate 8-Year Reserve Rum is defined by spicy fruit, oak, honey, and vanilla fragrances, as well as the brand’s signature orange peel note. It pairs nicely with beef and chocolate.

Iris Rosé

California-based Michael Lavelle wines caters to millennials, minority audiences, and Michelin-star restaurants all at once. Even though this rosé is only $20, it doesn’t skimp on flavor. The Michael Lavelle 2021 Iris Rosé features juicy watermelon, tart raspberry, and mint-like notes that are bright and lively. The brand is the brainchild of CEO Terrence Lavelle Low, Sommelier Devin Kennedy, head of creative Aaron Michael Coad, and head of operations Brandon Crump.

Salted Caramel Whiskey

Friends and business partners Amani Macaulay and Chima Burey co-founded Duke & Dame our of their shared passion for entertaining. Plus, they wanted to create a whiskey that anyone would enjoy, regardless of their experience with the spirit. Bonus: Their premium two-year aged bourbon includes 100 percent natural salted caramel for added smoothness and sweetness with every sip.

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