One word — education — seemed to keep popping up during two seminars at the walk-around tasting of the Association of African American Vintners at Copia last weekend.

The program tied in with the 2007 celebration of Juneteenth, commemorating the end of slavery, celebrating African American freedom, and emphasizing education and achievement.

Six vintners told of their experiences in getting into the world of wine. Asked about the barriers facing African Americans who want to enter the wine industry, Steve Sterling of Esterlina Vineyards in Philo, who is president of the organization, rubbed his fingers together and said, “Money.”

Mac McDonald of Vision cellars in Windsor disagreed. “(You need) education and knowledge,” he said. “You don’t need a whole bunch of money to make wine. I make my own wine. It’s education, and that’s what this group is all about.

“But,” he admitted, smiling, “it does take a whole bunch of money until you see results.”

Recruiting African Americans

Another question was directed at how African Americans can be recruited into the wine industry. Knowledge and education again took the forefront. Daniel Bryant of Running Tiger Wines of Sacramento said the association is looking to give scholarships to interested students, and Vance Sharp III of Sharp Cellars in Sonoma added, “It takes a very passionate person to want to do this. You have to go out and seek it.”

Sterling added, “Education also begins at home, where wine is served with meals. Children should be exposed to wine at an early age, particularly for African Americans because it’s not part of our culture.”

One member of the audience asked what can be done to show support for African American vintners.

Sterling pointed out that there’s a perception that African Americans don’t drink wine. “There are 6,000 wineries in the United States, and less than 25 of them are owned by people of color. It’s important to show support at the cash register. We don’t want people to see our products as a niche market, but taste them and say, ‘These are good.’”

Sterling, who has an MBA in marketing, said, “Go into stores and ask for the wines. This is known as a pull strategy in marketing.”

The rating system

McDonald acknowledged that “if you don’t get the ratings, you’re out of business. One of my wines got a 98, and the next day the phone and fax rang off the hook. There are a few folks who dictate wine in this country — not only what you buy, but how it’s made.” He said he doesn’t pay attention to them: “I make wine that I like.”

Sterling added, “Some people don’t trust their own palates. When your palate is educated, you don’t need Parker or the Wine Spectator or any others.”

Another panel, “Sommeliers and Women in Wine,” also touched on the subject of trusting your palate. Sheila Griffie, a marketing consultant and former executive director of the Paso Robles Vintners and Growers Association, said she went from drinking white zinfandel in Chicago to drinking Romanée-Conti in Burgundy, and identified five kinds of wine: “Wine you like, wine you don’t like, red wine, white wine and wine you can afford. Just because a wine is expensive or got a 92 from Wine Spectator, trust yourself. Don’t let people tell you you’re wrong.”

Speaking of white zinfandel, she joked, “Swirl it. It has the aroma of money,” referring to the huge success the wine has had.

Drinking Riunite

Theodora Lee of Theopolous Vineyards in the Yorkville Highlands AVA in Mendocino County said when she was living in Dallas in the 1970s she was drinking Riunite and Boone’s Farm, but when she came to California, she tasted cabernet sauvignon and said she thought, “This doesn’t taste good. I had to develop a taste for it. The first wine I liked was chardonnay. Now I like petite sirah, zinfandel and cabernet. Your palate grows.”

Now a partner in a San Francisco law firm, she explained that she decided she wanted to make wine, so she looked around to find a spot she could afford. Then she did her research (education and knowledge, again) to determine what would grow there and now has her first vintage in the bottle, ready to be released soon.

André Mach, who once was voted the Best Young Sommelier in America, the first African American to receive that honor, went on to be part of the wine team at French Laundry and later was head sommelier at Per Se, Thomas Keller’s restaurant in New York.

He said he was working as a waiter when he started developing his interest in wine. “I was not born with super taste buds, but I learned to be familiar with my own palate.” He told his mother he wanted to be a sommelier, “and she said, ‘You want to be WHAT?’ You mean you’ll be paid to drink (wine)?’”

Fielding a question, “What did you find as a person of color (in the wine industry)?,” Griffie answered, “I was looked at as an oddity.” He offered this advice: “Ask questions. If you go into a small winery, ask to see the winemaker or a member of the family. Get past the sense you are an oddity — show you belong there. If they think that’s odd, that’s their problem.”

Amelia Ceja, president of Ceja Vineyards, said, “No one realizes I’m an owner of the company,” and Lee added, “Once you’re there, people will help you.”

The seminars concluded with a walk-around tasting featuring eight minority-owned wineries.