"It was just kind of like one thing in my mind was like, OK, yeah, yeah. You know, I was 16, and I have a big sister," Andra said. Though they were raised in the far-flung, enormously iconic wine regions of Monterey, California and Marlborough, New Zealand, both sisters were destined to share a love of the grape. She was. Their wines range from $16.99 to$19.99. Andra McBride: We share the same father, but were raised separately by different mothers. According to Bloomberg, there are more than 8,000 wineries in the country as of 2020 and 0.1% of them are Black-owned. The largest Black-owned wine company in the United States, McBride Sisters can now be found everywhere from Trader Joe's to Target, but the journey to building the thriving family business is even more impressive given that Robin and Andra didn't even know about one another for the first half of their lives. Ninety percent of the wine produced in the U.S. is made in California, but only 10 percent of the state's wineries are led by a female winemaker. The fun and fab SHE CAN canned wine collection and its related SHE CAN Professional Development Fund, are inspired by the endless pursuit of all women who are making their dreams a reality and breaking barriers daily. The McBride Sisters logo is so much more than just a logo. Before he died in 1996, he asked his family to find and connect his two daughters. In an industry dominated by men, they are young minority women. Andra McBride and her sister, Robin McBride, are the founders and owners of the largest Black-owned wine company in the United States, The McBride Sisters Wine Company, which topped $5 million . Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. And I definitely lost my breath," Andra recalled. Subscribe now and get up to 61% off the cover price. Q: How did you get started? Robin was raised in Monterrey, Calif.,and Andra, born 9 years later was raised by her mother in Marlborough, New Zealand. After all, Google really wasnt a thing when the search began in 1994. In 2010, they started the McBride Sisters Wine Company, breaking the mold of the male-dominated and predominately white wine business, becoming the first African American Sisters to own a wine company. We need to dispel any otherism around Black Americans or women in the wine industry, as too often it is assumed that they do not take wine seriously enough or do not have the same capabilities as others to have a notable palate in the industry, Andra says, explaining that while the wine industry has made strides in recent years, it still has a long way to go to be more reflective of the world. Newly found sisters who had been raised across the world from one another, Robin and Andras love affair with wine was planted within them from an early age while growing up in two of the worlds most iconic wine-growing regions. What do you think about the current Rose trend? Love you, Mom and Mums! Black Girl Magic has always been synonymous with our culture and consumers love and appreciate that, Andra tells TZR. It also has attractive price points and can match up to a lot of different cuisines. House of Pure Vin is a fantastic wine tasting place and shop and we have a lot of friends in Detroit. The McBride Sisters crest weve created, which is a part of each bottles label, really illustrates and captures our story quite perfectly. These are no pop-up wines in a short-term business plan. Birth City: Sharon. Hannah is hiding a life-changing secret, and Beth is weathering her own personal crisis. . After connecting for the first time in 1999, we realized we had this shared passion for wine and it became such a central part of our bond, and we knew the universe had put us together for a reason to make a future together out of our separate pasts. Andra said. Robin (right) andAndra McBride (left) are teaching others what they've learned about the wine industry as sister co-founders of a booming wine company. Andra and Robin McBride have a personal story as unique as their professional one. To expand their reach with their consumers, the sisters launched a private Facebook group called McBride Certified: Wine 101 with Robin and Andra, a class and community that features an eight-module course explaining the basics of wine and serves as a hub for the McBrides most devoted fans. But also compelling is that for a good part of their lives the sisters lived thousands of miles apart, on two different continents, not knowing about each other. Crushed raspberry and black cherry aromas are dusted with loam and layered with beautiful florals, sandalwood and spice. Explore the prestigious Santa Lucia Highlands, where we hand selected rows of vines for this exclusive McBride Sisters Collection Reserve Pinot Noir "Cocky Motherf*cker" 2019. Sisters Andra and Robin McBride are changing the face of the wine industry, wine consumers, and representation of Black women overall. Raised among the vines of Monterey, California and Marlborough, New Zealand, one could say that the McBride Sisters path to winemaking was destiny at work. It was several years later, in 1999, when Robin, 26 at the time, opened a letter from her fathers sister asking her to call. Because James didn't really have an abiding father figure in his life, he brought his questions to his mother. Enter Robin McBride and Andra McBride-John, the duo behind the eponymous Oakland, CA-based McBride Sisters wine collection. They said it's also important to them that their wines are affordable. As the two got to know one another, they discovered a shared passion for making wine, something they each developed growing up in the major wine regions of New Zealand and central California. It was only when their father passed away that his family wanted to connect the young women. And so they collaborated on a delightful ros, just when thirst for pink was surging. McBride Sisters: We united in 1999 and it became clear to us that despite the fact that we grew up on opposite sides of the world we shared an appreciation for wine and were closely tied to the wine regions that we grew up in. A bright, silky palate is balanced between sweet-seeming fruit and earth, delivered with artful plushness. The McBride Sisters logo is so much more than just a logo. I cover dynamic women of color and their careers. Dominique Fluker: How did you both discover your love of wine after being continents apart and finally reuniting in 1999? Half-sisters Robin and Andra launched their California wine company, the McBride . Now, the company offers products across the United States and New Zealand and raked in over $5.5 million in sales for fiscal year 2020, according to Nielsen data cited by Wine Spectator. Meanwhile, Ros is dedicated to Robin's mom, and her nickname is by the lioness (KOKO). Following the death of their father Kelly McBride in 1996, Kellys relatives, who already had a relationship with Andra, set out to find Robin, who never had a relationship with her father or his family. Enjoy Responsibly. In meeting, the bond between Robin and Andra was instant, and intensified when they realized theyd both grown up as often the only mixed-race children in small, mostly white agricultural communities known for producing wine. In 2010, they started the McBride Sisters Wine Company. Birth Country: United States. It's how you feelwhat you see, smell and hear as you prepare to taste the wine. Photo: Courtesy of McBride Sisters Collection. You learn a lot about wine just by tasting so we first started educating ourselves by visiting wineries and tasting lots and lots of wines to refine our palettes and noses. Enjoy Responsibly. We each grew up with an appreciation for farming and wine living in these newly developing wine regions and that is where our desire to learn about and work in wine came from. Andra didn't visit her family in Alabama again until two years later. Matriarchies all the way! For the McBrides, success is not just about selling wine, but also creating a sort of sisterhood among their mostly female staff. Robin was raised in Monterrey, Calif., and Andra, born 9 years later was raised by her mother in Marlborough, New Zealand. Each sister had individual curiosities aboutthe wide world of wine and an interest in producingdelicious, affordable varietals. A Sauvignon Blanc and Sparkling Rose from New Zealand. Their signature McBride Sisters Collection wines are direct reflections of the terroirs of their youth, with flavors designed for all palates. Therefore, its much more than a single serving. But, as Andrea joked, We had two problems we didnt know anything about winemaking, and we didnt have any money., They jumped in by importing wines from New Zealand because the least amount of capital was needed, Andrea said. Always innovating, the sisters next partnered with Diageo Chateau & Estate Wines to create Truve Wines a line of finely balanced, wines that express the distinct individuality of the central coast of California. [16], In July 2020, McBride Sisters joined other Black-owned businesses on social media on Blackout Tuesday, by sharing a list of 86 Black vintners on Instagram. It was a runaway success, and the two have since amassed a McBride Sisters Collection that includes a Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Gris from Marlborough, as well as a sparkling ros from Hawkes Bay, New Zealand; and a California Central Coast Chardonnay and red blend. "So I didn't know I was going to be talking to my sister as soon as I make the initial phone call. Growing up, it was just me and my mom and no extended family. Ros is an incredibly versatile wine and really easy to pair with a number of different foods. document.write(new Date().getFullYear()) McBride Sisters Wine Company, San Luis Obispo, CA. Born nine years after Robin, also in L.A, Andra was unaware of her older sister. The sisters said their current career goal is to help usher in a more diverse generation of winemakers. "He was a 'Hollywood guy' who had rough relationships," said Robin. The other two are Chardonnay from the central coast of California and a red blend of Petite Shiraz and Merlot Zinfandel. wine for the new world. Join our community of wine lovers & be the first to know about virtual events and new wine releases. Their new endeavor has had a couple of iterations along the way, including Truvee Wines, a brand they have since sold, as well as Eco.love wines, which is a wine club brand with limited availability. Its a great wine drinking city and we wanted to connect with people that weve connected with on social platforms. Andra grew up in New Zealand with her mother, Pauline, until she died of breast cancer. Another challenge was not having any investors or advisors at the onset and how the wine industry is "notorious for its gatekeeping," said Robin. The Sisters brought their wines together under the same label with two lionesses and a peacock. And so the realization hit that that was the first time that I'd seen my sister, who happened to look a lot like me at that time," Robin said. The aforementioned "Cocky Motherf*cker," is a tribute to the sisters' father and his confidence and presence with his trademark afro featured prominently on the head of a peacock. Through their core values: sustainability, empowerment, innovation, and community, the McBride sisters were able to curate a unique wine experience for their customers for more than 13 years. The sisters were born to different mothers, both in Los Angeles. Robin: I think we just jumped in and we were naive about the lack of diversity and we just wanted to produce good wines. Its a such a versatile wine because you can drink it year-round. Speak about why you created the Black Girl Magic collection. Big sister Robin McBride grows up in Monterey, California unaware that thousands of miles away, she had a little sister, Andra McBride. Andra McBride was a 16 year old living in foster care in New Zealand when she got a phone call from her biological dad in Alabama. This venture launched their first production, eco.love Wines a sustainable wine company from New Zealand. This wine is an ode to Robin and Andra's father who exuded confidence and understated elegance. But the proof is in the bottle, we've been owners, makers, and innovators for fourteen years! Photo: Courtesy of McBride Sisters Collection. [3][1] The brand uses grapes from both California and New Zealand,[4] and is focused on providing quality bottled and canned wines that are affordable and "celebrate inclusivity". "We grew up on opposite sides of the . Barbecue, grilled fish, meats, and veggies, burgers, French fries, fish tacos, fruits, cheeses, grilled cheese, and coastal cuisines like Mediterranean dishes and Spanish tapas. The wine industrycan seem so complex for people who dont already have an in.How does one go about getting educated? What inspired each of youto go into wine? And for that, they are both grateful to a father they never really knew. The most rewarding parts are knowing how hard we've worked and how much we've sacrificed to get here and seeing the smile on someone's face when they first taste the wine. So the two sisters immediately talked and decided to meet at LaGuardia Airport in New York the next day. We describe our signature style as old world style with new world finesse. Once united, an affinity for wine and wine making were among the things the sisters discovered they had in common. Through their core values: sustainability, empowerment, innovation, and community, the McBride sisters were able to curate a unique wine experience for their customers for more than 13 years. Their winemaking story is unique in many ways. "We had to like figure out how do we introduce new people to wine and then pull through this chain in business versus the more traditional way, which is kind of buying your way up to get access to the consumer. August 7, 2021 by Kiri Tannenbaum Director of Culinary Relations. The process was inspired bytips from aprivate detective as seen on an episodeOprah, which Robin and Andras familyhad watched. For an industry as complex as the wine industry, family-owned-and-operated businesses are commonplace. If youve ever seen Robin and Andra in a room together, as I was fortunate enough to mere weeks before the first wave of COVID-19 lockdowns, theres no doubt that the women are related. McBride Sisters: Black Girl Magic was really inspired by amazing women and created to celebrate them. At their website, mcbridesisters.com, youll find more information, as well as wine-paired recipes. He told her he was dying of cancer and wanted to do one last thing before passing: connect her to another daughter he had her sister, Robin.