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. "So I didn't know I was going to be talking to my sister as soon as I make the initial phone call. She was. Each one retails for under $20. The History of Sangria and Its Powerful Influence on Afro-Latinx Communities, Holiday Your Way: Celebrating the Diversity of Food with Chef Pierre Thiam, Holiday Your Way: Tis' the season with Claudette Zepeda, Hispanic Heritage Month: Celebrating Doa Vega's Sonya Vega, Hispanic Heritage Month: Celebrating Agua Bonitas Kayla Castaeda. We both like aromatic whites and medium-bodied reds.. 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. We describe our signature style as old world style with new world finesse. Following a lengthy search by his family, Robin and Andra met for first time in 1999 at LaGuardia Airport in New York. 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. The reunion story of long-lost sisters Andrea and Robin McBride stems from exactly the person you'd imagine would be involved in such a tearjerker: Oprah. He told her he was dying of cancer and wanted to do one last. Growing up, it was just me and my mom and no extended family. Andra: In the hills looking down on Queenstown in New Zealand. Our mission is to create your perfect wine experience. Half-sisters Robin and Andra launched their California wine company, the McBride . "No Facebook, no Google searches," Robin said. 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And then we met, we looked like each other, we had all these uncanny similarities, we were instant best friends, I couldn't have dreamed that the experience of finding a sister could get any better. 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. McBride Sisters: You can't pick between your children! Each sister had individual curiosities aboutthe wide world of wine and an interest in producingdelicious, affordable varietals. Their father wasn't around for most of their lives, but before he died of stomach cancer in 1996, he asked his family to try and connect the two girls. They were in touch with Andra, but had no idea where Robin lived. Because we started in New Zealand, our wine-growing philosophy is rooted in sustainable farming and not diluting the purity of the fruit in the winemaking process, by covering it up with too much oak or other flavors that are winemaking tricks of the trade! Andrea: The profiles of wine we like to taste are similar. Two wines hail from New Zealand, the Sauvignon Blanc, and Sparkling Brut Ros, and two wines from Californias Central Coast, the crisp Chardonnay, and Red Blend, not to mention their Black Girl Magic California Riesling limited exclusive collection. Often times, brands miss the mark because they arent reaching their target consumers correctly by meeting them where they are, or they arent participating in conversations and topics they are passionate about.. Both women were born in Los Angeles, but Andrea McBride spent much of her childhood in Marlborough, New Zealand, first with her mother, Pauline, who passed away, and then with a foster family. 2023 www.freep.com. "I remember being just so excited. Launched in 2019, the SHECAN Fund provided support for a select number of Black-woman owned businesses across all industries hit the hardest by the pandemic in 2020, and this year, the fund will focus on professional development for women in the traditionally male-dominated fields of wine and spirits, hospitality, and finance. At the age of six, she was raised by her uncle and a foster family after her mother died of breast cancer. Figuring out which bottle of wine to buy is always difficult, so you might as well pick one that comes with a good story. You may opt-out by. "The catalyst was one of his brothers, our uncle, was in his living room, watching an 'Oprah' episode, and she featured private detectives on how you find people that owe you money or how you find displaced loved ones," Andra said. James stated, "I asked if I was black or white. So 16 years later, their banner now distributes wines to major grocery chains throughout the country. wine for the new world. 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. 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. After graduating from high school in New Zealand, Andrea attended the University of Southern California to be near her sister. Its about getting the necessary attention from consumers and wine distributors alike to showcase how important representation is in the wine industry and how important accessibility is to wine education for all., Young wine drinkers and wine lovers of color are often overlooked by major wine brands, who have historically positioned wine, whether through events, marketing and messaging, to an older, white consumer. Robin said the industry is "very complicated" due to heavy reliance on gatekeepers wholesalers, distributors, retailers and more before it's greenlit into production. McBride Sisters Wine Company is a Black-owned, female-led wine company in the United States. And for that, they are both grateful to a father they never really knew. [17] According to the company, by November 2020, the McBride Sisters brand was carried in 2,697 stores in the United States, up from only 84 stores before May of that year. As luck would have it, Andrea was visiting from New Zealand and sitting next to her aunt when Robin called. Robin called the enclosed number, coincidentally, during Andra's time in Alabama. Fluker: As the first African-American sisters to own a wine company, share your journey with establishing your mission statement for McBride Sisters wine? In 2005, the sisters found themselves together in California, fueled by a shared passion for all things wine, wine-making . [14], As of 2015, McBride Sisters had a team that was 80 percent female, including their head winemaker and vineyard director. In honor of their brand-newTruveros launcha 2015 Grenache ros from the Paso Robles region of Californiawe spoke with the sisters on drinking pink, food pairings,and the ethos of their sisterly wine labels. A Sauvignon Blanc and Sparkling Rose from New Zealand. [6] According to the Boston Globe, McBride Sisters is also "one of the few Black-owned wine labels that encourages consumers to be socially conscious. 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. In 2005, the sisters found themselves together in California, fueled by a shared passion for all things wine, wine-making and a desire to shake up the industry with a blend of old-world elegance and new-world finesse. Andra: Coincidentally, we were both raised in emerging wine regions and that is how we each developed our own appreciation for wine. Q: Which wines will you be launching in Detroit? Fluker: Share your experience as two African-American women vintners. We didnt even know about service hours and would show up at a restaurant at lunchtime, not knowing that the sommelier only tastes wines at certain times.. By the time the two of us met, our father had passed away. Q: What attracted you to sell your wines in the Detroit area? Andra said the aforementioned phone call was the first time she'd spoken to her dad in six years. **. We (Robin and Andra) consider ourselves to be a pride. Their wines range from $16.99 to$19.99. But instead of backing down, they forged ahead, starting their own wine company using the knowledge they had gained about winemaking and the business of winemaking while working as importers. The fund also doubles as a mentorship program. Andra and Robin grew up on separate continents, each one believing they were an only child. This bottle is our celebration of that essence. And I definitely lost my breath," Andra recalled. [6] In the 12 months leading up to October 2020, the McBride Sisters had sold 35,000 cases of wine at retail outlets, according to Nielsen, making it the largest Black-owned wine company by volume. 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Now more than ever, social media has become an important vehicle for reaching young and diverse consumers, Andra says. We each had a similar background in wining making regions. McBride Sisters: We are focused on making wines that are both accessible and that express each of the places we grew up in. There's a lot of family lineages that still run things. "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. But, like countless groundbreaking women before them, Andra and Robin saw every obstacle as an opportunity to chart their own path rather than follow the standard formula. As minoritiesand women, we knew we had to work harder. IE 11 is not supported. Seeking to buck that trend, the sisters have assembled a team that's 80 percent women, including their head winemaker and vineyard director. The sisters launched their newest brand in February. [15], The SHE CAN wine collection also sponsors a professional development fund, which awards scholarships to women. We still don't see a lot of women, a lot of people of color," Andra said. " Since 2005, The McBride Sisters mission has been clear - to transform the industry, lead by example, and cultivate community, one delicious glass of wine at a time. Join The Zoe Reports exclusive email list for the latest trends, shopping guides, celebrity style, and more. 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. Andra grew up in New Zealand with her mother, Pauline, until she died of breast cancer. Best Known For: Country singer Martina . As with the substance of the larger brand, the label is drawn from the sisters experienceits bright red VW bug the getaway car that ferried Robin and her mother up the state way back when, with the Big Sur bridge in the background. As the work began, so did their reality as two fierce, female and forward-thinking leaders in an industry historically defined by tradition and gender. In a 2019 interview, Ashley revealed how tortured her relationship with her father is, in part because of her desire to become a . 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. [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". It was all the feels," she said. Both of use like barbecue and we make a barbecue sauce with our wine. Finally in 1999, Robin received a note from her father's sister. The strong and empowered lionesses on the sides of the Sauvignon Blanc and Ros cans pays tribute to the women who encouraged and inspired us throughout our lives. Changing the Game for Dance Creatives : A Q&A with the Talented Taja Riley. By subscribing to this BDG newsletter, you agree to our. 2023 BDG Media, Inc. All rights reserved. The Sisters brought their wines together under the same label with two lionesses and a peacock. And eventually, they decided to start their own wine company together. After Robin's mother and their father divorced, Robin . "Both of us were growing up thinking we were only children-- completely, you know, opposite ends of the Pacific Ocean.". "A lot of our experiences of us being curious about wine and how we were treated when we were in those tasting rooms and stuff is really a lot of the foundation of what our company is built on today, which is making wine accessible for everybody and helping people on their journey and making it fun," said Andra. eco.love wines are made in New Zealand and Truve is made in the Central Coast of California, so we have the best of both worlds with having two brands made in the places we both grew up in. Wine is agriculture, says Robin. Contact Susan Selasky: 313-222-6872 or sselasy@freepress.com. Now we want to make the kind of wine we fell in love with.. Was it difficult? This venture launched their first production, eco.love Wines a sustainable wine company from New Zealand. 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. From that aunt, who lived in Georgia, she learned both about her fathers death and about the existence of her 16-year-old sister. "I think we actually underestimated that." We wanted it to be inclusive, comfortable, unintimidating, says Robin. EN. Or, for more information, visitRR1. Of the nearly 4,000 wineries in California, only 10% have a woman as thelead winemaker, according to research by professors LucIa and John Gilbert of Santa Clara University and their research website womenwinemakers.com. The process was a grind. If You're 1 of These 4 Zodiac Signs, Saturn in Pisces What Is Pedro Pascal's Zodiac Sign? Speak about why you created the Black Girl Magic collection. 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. We dont have any other siblings. A bright, silky palate is balanced between sweet-seeming fruit and earth, delivered with artful plushness. Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. Therefore, its much more than a single serving. We Googled the top 100 restaurants in California and started knocking on doors., They were more or less clueless, she admits. Their father, a rakish, Alabama-born 6-foot-6-inch wanna-be actor with 11 siblings, had a way with the ladies. "My sister and I are on a mission to transform the industry, lead by example and cultivate community," Robin McBride says. In March, they launched a new initiative that funds scholarships for women in agricultural programs at Southern University, a historically Black college in Louisiana. I cover dynamic women of color and their careers. In the 17 years since that fateful call, Andra and Robin have not only met, but in 2005, they founded what is now the largest Black-owned wine company in the United States and they did it without any seed money from investors. Their signature McBride Sisters Collection wines are direct reflections of the terroirs of their youth, with flavors designed for all palates. The African-American sisters are scheduled to launchtheir McBride Sisters Collection to Detroit and Michigan. Enjoy Responsibly. Matriarchies all the way! Hannah is hiding a life-changing secret, and Beth is weathering her own personal crisis. The story of their journey starts with a man, their shared biological father, Kelly McBride. Big sister Robin McBride grows up in Monterey, California unaware that thousands of miles away, she had a little sister, Andra McBride. Culinary Masters The story of their journey starts with a man, their shared biological father, Kelly 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. Subscribe now and get up to 61% off the cover price. Once united, an affinity for wine and wine making were among the things the sisters discovered they had in common. The sisters felt discriminated against as young Black women attempting to join an industry in which they'd be a small minority. And the farming she describes is sustainable, the wines made with minimal intervention, designed to showcase the place. 2015 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. A separate Black Girl Magic line offers up bottles of sparkling, Riesling, ros, Merlot, Zinfandel, as well asspeaking of unintimidatingsparkling ros and red in cans. Plus, get the exclusive Robb Report tote bag FREE. [17] The post went viral by after it was shared by celebrities including former professional basketball player Dwyane Wade and actor Gabrielle Union. Where Will Wine Take You? When kid sister Andrea was 11, in 1995, she received a call from the father she didnt know. The Free Press caught up with the McBrides by phone ahead of their 7:30-9:30 p.m. Thursday appearance at House of Pure Vin, 1433 Woodward Ave., Detroit. 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. Our Newest Wines from the Most Southern Winegrowing Region in the World - Aotearoa New Zealand! November 26, 2015 / 7:24 AM They did pretty well until 2008 when economic woes hit the country. The number of family-owned wine businesses with Black individuals (let alone women) at the helm, however, is pretty rare in fact, the Association of African American Vintners reported last year that they make up just .5% of wineries in the United States. They had a dream between them, of making wine. Quality and quantity! It was amazing. Born in the states, Andrea's mother took her back to Marlborough, New Zealand where she would grow up believing she too was an only child. In the year 1999, 25-year-old Robinand 16-year-old Andra McBride met for the first time at LaGuardia Airport in New York. Photo: Courtesy of McBride Sisters Collection. McBride Sisters: We'll have a LOT of announcements coming over the next year! By value, sales are up 43 percent, to $5.52 million. 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. [8] In 2019, the McBride Sisters also launched an eco-friendly line of canned wine,SHE CAN. they shared more than an avant-garde father in L.A. According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinal, the two connected over their shared experiences while exploring wine regions up and down the California Coast, and before long, it became clear to the two that they wanted to turn their love of wine into a business. Robin: Overlooking to rocky coast of Monterey Bay. Barbecue, grilled fish, meats, and veggies, burgers, French fries, fish tacos, fruits, cheeses, grilled cheese, and coastal cuisines like Mediterranean dishes and Spanish tapas. Join our community of wine lovers & be the first to know about virtual events and new wine releases. Robin and Andra McBride, founders of McBride Sisters Wines, are the first African-American sister duo to found and establish a wine company. How do you seamlessly merge the heritage of both New Zealand and California together with your brand? Enter the McBride Sisters Collection Reserve wines: a Chardonnay and a Pinot Noir from Montereys cool Santa Lucia Highlands. "I'm walking down the jetway, and I see what I think is my reflection at the end of the jetway in a mirror. We are continuing to expand where our wines can be found and enjoyed nationwide with some exciting collaborations. Crushed raspberry and black cherry aromas are dusted with loam and layered with beautiful florals, sandalwood and spice. For the first time, we will be opening a tasting room that will be open to the public and releasing exclusive reserve wines over the coming years. Love you, Mom and Mums! You created your own family crest for the brandcan you tell me about that? We were completely unaware of one another growing up, as I had moved back to my mother's native home in Marlborough, New Zealand when I was very young, and Robin stayed with her mother in Monterey, California. The process was inspired bytips from aprivate detective as seen on an episodeOprah, which Robin and Andras familyhad watched. Robin: Detroit is a great wine making community. Photo: Courtesy of McBride Sisters Collection. 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. Subscribe to RR1 Live+ for exclusive virtual events all year long (at least 1 per month), conversations with Robb Report editors, special perks, and more. This piece originally aired July 2, 2015. "The world brought us together; we're invincible, we can do anything," Andra said. Robin was raised by her mother, Karen, more than 6,500 miles away in Monterey, California. So when I found out about Andra, I knew my life was about to change. It's how you feelwhat you see, smell and hear as you prepare to taste the wine. Andra and Robin McBride have a personal story as unique as their professional one. [9] They are members of the Association of African American Vintners (AAAV), which was founded in 2002.