Photo by Christopher D'Allen
At times, Jeffrey Coleman’s love of wine tastes bittersweet.
He frequently visits Milwaukee’s wine bars and wine shops, seeing happy wine drinkers sampling and sipping glasses of delicate whites, tasty roses and bold reds.
But what he doesn’t see in Milwaukee are many other wine aficionados who are Black, and for him, that’s hard to swallow.
“I didn’t see people that looked like me in those spaces,” said Dr. Coleman, an associate professor of Iberian Studies at Northwestern University who lives in Milwaukee. “I saw a real lack of diversity in the Milwaukee wine scene, and I didn’t know how to address it.”
Dr. Coleman discussed his personal wine journey and the complicated relationship between people of color and wine on Wednesday, February 26, at Milwaukee Area Technical College. The event, called “Black Wine Professional,” was part of MATC’s celebration of Black History Month. About 50 Culinary Arts program students, faculty, staff and guests attended the presentation.
Dr. Coleman told them he decided that education was the best way to battle stereotypes, deflate assumptions and improve that relationship. He started with himself: He learned as much about wine as possible. He took wine certification courses, attained various levels of expertise on wines, and in 2023, co-founded the Milwaukee Wine Academy.
The Milwaukee Wine Academy aims to create an educational space for wine enthusiasts and wine professionals, particularly those belonging to marginalized groups like people of color, women and the LGBTQ+ community.
While Blacks make up 13% of all wine drinkers in the United States, less than 1% of the winemakers are Black. Dr. Coleman surmised that gap could have started 500 years ago, when wine — instead of unclean water — helped keep the African people who were pried away from their families and herded into slave ships alive, he said.
Since then, the number of Blacks involved in the wine industry has slowly grown, he said. “Things have improved in the past 20 years,” he added.
Dr. Coleman highlighted several Black winemakers, including Phil Long in California, Andre Hueston Mack in New York, Tinashe Nyamudok in South Africa, and Krista Scruggs, who produces her Zafa line in northwestern Wisconsin, near La Crosse.
He spotlighted the connection between Black celebrities and sports figures, like Lil’ Kim, Jay-Z and Mary J. Blige, and the wine brands these artists and athletes called out in songs, endorsed, purchased or started making. Dr. Coleman shouted out Dwyane Wade, who played basketball at Marquette University before having a Hall of Fame career in the NBA, produces his own wine at Wade Cellars.
Dr. Coleman also shared the challenge that restaurants, especially those in Wisconsin, have in carrying these wines at an acceptable price point. When wine is shipped from the producer to the distributor to the local store, bar or restaurant, the price keeps increasing, he said.
Dr. Coleman also acknowledged that there are a slew of scholarships available to people of color to study winemaking.
One way to promote and expand the sales of Black-produced wines is to get Black-owned restaurants to purchase them, he said. “If you have a Black-owned restaurant and you don’t have Black wines on your wine list, what does that say about your way of doing business?” he asked.
Brian Quinn, an instructor in MATC’s renowned Culinary Arts program, suggested that Dr. Coleman and the academy could collaborate with the college to expand its wine education.
Dr. Coleman wholeheartedly agreed. “We have an amazing culinary city,” he said. “But restaurants here are not getting a Michelin star and great reviews without a great wine list.”
And, if you’re wondering, no, there was no selling, sipping or spitting – just an educational experience.
About MATC: As Wisconsin’s largest technical college and one of the most diverse two-year institutions in the Midwest, Milwaukee Area Technical College is a key driver of southeastern Wisconsin’s economy and has provided innovative education in the region since 1912. More than 30,000 students per year attend the college’s four campuses and community-based sites or learn online. MATC offers affordable and accessible education and training opportunities that empower and transform lives in the community. The college offers more than 180 academic programs — many that prepare students for jobs immediately upon completion and others that provide transfer options leading to bachelor’s degrees with more than 40 four-year colleges and universities. Overwhelmingly, MATC graduates build careers and businesses in southeastern Wisconsin. The college is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.
Photo by Christopher D'Allen