Join us for an evening of wine tasting to support Elevate New York’s mission. Together we will taste three wines from Black owned wineries. We'll learn tips, tricks, and secrets from wine professionals, all while raising funds to empower the next generation of leaders!
Featured Wines
La Fête du Rosé
The House of Brown Chardonnay, Brown Estate
Longevity Cabernet Sauvignon, Longevity Cellars
Questions? Contact Kara King, Development Director, at kking@elevatenewyork.org or 551-280-8513
Tickets sales are now closed. See you on May 13!
You can still make a difference, even in absence...
Baltimore native Donae Burston has worked in the luxury spirit industry for over 15 years. While on a business trip in Saint Tropez, he was introduced to the owner of Domaine Bertaud Belieu, the oldest vineyard on the Saint Tropez peninsula. The two struck up a conversation and Burston pitched the idea of creating a new Rosé brand that caters to and benefits Black people. The idea was a hit and La Fête du Rosé was soon born. The wine is created at the vineyard in Saint Tropez while Burston has 100% control and ownership. He chose the name Fete, a Caribbean word meaning celebration, because he felt that the word held power. In addition to being a Black-owned brand, Burston has incorporated a giveback model into his business. For every bottle sold, proceeds are donated to various programs that provide travel opportunities to underserved and underrepresented youth. As a man who enjoys travel himself, Burston hopes that by donating to these programs he is helping to develop new global citizens.
Brown Estate Vineyards is the first Black-owned estate winery in California’s Napa Valley, and is best known as one of that region’s most well-regarded zinfandel producers receiving a score of 91 points by Wine Spectator. This two-generation culmination is an investment made by parents Bassett Brown (from Jamaica) and Marcela Brown (from Panama) back in 1980. In 1996, Daneen, David, and Coral Brown took over their parents business and produced the first Brown Estate Napa Valley Zinfandel. Slowly, but surely, Brown Estates has grown and to make their wines and experience more accessible, Brown Estates opened a tasting room on the First Street corridor in the heart of downtown Napa in 2017. Today Brown Estates continues to produce their flagship Napa Valley Zinfandel, as well as Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Rosè, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petite Sirah, and more!
Longevity Wines is a boutique family operated, urban style winery located in the Livermore AVA, whose focus is on quality not quantity. The Livermore Valley Winegrowers Association voted Longevity Winery of the Year in 2018. All of the wines are produced in small lots to keep a hands-on approach to quality control. Winemaker/Founder Phil Long of Longevity Wines, began his journey making wine in the garage with his wife Debra. Now with over a decade of winemaking experience, and a list of awards too long to print, Phil continues his journey with the one constant of always improving in place. The practices and techniques that Phil uses in the production of wine are always being re-evaluated and improved, to ultimately elevate the quality of the wines produced. Phil enjoys the challenge of making many different wines and continues to strive for wines that are high in quality instead of high quantities.
Vino 301 and the Wine Concierge are sister companies dedicated to introducing fellow wine lovers to boutique and family owned wineries. They celebrate the achievements of dynamic wine professionals, intentionally highlighting women and minority winemakers, vitners, and vineyards. For every wine purchase, The Wine Concierge donates a dollar to The Black Winemakers Scholarship Fund.
The Association of African American Vintners (AAAV) and Urban Connoisseurs, founded by Marcia Jones, have partnered to create The Black Winemakers Scholarship Fund. The mission of Urban Connoisseurs is to affect sustainable growth in the Black winemaking community by increasing the number of Black winemakers in the US and abroad, create opportunities for the next generation to pursue various careers in the wine industry, and maintain brand and legacy. Urban Connoisseurs and AAAV are partnering with the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) to maintain the fund. The partnership will allow students to gain access to funds to support their pursuit of a career in the wine industry with a Bachelor of Science degree in Viticulture, Enology, or Wine Business Management. Scholarships will be awarded annually to students who meet the eligibility requirements.