Juneteenth 2026: Black-Owned Wineries & The Soulful Table
Eight American producers to know, and the cookout menu to pour them on.
Juneteenth is a cookout, a memorial and a market signal. The food carries the weight of a 160-year story, and the wine in the glass should carry it too. Here are eight Black-owned American wineries doing the most interesting work in the country right now, and the menu to pour them on this June 19.
The Day, Briefly
On June 19, 1865, Union General Gordon Granger rode into Galveston, Texas and read General Order No. 3 aloud. Two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation, the last enslaved people in the Confederacy learned they were free. Galveston has been celebrating ever since. The rest of the country caught up in 2021, when Juneteenth became a federal holiday.
The traditions are deep and specific. Red foods. Red drinks. Family reunions. Backyard smoke from a grill running since sunrise. If you want context for the food side of that story, read our companion piece on African American Cuisine & Wine Pairings and our wider look at Black-owned wineries across America.
Eight Producers to Pour
McBride Sisters Wine Company — Robin and Andréa McBride built the largest Black-owned wine company in the United States from two coasts: California and New Zealand. Their Black Girl Magic California Red Blend is the bottle to bring to a cookout. Juicy, joyful, built for ribs and laughter.
Brown Estate — The first Black-owned estate winery in Napa Valley, founded by the Brown family on a 450-acre property in Chiles Valley. The Chaos Theory red blend is the everyday bottle. The estate House of Brown Chardonnay is the white. Both have earned their place on serious wine lists.
Maison Noir Wines — Master sommelier and designer André Hueston Mack runs Maison Noir in Oregon, producing some of the most stylish Willamette Valley Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in the country. O.P.P. (Other People's Pinot) is the gateway. Drink it slightly chilled with grilled chicken.
Theopolis Vineyards — Theodora Lee, a Texas-born attorney turned vintner, grows Petite Sirah and Pinot Noir in California's Yorkville Highlands. Her Petite Sirah is dense, smoky and built for brisket. It is one of the best matches in American wine for slow-smoked beef.
Abbey Creek Vineyard — Bertony Faustin, the first recorded Black winemaker in Oregon, runs Abbey Creek in the North Plains. His Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris are honest, polished and unmistakably Oregon. A bottle of his Pinot Noir is the right answer for grilled salmon at the cookout.
Longevity Wines — Phil and Debra Long built Longevity in the Livermore Valley around the idea that wine should be welcoming. The Phil's Red blend is a fruit-forward crowd pleaser. Pour it with burgers and the kids' table.
Charles Woodson's Intercept — The NFL Hall of Famer's Paso Robles label has matured into a real Cabernet program. The Intercept Cabernet Sauvignon is the steak wine. The Red Blend is the rib wine. Both punch above their price.
The Vice Wine x Akiko Freeman collaborations & Charles Wine Co. — Smaller, harder to find, but worth the hunt. Akiko Freeman's California whites are precise and saline. Charles Wine Co. in Lodi pours an old-vine Zinfandel that drinks like a love letter to a backyard.
The Juneteenth Cookout Menu
The menu is generous on purpose. Build it for a long afternoon, a porch full of people and a sun that does not set until nine. Each course has a pairing from the producers above.
- Welcome pour: House of Brown Chardonnay from Brown Estate, served cold. Or McBride Sisters Brut Rosé for a celebratory toast.
- Hibiscus & watermelon salad: Maison Noir Love Drunk Rosé, lightly chilled. Honors the red-food tradition without fighting the hibiscus.
- Smoked brisket: Theopolis Petite Sirah. The wine of the day for serious smoke.
- BBQ ribs with red sauce: McBride Sisters Black Girl Magic California Red Blend. Juicy fruit, soft tannin, made for sauce.
- Jerk chicken: Abbey Creek Pinot Noir, lightly chilled. Pinot calms the scotch bonnet without disappearing.
- Collard greens & mac and cheese: Brown Estate Chaos Theory. Plush enough for the cheese, fresh enough for the greens.
- Gumbo: Longevity Phil's Red. A friendly red blend that does not compete with the roux.
- Peach cobbler & red velvet cake: A late-harvest red, or a Charles Woodson Intercept Red Blend served slightly cool, as the dessert wine.
Non-Alcoholic Pours for the Whole Family
Juneteenth has always been a family holiday. Pour the kids and the sober guests with the same intention. Red hibiscus iced tea is the traditional answer. For an adult NA option, our non-alcoholic wine collection has a French Bloom Le Rosé and a Giesen 0% Pinot Gris that hold their own on a serious table.
Buy These Bottles in October Too
The hardest part of any heritage month is the part that comes after. Black-owned wineries do not need a spike of June orders. They need a steady book of business. Get on the producer mailing lists. Ask your local wine shop why they do not stock McBride Sisters or Brown Estate. Order them by name at restaurants. That is how the next generation of Black winemakers gets planted.
Visit the Estates
The Brown Estate tasting room in St. Helena, Napa is a working farm with a porch view of the vines. Theopolis Vineyards is in the Yorkville Highlands, a ninety-minute drive north of San Francisco, and Theodora Lee herself often pours at the bar. Abbey Creek runs a public tasting room in North Plains, Oregon. McBride Sisters does not have a single tasting room but pops up across the country through their wine club. Maison Noir tastings happen at André Hueston Mack's Brooklyn outpost and at the Willamette Valley winery itself. Build a weekend around one of these visits and the wine takes on the memory of the people who made it.
Restaurants That Pour These Wines
A few names that consistently support Black-owned wineries on their by-the-glass lists: Red Rooster in Harlem and Overtown. Hav & Mar in Chelsea (Marcus Samuelsson's seafood project). Pearl's Place in Chicago. Lula Cafe and Daisy's Po-Boy in New Orleans. The Wine Bar by Charlie Trotter alumni in Chicago. Frenchie's in Houston. If you live near one of these rooms, eat there in June. If you do not, ask your local restaurant why their list does not include a McBride Sisters or a Theopolis pour.
Further Reading for the Cookout
Three books worth keeping on the kitchen shelf this June. Black Smoke: African Americans and the United States of Barbecue by Adrian Miller is the definitive history of the smoke that built American barbecue. High on the Hog by Jessica B. Harris is the canonical history of African American foodways and the source material for the Netflix series. Julius Roberts' The Farm Table for the seasonal vegetable side dishes that should join the brisket and the ribs. Each pairs naturally with one of the bottles above.
The Next Generation
Behind the eight producers in this guide is a wave of Black sommeliers, winemakers and importers reshaping the industry. Tahiirah Habibi founded The Hue Society to grow Black wine community across the diaspora. Julia Coney launched Black Wine Professionals to build a directory of Black talent in the trade. Krista Scruggs in Vermont and Chenoa Ashton-Lewis at Ashton Wines in California are two of the most-watched young winemakers in America right now. Their bottles will be the Juneteenth pours of 2030. Get on their mailing lists today.
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