Shayla Varnado founded Black Girls Wine, an online community for Black women who appreciate wine, because, believe it or not, there are still people who don’t believe Black people, let alone women, drink anything but sweet wine. Latoya Austin, one of our Drinklusive mentees, interviews her here.
Latoya How did you get into wine?
Before wine, there was fashion! I was a wardrobe stylist with a degree in fashion pursuing my dream of helping women to feel and look their best. I was working with some women who were wine lovers. They would send me to the store to pick up bottles, and I had no idea what I was grabbing. I felt pressure to make sure that I had at least the base knowledge and I wanted to learn more – and then I fell in love with it.
This led to me launching Black Girls Wine in 2016: I was posting on Instagram and Facebook about my wine journey, sharing the wines that I liked and did not like. Eventually, in 2018, I also created Wine Down Live, a wine-review show live online every Wednesday. I would try wine pairings with Bridgerton [the TV show] or wines like Via Rae Prosecco (Issa Rae’s brand), Black Girl Magic Rosé, new wines and others. I thought that posting wine reviews online would be a great way to build a community of wine lovers.
Was it?
Unfortunately, there was negativity online, critical comments from some people in the wine world who felt that I was not doing wine reviews in the traditional way as I had no wine qualifications at the time. But this is not what my online audience was connecting with! Thankfully, there were supportive women who encouraged me to improve my [wine] knowledge. I took the leap to start the WSET wine courses and got my WSET levels one and two.
You launched Black Girls Wine Society in 2019. What inspired the idea of a wine group for Black women?
I looked around the industry and noticed that there was a hole. People of colour are not being included in the wine industry other than in the spaces that we have created ourselves. You can pull up to wineries and winemakers across [the US] or visit their websites and there is not a person of colour in sight. The wine industry has not done a sufficient job of creating inclusive or welcoming spaces.
I felt like there needed to be a gathering place for Black women who love wine, a space where Black women could connect and grow their palates. In 2018, I had tried doing a wine subscription box but realised that I wanted more human-to-human contact. So my husband was like, quit your job, figure it out – and I did! Literally a month after I quit, the idea for Black Girls Wine Society came to me – a social club for Black women wine lovers, empowering my community to create spaces in their cities for Black women wine lovers with in-person events that offered delicious wines, education and connection.
Tell me about one of the high points of the Society.
We launched a virtual chapter of the Society in 2020, which was a great experience, as we were able to remain connected in one of our country’s most historical and monumental times. Our country was becoming so racially charged that Black women were grateful to have a space to come, feel safe in so many ways and have a glass with their sisters. By 2022, there were 40-plus chapters internationally. We had hundreds of members. But in December 2022 I decided to shut it down. I was a new mom, juggling a business that needed my full attention and I couldn’t do both. It was hard for a lot of members and even harder for me because it was my [first] baby.
What does Black Girls Wine look like now?
I’ve continued to hold retreats – in May, we did Mamas in the Vineyard in Charlottesville, Virginia, which is becoming a rising star in the wine industry. I have South Africa coming up in March 2025.
Why wine retreats?
One of our recent attendees described [the retreat] as feeling like having an indulgent weekend. That’s exactly what my retreats are about: that it’s okay to treat yourself and that it’s okay to explore and indulge in your hobbies. Our ancestors did not fight for us to get out of slavery for us to just work and die – we all deserve a beautiful life and a beautiful experience and taking the chance on being able to enjoy a little bit more of life than just the everyday.
Has the wine industry changed since you’ve been involved in it?
Yes, a lot. A lot of people of colour have since launched their own [societies], and I am always really excited to see that. But I think that there’s an opportunity for a club that is purely focused on a social aspect, to bring [Black] people together. The Society allowed women to find other wine lovers who looked like them and understood them because of a shared cultural background. It was more than just a wine club; it was a sisterhood built to include both wine and the culture of the Black community. It’s something that is needed, especially with how divided our country is and around the world.
Do you think that perceptions have changed in terms of the way that people anticipate Black girls’ tastes in wine?
I do think there has been a shift in perception and that people do understand that there are Black women who really enjoy fine wines, who aren’t just here to drink the sweet stuff – which was always the assumption. It has been nice to be the leader in changing that story.
I feel that it’s often assumed that everyone has one way – that monolithic view – but we Black women are such nuanced, creative, beautiful diverse people. I think that it’s really important that we begin to tell our stories and share our narratives. That was how Black Girls Wine grew to begin with – I was just going live [online] and sharing whether I liked the wine or not and women resonated with that.
What would you like to see change within the wine industry?
There needs to be a shift in the marketing. This is a problem in all locations – including internationally – you can check the ads, branding, websites and most often there’s not any or not enough representation of people of colour enjoying wine. And when you get in the room at wine events or at senior or board-management level in the wine industry, how many of us are also in there?
What advice would you give to other Black women looking to get into the wine industry?
Start with research via Instagram, YouTube and wine publications to determine what you want to do and study what has been done. Carve out a niche for yourself. Then do your homework and get connected. I have people reach out to me all the time and they say that they want to start a wine label but I tell them that I’ve never started a wine label – I’m not the person to talk to. I would be happy to mentor, depending on their journey, but if someone wants to be a winemaker then there’s a lot of talented women winemakers to connect with.
So, I would say make those connections, build those relationships, as there are many career possibilities in the wine industry and I would encourage Black women to dive in head first to get to know what exists and tap in to build a support network.
Catch Shayla Varnado on @blackgirlswine on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube, and live on Wine Down on Wednesdays.
All photos courtesy Shayla Varnado.
Latoya Austin is a Black, female London-based writer focused on travel, wine and film. She is one of the first cohort of mentees from Drinklusive, a programme spearheaded by Aidy Smith and The Three Drinkers aimed at increasing the diversity of the drinks world. Austin has taken her WSET level 2 exam and is the founder of Franglais27 Tales.