First African American Women-Owned Wine ‘Truvée’ Debuts in D.C.

By: Nyasha Chikowore

The Manor DC in DuPont Circle (1327 Connecticut Ave NW 20036) provided a classy backdrop for the debut of sisters Robin and Andréa McBride’s wine Truvée. Being the first African American women to own a wine company is definitely an accomplishment but it seems their sisterly bond has been their biggest triumph thus far.

McBride Sisters

The sisters didn’t actually meet each other until Andréa was 16, residing in New Zealand, and Robin was 25, in Monterey, California. They share the same father, and it was his wish for them to find each other and connect, hence the company’s name Truvée – a play on the French verb ‘to find’.

Both sisters coincidentally grew up around vineyards, with Andréa even assisting her uncle with grape farming in her mother’s native home of New Zealand. When asked when she discovered her love for wine Andréa said, “It wasn’t actually until I met my sister… when we met each other, that’s when we both coincidentally fell in love with wine because [during visits] we’d end up at tastings, so somehow wine was always in the mix and started to bring up this dream for us.”

Their venture is comprised of a lightly oaked Chardonnay and a Grenache & Syrah based Red Blend. Using grapes sourced from Central Coast California vineyards, the McBride sisters pride themselves on bringing affordable luxury to the wine racks of consumers.

At their D.C. debut, guests were given the opportunity to taste the wines individually as well as in spritzers and sangrias. “The Chardonnay has fruit flavors and is not your typical California oaky Chardonnay.  It’s actually the opposite. If you like a Pinot Gris or Sauvignon, then you’ll appreciate it,” Andréa explained.

The wines were flavorful; the Chardonnay was quite tropical as mentioned by its founder and the Red Blend had a velvety texture with notes of berry and caramel. The wines are also designed to be paired with foods, I discovered, during my conversation with Andréa. She suggests having the Chardonnay with seafood, especially sushi and pairing the Red Blend with ribs, lamb and red meats.

If you’re interested in supporting the sisters’ history-making business or simply sampling the wine, it’s already on shelves at various D.C. venues ranging from Bar7 to the Kennedy Center.

For more information please visit Truveewines.com.

Photo Credit: The Manor DC

What is Craft Beer? A Growing American Beer Culture

With a strong presence across the 50 states and the District of Columbia, craft breweries are a vibrant and flourishing economic force at the local, state and national level. As consumers continue to demand a wide range of high quality, full-flavored beers, small and independent craft brewers are meeting this growing demand with innovative offerings, creating high levels of economic value in the process. – Bart Watson, Staff Economist for the Brewers Association

I had the opportunity to chat with Julia Herz, Craft Beer Program Director at the Brewers Association, Publisher of CraftBeer.com and certified Cicerone (beer sommelier).  The Brewers Association represents about 3,000 American craft brewers, which is the majority of brewers in the United States.  So what exactly is craft beer?

A craft brewer is defined as beer produced at an independently-owned brewery that makes about 6 million barrels (a barrel is 31 US gallons) per year.  The majority of Americans live within 10 miles of a brewery in every region of the United States.  Not only does this help to advance craft beer culture, but this industry collectively contributes almost 34 billion dollars to the U.S. economy (as of 2012), employs about 108,440 people directly at breweries and brew pubs, and over 360,000 people via brewing community-related jobs.  Emerging markets in the craft beer industry are strong, as laws are evolving and making it easier for craft breweries to open their doors.  However, there’s already a booming craft beer market in the U.S. Pacific Northwest.  About 30% of the world’s hop supply comes from this area, which has optimal weather and growing conditions for cultivating hops.  There are about 50 beers styles made in US that encompass 15 style families including belgian, dark lagers, brown ales and many more.

If you’re planning a summertime barbecue, brown ales are great place to start.  Also recommended are Scottish style ales, which have malt forward flavors and sweetness similar to barbecue and sours beers, which have acidity that helps flavors in grilled roasted and smoked meats shine even brighter.  Lower acidity in beer helps to calm down richness and saltiness of food, so you can taste more of the other flavors.  When pairing craft beer with food, it’s important to find flavor harmonies between your beer and barbecue sauce, as well as your meats and fish that are grilled, roasted or smoked.

Julia, a longtime home brewer, admits that there are lots of approaches to drinking beer but her favorite tip is to tell people to pour their beer into a glass. “The consumer will enjoy the full aromatics and flavors that the brewer intended,” says Herz.  If you’re a beginner beer drinker, Herz recommends paying attention to the wine and other spirits you favor. She believes that craft beer picks up where wine leaves off; lots of choices and different beers for different occasions is the best way to approach your choice of beer. Try a craft beer today!

Cheers!

Ashlee

Photo Credit: drinks.seriouseats.com