- 2 days ago
Wine is more than just a drink—it’s history, culture, and craftsmanship in a glass. From vineyards to tasting rooms, this conversation uncorks the stories behind winemaking, the rise of Black-owned wine brands, and how diverse voices are shaping the industry.
Category
🛠️
LifestyleTranscript
00:00Who loves wine out here? All right, okay, that's why y'all here. I love it. We got some really
00:04good winemakers, connoisseurs, wine party starters, all kind of stuff, so let's get into it, guys.
00:11If you could first, for everybody, let us know a little bit about yourselves. Oh, it's only two
00:15mics, okay. Let everybody know about yourself, give a quick bio about your business and your
00:21world in wine. Hi, happy 4th of July, y'all. My name is Ingrid Best. I am a founder, CEO,
00:30and wine negociant of iBest Wines, which is my namesake wine brand. I've been in the wine
00:36and spirits business for over 20 years, working for some really big brands and suppliers, and
00:44two years ago, I bet on myself, launched my own brand. We are an award-winning wine brand
00:49from South Africa, and it's really good to be here to talk about wine with you all.
00:57Thank you, thank you. I am Tia Clark with Roman Clark Wines. This is home, so my family's here.
01:11It's home. I'm from New Orleans. I live in Maryland right now. Representing the DMV, we have Roman
01:19Clark Wines has been around for three years now. We are a legacy wine brand. Legacy in that I'm
01:28continuing on an entrepreneurship journey from my late mother, and it is named after my son,
01:35who is right here in the audience, Mr. Roman Clark. Give it up for the baby, y'all. Give it up.
01:40We import four wines from Argentina, and I make a local wine in Maryland. Roman Clark Wines. Support.
01:48We are glad to be here. Thank you for having us. Happy four, y'all.
01:54Hey. They got the volume up on my mic.
01:59Hey, everybody. My name is Dozie Osando. I'm one of the founders of Fine Wine Series.
02:03We're one of the largest minority-owned black wine festivals in the country, soon global. Note, note.
02:11And, yeah, we do a bunch of really cool wine experiences throughout the U.S., so if you're
02:15ever around one of the states or one of the cities that we're going to be in, please stop
02:20by one of our events.
02:23Good evening, everyone. This is my brother, Dozie Osando. I'm Bucci Osando, one of the co-founders
02:29of the Fine Wine Series. So he already gave you the story about what we do, but I'm happy
02:36to be here with everybody.
02:37I love all the love in the building. Y'all are really representing. So speaking of love,
02:41you guys love wine. Literally, that's how you got into this business. Can you describe
02:45your relationship to it in the sense that it's more than just a beverage to consume? It's
02:50like an experience, a lifestyle. Can you talk about that?
02:52Yeah, you know, I have a deep, deep love for wine, and wine really helped me travel the
03:00world. It became part of my itinerary. And so, you know, I remember discovering the South
03:07Africa wine region. Many people don't know that, yes, on the continent of Africa, in South
03:13Africa, there is a wine region that's been producing wine for over 300 years. And so I feel
03:21like the relationship that I have with wine, it allows me to discover. You know, I'm constantly
03:27discovering new things about the winemaking process, discovering how wines evolve over
03:34time. And I think wine just plays so nicely in conversation. So think about it, when you're
03:41having a glass of wine or a bottle of wine with friends, your conversations go all over
03:46the world. And so for me, it just really has been something that's allowed me to discover
03:51in a really beautiful way.
03:53I couldn't agree more. For me, wine is more than a drink. It's more than a beverage. It's
04:00an experience. It's like telling a story or storytelling in a glass. You, you know, connect
04:07with where it's from, the culture, the land. As you said, even if you don't travel to some
04:14of these places, there's so much to learn about wine. It is, you can taste it and you can taste
04:20a sip and you feel what's in that area or origin of those grapes. So it's an experience for
04:27me. It is a moment. It's a vibe. It's all the things. It's more of how it makes you feel.
04:32And as Ingrid said, you will remember, you know, certain places you are. It's a conversation
04:37starter. So you'll know, you know, okay, I had this bottle when this was going on. And
04:42for me, that is more than a beverage. It's a movement.
04:46Check, check. All right. For me, I would say wine is a journey from where we started, you
04:56know, carrying events around wine to where we are now. Like it's been a journey from the
05:01beginning, just exploring and learning and not just the wine itself as a product, but the
05:07actual industry of wine, the people you meet, you know, in the wine space, clearly, you know,
05:13the wine makers. So for me, it's like, as someone who started with a very clean slate, it's been
05:21a really good journey because I feel like that's what gravitates a lot of our audiences because
05:25they relate to us because we're on this never ending journey of learning about the different
05:30varietals, learning about the different type of products, the different brands and how each
05:34of their story spills into what they make. So I love the fact that it's like literally never
05:40ending for us. And I feel like it's going to continue on.
05:47Yeah, similar to what Dozie said is, for me, it's just a work in progress, you know what I mean?
05:53So when I thought I found my favorite wine, I come to realize that's only one piece of it.
06:01Like there's so much wine out there that is meant to try that there's so many different
06:05varietals, so many different grapes that I need to go out and really see and really try. But
06:10for us at Fine Wine Series, it's more so a community builder. So when you think about what
06:15we're doing, we're bringing out around thousands of people with this one tool, wine, you know what
06:20I mean? So for us, it's really super important that we're able to use this tool to really curate this
06:26community of people that not only like wine, but also want to meet other people and hear stories
06:31from the winemakers and want to get to know the people behind the bottle. So for me, that's a
06:37really big piece for it, you know, really getting to know the people behind it.
06:42And for Ingrid and Tia, what has it been like to create your own wine within an industry that we
06:47know is not very diverse? And also for, who's he in Dochi? I got it right?
06:53Thought it was okay.
06:54No, it was in Dochi.
06:54Okay, I got it right. For you guys, what has it been like to create a space for community within
07:00the wine space? Has it been like an easy process for you guys as well? Or have you found yourself
07:04like dealing with a lot of hurdles as well? So what has it kind of been like for you guys
07:08within the wine industry itself, creating your brands? And what has it been like for you guys
07:12to create your brand with around wine? Well, I've been doing this for over 20 years. I look
07:20a little younger than what I am. But I've been doing this for a long time. And I remember when
07:26I got my start as an ambassador, launching a brand, there were not a lot of people that
07:32looked like us. And for me, that was the opportunity. I was like, you know what, there's not enough
07:38of us here. And I'm going to do everything that I need to do in my career to make sure
07:43that I'm bringing folks along so that we can change that. So for me, I viewed it as an
07:49opportunity. But yeah, only less than 1% of the wine industry is made up of folks that
07:56look like us. So there's lots of opportunity. But I like to tell people, you know, this isn't
08:02an overnight success. I've been doing it for a long, long time. This is not an easy industry.
08:10You need to master it. And that takes time. There's more of us starting to, you know, break
08:17down the barriers, as you can see by everybody on this stage. But I always like to just say
08:23where there is not a lot of us, we need to take up more space. And so I think that's what
08:29we're doing. So yes, challenges. But to me, it really was an opportunity.
08:36I couldn't agree more. It's been a journey, to say the least. But and I'm a little younger in
08:43the game than Ingrid. So I'm still navigating that journey. However, as she said, it's not a lot of us
08:52here. Sometimes that means that we have to knock on the door a little bit harder. Sometimes you have
08:58to kick the door in. However, we're here now. And as a woman in the industry, that's, you know,
09:05predominantly male dominated, aside from it being less than 1%. It's different. But as she said,
09:12it's an opportunity. I stand on the shoulders of Ingrid and other women that have come before me.
09:18And we're here. And we're making a space for others to come in. But it's the beauty of it is
09:24we're here now. And, you know, we're doing our thing. And we're not going anywhere. That's the most
09:30important.
09:30We'll let you talk this time first.
09:34Yeah, for the most part, like, to what you said, a lot of what we do is we try our best to kick down
09:41that door. You know, I mean, we, from our side on the event team, we're really telling these venues
09:47that you guys need to carry this product. You know what I mean? We have great product. You know,
09:52I mean, there's no reason why these venues aren't carrying black-owned brands. There's no reason
09:58why I can't go to a wine and spirit shop and find a black-owned brand. So from our end, a lot of what
10:04we're doing is when we're doing these events, we're curating that menu to speak to our audience,
10:09which is black-owned. So if you come to any one of our events, our festivals, our parties,
10:13our menus specifically curate with black-owned wine brands, and most of them are women-owned.
10:20So that's kind of our thing.
10:23And I'll just add, like, I think one of the things that we've learned over the years is, like,
10:28there's tons of barriers in place, like they mentioned, since this industry wasn't built for us,
10:33you know, it's something we're taking over. There's a lot of barriers in place that make it a lot
10:37difficult, a lot more difficult for, you know, women like them and black-owned brands to actually
10:43enter this space and succeed. So one of the things we recognize throughout, like, just interacting
10:48with these brands for, like, the festival is, like, this, we need to do our part, you know, to lower
10:54those barriers of entry, whether that's making sure that they have representation at the space if they
10:59can't make it there personally, whether that's lowering the participation fee or just eliminating
11:04it all in general just to make sure we have this representation of black-owned brands in front of
11:09these people. Because we have thousands of people coming to really learn and indulge a wine, it makes
11:16the most sense to put them in front of the brands that matter.
11:19Love that, love that. And also, I wanted to know for you guys, what do you feel like is behind this
11:24increase in love of, like, wine, the world of wine? I feel like just as winemakers also, but as
11:30connoisseurs of it, I feel like it's a huge wine culture on social media. People can't end their night without a good
11:36whatever bottle you choose, a good red, whatever you're into. So what do you feel like is behind
11:40the push? Maybe it's social media, maybe it's fulfilling the community that you guys
11:44kind of create. What do you think is behind the increase in the love of wine out here?
11:48Yeah, so I'm going to answer this in two ways. We've always enjoyed wine. We were just told that
11:54wine wasn't for us. And so I think now, because there are platforms like social media, we're able
12:01to share, we're able to see what each other is doing. But I think that the best way to keep people
12:07out of something is to tell them it's not for them. And so we need to remind ourselves all the
12:13time that whether it's wine or art or any of the things that they have tried to convince us,
12:19it's not for us. We need to take up space. I think the second answer is you can't be it if you
12:27don't see it. So the fact that you were able to see me, she knew that she could do it, right? And so
12:35the more we are being bullish about the fact that this is a space that we belong and that we do make
12:42really good products, because I think that there's this myth oftentimes that if it's black-owned, it's
12:47not luxury, it's not good, it's not award-winning. And we've debunked all of that. But I think we have
12:54to show the young people who are thinking about different careers that they can do this as a
12:59career. Because this is a business. It isn't just about drinking wine. You know, I launched this brand
13:05to make money. And I think the more we show people the business side of wine, the more you'll see
13:12more people interested in becoming not just winemakers, because I'm not a winemaker, I'm a wine
13:19negotiant. I'm in the business of wine, who works with a winemaker. But I think people will be able
13:24to see all the things that it takes to actually launch your own brand.
13:29Nice. I love that.
13:31Yeah, I mean, I think social media does play a part because it allows us the access. As Ingrid said,
13:40we've always had the taste for it. I think we didn't have the platform. And so, you know,
13:46it goes back to what we stated before, in that it's important to see us. Representation is important.
13:53When people see us and then they taste a good wine made by us, it's like, oh, okay, yeah,
14:00we deserve to be here. So it gives us that just comfort in knowing we belong somewhere where we've
14:07been told for so long, as Ingrid said, that we did it. So I think social media plays a part. I think
14:13now seeing more of people like us in the industry, whether it's winemaker, whatever have you,
14:20you know, there's so many different positions in this industry. But just seeing people work in it,
14:27the festivals play a huge role because, I mean, we're out at festivals, we outside. And we see
14:35people and the connection that they can make and seeing someone, they're always like, oh,
14:40this is us. And I'm like, yeah, this is me, she, I, we. Yes, this is us. And they can relate to it.
14:46So it's making it relatable and seeing more of us here in the industry and social media as well,
14:55because it allow us to not have to go through rules and regulations. You can put your own brand
15:00out there for the world to see on your own and, you know, just keep pushing at it and you'll be
15:06recognized for it. Yeah. Love that. Love that. Um, I completely agree with everything they said.
15:13Um, I think it's also, we're entering a new space where we're getting more control over media in
15:18general. Like, I think one of the biggest issues is when you don't see it or when we're not the ones
15:23telling the story, it's not going to be told the right way. And people won't be able to see it.
15:28And if they can't see it, they're probably thinking they're the only ones that feel that way.
15:32Yeah. So I'll use an example. Like if you guys remember when Issa Rae dropped Insecure,
15:36you remember, and that's a group of millennial women, you know, drinking wine regularly in the show.
15:42I'm sure when that happened, a bunch of millennial women are like, oh, this is, we all do this.
15:47Okay. It's not a, it's not a thing that I just do. And she ended up creating her own one.
15:51Listen, you see what's happening here. So I think it's, it's very important not to just control,
15:56um, what you put out there, but to control the narrative of what's out there as well.
16:00Because now even with our event, like you've noticed that when we make it simple for people
16:05to understand, come and drink wine, no matter what age you are, obviously over 21, but no matter
16:11how old or how young you are, um, when you make it simple for them to understand that it's not just
16:17the thing that, you know, you have to be in Napa Valley to do, or it's not something you have to
16:23be in Italy or France to do. You can do it right from your home and enjoy it or come in community
16:27and do it. It's very important for them to see that and understand that. So now that we're doing
16:31that, it makes it so much better. And I think that's the push that we all need. We need to see,
16:35understand it.
16:36Gotcha. Nice. Do you have any thoughts?
16:39Yeah, I think everybody pretty much said everything, but for me, I think, um, it's a compound effect
16:46of everything that everybody's doing, you know what I mean? So when I see events happening around
16:50wine, when I see more black people creating their own wine brands, when I see more wine, wineries,
16:58wine stores, like wine shops opening up, it's a, it's a really good compound effect that really
17:03pushes that, that narrative for us, you know what I mean? So especially in New York, we have tons of
17:08black-owned wine shops popping up now. So these are great representations of where we're going to,
17:13where we're trying to go and what we need, where we need to be at.
17:17Love that. And some fun questions for you guys. Which is your favorite if you had to choose?
17:22Okay. Are we doing a red? Are we doing a white? Are we doing a rosé? Are we doing a sparkling?
17:27Are we doing a dessert wine? And why?
17:31So right now it's summer. So I'm drinking a lot of white wine. Um, I love our white blend,
17:37um, because it has three of the varietals that I really enjoy. But I also think it's your mood,
17:43right? So it depends on my mood. Um, but white wine for me right now is summertime and I enjoy a
17:51really good crisp glass of white wine. Nice, nice. Tia? For me, I have to say red. Red is my go-to.
17:59Um, I mean, but that's a hard question because it's like picking a favorite child to me. But,
18:06but red all day. I mean, I love white in summer though. Sometimes, you know, some reds can be a
18:13little bit heavier. I like it because red makes you experience it. As I said, I like to experience
18:20wine. It makes you slow down, taste the complexities, taste the flavor, feel what it's,
18:25you know, doing on your palate and your body, the mood it gives you. So that, that's, that's red wine
18:31for me. I love it. I love it. Um, yeah, for me, I love a good red. I love me specifically. I love a
18:38good red blend. Cab Merlot blend. I love it. Um, yeah, no, that's my favorite. So mine is I go with
18:47the mood, you know what I mean? So there's days where I can do a nice crispy rose. Um, there's days
18:53where I'm, I'm super pro red. So I'm doing a cab. I'm same, similar to you. Like I love
18:59the body. I love the intensity. I love the complexity of the red. So that's usually my
19:04go-to, but I can, it depends on the mood. Yeah. And what are you guys pairing with your
19:09go-tos? So you love your white. So what are you eating with that? So I love Branzino with
19:15a good crisp glass of white wine. Um, but similar again, it depends on my mood. So right now I'm
19:22in a white wine season, but as soon as we get into that sweater and hug season, it's
19:27red wine all day long. But yeah, I love Branzino, um, with white wine. I think it's
19:33fantastic. Um, different cheeses also pair really nicely. Um, French fries, pizza. I mean,
19:44you know, there's no wrong answer. I think that's one of the things that's super
19:48important to me is that we dispel the myth that wine needs to be this thing that's so
19:54intimidating. It really should not. Um, everyone's palate is your own palate. What
19:59you like to drink and eat and how you like to do it is how you like to do it. I had a
20:03friend tell me, I love red wines and red vines and wine, red licorice. And I was
20:08like, what? But no judgment, right? So, you know, it just depends, but I love a good fish
20:14and white wine right now. And I love that you said with fries too. Cause yeah, I think
20:18so much you'd be like, it's a wine. You got to keep that with like your fancy meals. It's
20:21like, no, no, no, no, no, no. Dispel the myth y'all. Enjoy what you enjoy. Love what you
20:26love. Nice. Nice. How about you, Tia? For me, I mean, it's cliche to say like red meat,
20:33you know, or say, um, potato chips is the go-to. I know it might be different, but potato chips,
20:39um, fries, or some chocolate as well with red. Um, depending on the red, you know, it
20:46might bring out some of that vanilla flavor in the chocolate, but yeah, I, I, I agree.
20:52Making it accessible, making it easy. It's, it's not, you know, hard. You don't have to
20:57follow what they said are rules or whoever said are rules with wine pairing. It's what
21:03you like together. Yeah. Yeah. I'm very simple. I'm a very simple person. I like
21:09with a good burger. Give me a good burger and I'm good to go. Like that's my go-to when
21:14I, when I'm drinking wine. So very simple. I like that. So I'm a little bit of the, the
21:19complicated brother. So, um, for me personally, um, my background is Nigerian, so I do a lot
21:25of spicy food. So when I'm thinking about, um, jollof rice, when I'm thinking about like
21:31suyas, so things like that, I'm, I'm, I'm definitely always pairing with, with a wine. So depending
21:36on the spice level, that's a whole nother conversation of what I'm drinking, you know
21:40what I mean? So, um, for me it's reds. If I'm doing something like that, that's a little
21:44meaty. Um, if it's something super spicy, maybe on the lighter side, maybe a white wine
21:51or something like that, just to kick off the heat a little bit. But yeah, you just got to
21:56have fun with it, fun with it, to be honest.
21:58So when y'all get home, y'all have some new options, get you some chips, get you some fries,
22:02get you some brands, you know, and enjoy. And lastly, to wrap, I wanted to ask you guys,
22:07where do you hope to see iBest Wines and Roman Clark Wines and then the Fine Wine Social Club,
22:11where do you guys hope to see your brand expand within the next day, like 10 years? What are
22:15your hopes for it?
22:17Yeah, well, listen, for me, the ambition has always been for iBest Wines to be a global brand.
22:23The brand is obviously starting with two blends from South Africa, but the ambition is to launch
22:28wines from different regions that I really love. And ultimately, I've said it from the beginning,
22:35build the brand and have the brand acquired. And I think, you know, oftentimes in our community,
22:42the notion of acquisition is something that we oftentimes don't embrace and celebrate.
22:47But at the end of the day, I'm doing this to unlock wealth for my family,
22:52a legacy of wealth for my family. And so our plan and what we will do is be a global brand
23:00that will be acquired, that will hopefully act as a case study for future entrepreneurs and future
23:07brand owners who are interested in taking that route.
23:11Same here, globally. I'm taking it global. We're right now trying to expand nationally.
23:20And then the hope is to take it globally as well. Currently, as I said, we do import four wines from
23:29Argentina. We make a Maryland wine. I would like to make more wines. I enjoy learning about the process,
23:36the intricacies of it. So making more of my own as well and expanding even beyond Argentina. I like
23:45Argentina. I like the culture. I like the terroir, what it lends to the wines, but expanding beyond
23:51Argentina as well and bringing on some more varietals to our brand. Yeah.
23:59For us, I know I said like we're one of the largest wine, black-on-wine festivals in the country
24:05currently. For us, I can see us, and I know this is going to eventually happen because I'm very
24:11confident of what we're doing. I feel like we're going to be one of the largest cultural
24:17wine festivals in the world.
24:18Yeah.
24:19Yeah.
24:19You know, you're talking about it. You're talking about it. But just based off what we see just in
24:25America alone, and even when we went to South Africa last year, you can see that there's this
24:31reception. Like, people want this experience globally. You know, even my friends in the UK,
24:37they'll be like, guys, whenever you guys are ready, make sure that, you know, we're here for
24:39you guys. So I'm like, okay, the UK, France, South Africa, Nigeria, Ghana, like, it's even South
24:45America. Like, there's so many different places where we as a diaspora are that you can take this
24:51experience and put it there and grow it. So that's what we're, that's what we're looking at right
24:55now. And to kind of chime in a little bit with what you said, what you also realize while you're
25:01doing this, it's not just the US that has the same issues. So it's important for us to continue
25:05building this brand. So we can also push that narrative, not just in the US, but also in like
25:11a UK, how do we get more, you know, how do we get more people like us to really get involved in this
25:18industry? You know what I mean? So for me personally, and for the brand too, I think it's just the global
25:23mission to really push this initiative. I love that. And lastly, for real, can you tell everybody
25:28where they can find your pages to support and learn more about your brands? Yeah. So my, my actual
25:35Instagram for me is miss MS underscore I best. And the business Instagram is I best wines. And our
25:46website is I best wines. We are sold through our website. And on our website, we also have listed all
25:53all the retailers nationally that we're available on. And I appreciate you guys spending your
25:58afternoon with us.
26:03My Instagram handle, my personal handle is the Tia Clark. Clark has an E on the end. Don't
26:11blame me. That's my husband's family. But the Tia Clark is my personal page. My business
26:17page is Roman Clark with an E wines with an S all one word Roman Clark wines. And our website
26:25is Roman Clark wines.com. We sell through our website as well. We ship it straight to your
26:33door. We are shipping now in 40 states and expanding. And we are in thank you. Thank you. We're in 26
26:44stores and trying to expand to other retailers as well. All of that is on the website where it's a
26:50buy. And you can, as I said, purchase through the website, get it delivered straight to your door.
26:55Join a wine club. Join, join, join the wine club. We make it affordable. It's quarterly right now.
27:03Maybe at some point we, you know, get that a little more frequently, but join the wine club. Thank you.
27:07Thank you for having us. For us, the brand page is at the fine wine series. The website is
27:16finewineseries.com. My personal page is at dozie.o, D-O-Z-I-E dot O. And yeah.
27:25My personal brand is Bucci, B-U-C-H-I dot N-Y-C. You can follow me on there.
27:31And no crazy DMs, everybody. Let's keep it cute. Everybody give it up for Ingrid, Ingrid Vest,
27:38Tia Clark, and then we have Josie and Bucci. Give it up for them. Thank you, guys.
27:44Check out the wines. Support, support, support. And thank you for listening this afternoon, guys.
27:49Thank you so much.
Comments