Divas Uncorked

I‘m
having a pleasant tete-à-tete luncheon with Karen
Holmes Ward in the popular Kenmore Square “ristro” Le Petit
Robert, with some personal attention from chef Luc Le
Gillec. We’re talking about Divas Uncorked, the women’s wine
education group of which Ward is a founding
member.

Divas Uncorked
is a Boston-based social and educational organization of
black American professional women who are exploring wine for
friends, associates and neglected consumers. Since wine
writers tend to like that attitude – most of us work towards
demystifying wine – the Divas have had plentiful ink in area
press, such as the Fab 4O Wines in Boston Magazine (November
2OO5), and nationally in Newsweek, and they’re working on a
wine-book.

As a longtime
television personality, Ward finds an easy eloquence talking
about her groundbreaking organization. “One of the great
appeals of Divas Uncorked,” says Ward, “is that we are a
group of African American women trying to push open yet
another door. Like other minority wine groups, Wine Brats
and Women for Wine Sense, we play our role in changing
people’s attitudes – and misperceptions – around
wine.”

Ward affirms
that the timing is ripe for Divas to emerge and be heard.
“The time is right for US consumers to learn more about
wine. European cultures have enjoyed it for millennia.
Americans are just getting into the swing of the wine thing.
Today wine is the beverage of choice with meals for 38% of
Americans. Women spend 8O% of consumable dollars, and thus
are the biggest wine consumers. The Divas have cachet
because we’re breaking that ‘Fraser-esque mold’ of wine
appreciation. I’m talking about those endearing NBC TV
characters Fraser and Niles bragging about the la-de-dah
Burgundy they had at their ‘cluuuub’. We’re breaking out of
that; you don’t have to be like those sorta snobby guys to
enjoy wine.”

Suddenly across
the dining room we espy Rebecca Alssid and Kara Nielsen of
Boston University’s Lifelong Learning Center, who greet us
warmly. They gleefully break the news to Ward that the
Divas’ recently named scholarship nominee, Andrea Lockett,
had yesterday passed the entrance examination and was to
enroll in Level Three studies in the Wine Studies
Certificate Program at BU’s Elizabeth Bishop Wine Resource
Center. Ms. Lockett, whose socially conscious essay won the
scholarship co-awarded by Hess Select Winery and Starwood
Hotel Group, was then working for the Fresh Wine Company in
New York and was free-lance writing, but was eligible to
attend Master of Wine studies at Bishop.

Back at the
table, Ward says wryly: “Black women challenging wine
culture makes people sit up and take notice. There’s an
interesting interplay of race and gender in what has
traditionally been a white man’s bastion. Women may live
vicariously through our efforts to make a statement about
wine. Men are attracted to our daring to take on the wine
world.”

A fine example
of this attraction is recounted by Tim Thornhill, partner in
Mendocino Wine Company, whose labels include Parducci and
Zingaro. Thornhill remembers, “I had (the) pleasure of being
at a Wine Vision seminar symposium in Santa Rosa in front of
1OOO people on a podium where (Divas founder) Stephanie
Brown was telling the truth loud and clear. Her point was
that women are major wine purchasers and that people of
color have been ignored by the industry’s marketing. I was
the only one who jumped up and said, ‘Count me in!’. I told
her that everything she said meant a lot to me, and that we
needed to talk. Ms. Brown soon returned with four of her
partners and a proposal. It took me about five minutes to
say “yes” to partnering with this group.” Today Mendocino
Wine is an enthusiastic mentor and supporter of Divas’
programs. Divas are now working on developing a wine club
and label. “As women,” Ward says with humor, “we like to
plan ahead and we like choices! We’re looking at two
price-points: one public (on the web, available for retail),
the other (possibly an artist label series) of boutique
offerings sold through our wine club, perhaps in
six-packs.”

The Divas like
to make a quiet splash. Ward continues: “Boston has a
reputation of being more stuffy and highbrow than Chicago or
LA, so our collision course may have created a bigger crash
here. But we’ve created a bit of a stir even in California.
The first time we went to Napa we had lunch in the private
dining room in The French Laundry, and people were taking
the long way around to the rest room to get a peek at these
ten African American women enjoying themselves. We got a
kick out of that!”

Recently the
California-based Wine Institute has recognized the growing
influence of women as consumers and buyers. A September,
2OO5 press release quoted a 2OO5 Gallup poll which trumpets:
“Men prefer beer; women prefer wine.” The release then cites
Adams Wine Handbook’s 2OO5 statistics: women comprise 52% of
the adult population and purchase 55% of the wine consumed
in the US. The release further suggests, as Divas confirm,
that women are less influenced by wine ratings than
perceived quality, label design, bottle shape, and winery
philosophy.

Divas’ own
market research on women’s winebuying habits reflect these
expert opinions, according to Ward. “Our market research
found that men tend to buy wine that’s Robert Parker rated
for its status. They’ll order restaurant wine based on price
to impress a client. Women are likelier to buy a wine based
on a friend’s recommendation, or with a relational
association, such as a bridal shower. Women are also more
attuned to matching wines to foods to which they’re best
suited. Thus we find that price has little to do with a
wine’s taste or (its perceived) value. Your tastebuds may
prefer that $8 bottle over an $8O bottle.”

Girls’ nights
in… The Divas began in 1999 as a group of friends who
enjoyed casual social gatherings. Founder Stephanie Brown,
IT Executive at Blue Cross, recalls, “I wanted to engage
socially with four women I’d been friends with for years. I
conjured up the wine club idea (an alternative to the book
club) and put some structure around it. Each of us was to
invite a new person, so we were ten. I didn’t know much
except red and white, enjoyed it as a cocktail, and learned
about wines through tastings. We tried learning differences
between two whites and two reds, but were intimidated faced
with, say, 2O white wines! After a few collective
experiences, we decided to become educated
consumers.”

The Divas laid
out ground rules for their gatherings. “Every tasting had to
include education,” Brown explains. “Hosts picked the theme.
We used the internet for a ton of info. We asked stores
where we bought our wines. We got little help in liquor
stores initially, noting a disconnect between buyer and
seller. Some sales people were neither receptive nor
respectful, even when we were trying to buy cases of wine!
Was it because we were women, or black, or both? Their
perception of a buyer was a middle-class white male. Our
negative reception led us to more connection with the
industry. Now we’ve found stores in our communities that
give us more background. We explored the industry’s
perception of female consumers.”

The Divas began
to attend, and wanted to conduct their own, wine tastings,
but again felt stymied. “Our tasting experiences were
tough,” recalls Brown. ‘We found the terminology too
high-flown or obfuscated. We wanted beginners to feel
relaxed and welcomed, without intimidation. Our events led
to our notoriety within the industry. The marketplace must
shift attitudes toward women, who buy differently from men
and must be made to feel comfortable. Storeowners! Build
your shops around the more touchy/feely way we buy. Give us
interaction! Not point counts, but price/value ratio! Things
are slowly changing.”

Ward recounts
Divas home events. “When hosting dinners, our challenge is
to come up with something new and different, with that
education component. Catherine Kennedy and Callie Crossley
showed an array of rose wines one time, white Burgundies
another. Barbara Cruz’ blind tasting of French and
Californian Chardonnays and Merlots caused us some
confusion, though the California entries were more openly
oaky. Rosalind Johnson’s dinner, based on New England
seafoods, prominently lobster, featured Trimbach
Rieslings.”

Her own wine
dinner had a strong visual element. “I hosted a dinner based
on artists wine labels from Mouton-Rothschild, Kenwood, St.
Supery, Leeuwin. A question we raised was, ‘Did the premium
you paid for the art label correspond to the quality of the
taste in the bottle?’ We read Jeff Calderwood’s Icon, a book
on wine labels. US labels are easy to follow – as the grape
name is prominent. French labels are confusing unless you
know French geography. New world wineries understand this
problem, so wines from Australia, South America and South
Africa are usually easy to read. Sociology is a factor, too.
America’s acceptance of South African wines has taken great
strides since the end of Apartheid; it’s great to find good
value wines and to support a developing nation. The downside
may be behind the fact that I am not attracted to German
wines – even though I love my Mercedes! (Do we unfairly
categorize Germans as great engineers but not great
winemakers?)

“Our private
group remains the same in 2OO6,” says Ward. “We continue to
learn about wine, with attention to improving food pairings.
Food and atmosphere are as important to us as the wine. Over
the years we’ve developed strong friendships – we’ve been
through marriages, divorces, deaths, kids growing up – and
forged strong personal bonds. Sometimes we feel we could add
some new people, since we all work full-time.”

…and on the
town Divas Uncorked’s public presence goes far beyond their
private dinners. Ward enumerates them. “We hold local annual
public dinners for 1OO or more. They were at Seasons in 2OO1
and 2OO2 with Best Cellars’ Josh Wesson, in 2OO3 at Bonfire
with Todd English. In 2OO3 we held our first Wine Conference
for Women at Seaport Hotel (Domaine Chandon dinner, Andrea
Immer presiding). In 2OO4, our second wine Conference at the
Westin had Spencer Christian, the weather guy on Good
Morning America, as our main speaker; there was a Parducci
wine reception, a Hess dinner and a St. Supery chocolate
cabernet cabaret! In 2OO6, we’re moving our event to March,
so as not to conflict with The Spinazzola Dinner, Wine Expo
and Super Bowl. The Patriots, God bless them, might win it
all again. Finally, our “Divas Dine” educational seminars we
hold around Boston, such as at Legal Sea Foods in Park
Square with Sandy Block (ordering wine with the sommelier,
questions to ask). We’re planning a series to visit all the
Legals (DC, White Plains). Owner Roger Berkowitz has been a
supporter for many years; he and I won Boston Jaycees’ TOYL
award (1O Outstanding Young Leaders) in 1987.

Niche issues
abound for minority consumer groups, and Divas is no
exception. “High alcohol wines are of particular concern to
African Americans,” explains Ward, “because alcoholism can
be a problem in the community. Divas promotes social
consciousness, and therefore responsible drinking. We pour
to taste not to inebriate; we encourage people to drink
water to flush their systems. But from a taste perspective,
if wine gets too alcoholic it becomes port or a liqueur. I
don’t prefer the taste of high-alcohol wine because it burns
out your palate and you won’t enjoy food. You might want to
examine the motives of the wine producers. They may be
intent on making a product that they feel caters to a
certain population, the Gen X possibly.”

Forging
partnerships The Divas have made friends with women (and
like-minded men) in the wine world everywhere. Boston’s
women sommeliers are exemplary, as Ward tells it. “Cat
Silirie, Nine Park’s sommelier, has been very supportive.
Cat is unassuming, relaxed, doesn’t throw her opinions in
your face. Alicia Towns (ex-Grill 23) gave a very convincing
conference lecture on wines to lay down. Two of our members
– Carolyn Steingaard and Carla White – have since built wine
rooms in the basements of their homes.”

Of course, the
Divas connect well with America’s tiny group of black
vintners, the AAAV (Association of African American
Vintners). Stephanie Brown helped them fund a scholarship
for an internship to study the business of running a winery
that covered areas like accounting, management, signage,
packaging, running a showroom. The very first public wine
dinner featured Mac MacDonald of Vision Cellars, a founding
member and president of AAAV. Last summer, the Divas sipped
AAAV wines prior to hosting a dinner based on those wines.
Ward reported that wines from Sharp Cellars, Estrellina,
Black Coyote, and Vision Cellars were favored in the
tasting.

Divas meet
Dellie “As marketing person for Divas,” Ward says, “I’m
responsible for finding conference speakers. It’s like
booking a TV show. Thanks to the internet, I do a lot of
this research online. As a BU alumna, I found Dellie Rex’s
name associated with BU’s School of Hospitality and
Administration and invited her to speak at our second
conference. She lectured on Argentine and Chilean wines
(supplied by Schiefflin-Somerset). The night she was to
speak she came down with laryngitis, but she’s a trooper and
showed up anyway, and rapped and racked through her whole
presentation called Wine 1O1. Dellie has great knowledge,
persuasive delivery and gets her point across. We’ve invited
her back to our conference each year. As an adjunct BU
professor, Dellie was on the judging panel for our
scholarship committee; she and I wrote selection criteria
and screened the applicants. She has been a dear friend and
associate. Now that she’s at New England Culinary Institute
in Vermont, we’re brainstorming about arranging a Divas
tour.”

St. Supery
Vineyards and Winery has partnered with the Divas in
underwriting two $25OO industry scholarships. “St. Supery is
funding two scholarships in support of the advancement of
women and people of color in the field of wine and
hospitality,” confirms the Napa winery’s marketing
coordinator Tina Cao. “One qualified candidate (has been)
chosen from a pool of applicants in the Advanced Sommelier
Course and one will be chosen from the Master’s level. St.
Supery’s scholarships will fund registration fees and
out-of-pocket expenses. We have (to date) awarded one
scholarship to a candidate in the Advanced Sommelier Course.
Because no applicant was a Master’s level candidate, the MS
scholarship is still available for the upcoming 2OO6
session.” To view or apply, see the application form at
www.stsupery.com/scholarship. Divas’ most recent
partnership, struck with Wente Vineyards of Livermore
California, is described by Christine Wente: “Wente
Vineyards has decided to partner with Divas Uncorked because
we believe in the mission of the Divas – to share the wine
and food experience with more consumers, especially those
who have had less exposure to the world of wine.” Wente
launched its Divas partnership with a wine dinner at Bacar
Restaurant in San Francisco last October. Wente is also
launching a program to support the American Red Cross’
Hurricane Katrina relief efforts; when Divas affiliates
bought wines through Wente’s website during 2OO5 using the
coupon code “Divas”, the winery donated 1O% of the proceeds
to the ARC. Wente plans to support other Divas’ events
nationwide in 2OO6.

Summing it up
“We knew we were going to be very busy, but The Divas have
become a true labor of love. This is a lot of fun! We see
this as another way to make a change in the world. We don’t
presume to be making great social changes like Martin Luther
King, but sometimes changing little social attitudes helps
change other attitudes as well. And don’t forget, people
often look to the black community to set trends, witness the
embrace of hip-hop by Madison Avenue and the fashion
world.”

CALENDAR
Divas Uncork’s annual “Wine, Women and…” Symposium is in
Boston on March 24 and 25. For
recent updates, log onto www.divasuncorked.com.

OPENING
PHOTO KEY back row,
standing, left to right Carolyn Golden Hebsgaard, consultant
and executive director, Boston and Connecticut Lawyer’s
Group; Callie Crossley (sitting), broadcast journalist and
regular panelist on WGBH-TV’s ‘Beat the Press’; Paula
Wright, entrepreneur, and owner/operator McDonald’s
restaurants; and Katherine Kennedy, academic administrator
and director, Howard Thurman Center, Boston University.
front row, sitting, left to right Carole Alkins, hospitality
administrator and director of premium services, Boston Red
Sox; Gert Cowan, corporate administrator and executive
administrator, IBM; Karen Holmes Ward, television host,
producer and director, public affairs and community service,
WCVB-TV; Stephanie Browne, account support service leader,
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Massachusetts; Rosalind
Johnson, educator, and program specialist, Needham Public
Schools; and Barbara Cruz, artist and administrator, Cruz
Real Estate Development & Management Company.
–
PHOTO TANIT SAKAKINI