Diaspora in a Bottle - How African Wines Are Shaping Global Palates

There’s a quiet but powerful evolution underway in the wine world. No longer are excellence and refinement reserved for the vineyards of France or Italy, filtered through a singular lens of tradition. Across cellars in Stellenbosch, tasting rooms in Atlanta, and restaurant floors in London, African wines and Black wine professionals are not only changing what the world drinks — they’re transforming how we experience it.

This shift is rooted in the growing presence and influence of Black voices throughout the wine ecosystem, from vineyard to glass. In South Africa, a country rich in viticultural heritage, Black-owned wine brands like Aslina Wines and Tesselaarsdal are leading with authenticity and innovation. Ntsiki Biyela, the founder of Aslina and South Africa’s first Black female winemaker, produces wines that reflect her personal journey and cultural grounding. Berene Sauls, a former domestic worker turned winemaker, launched Tesselaarsdal as a tribute to her family’s history in the Hemel-en-Aarde region. These producers are reclaiming terroir, not only as land but as legacy.

Meanwhile, across the Atlantic, sommeliers such as Vincent Morrow, one of only a handful of Black Master Sommeliers globally, are redefining what excellence looks like in fine dining. From his role at Press in Napa Valley, Morrow is shifting perceptions by championing underrepresented wines and mentoring a new generation of talent. In Atlanta, Sarah Pierre of 3 Parks Wine Shop has built a space where community and curation go hand-in-hand, while Janeen Jason elevates wine education at VinoTeca, proving that expertise can thrive beyond traditional strongholds.

This collective movement is influencing more than just wine lists. It’s rewriting the language and style that have long made wine feel inaccessible. Rather than relying on rigid tasting notes or coded terminology, Black wine professionals are drawing on culture, music, and memory to describe flavor and experience. Alice Achayo, known as “The Wine Linguist,” brings this storytelling approach to the forefront, using relatable language that connects wine to everyday joy and heritage. André Hueston Mack, founder of Maison Noir Wines, leans into hip-hop aesthetics and pop culture references, dismantling pretension and inviting broader audiences in.

But access remains a challenge. As of 2025, Black-owned wineries account for less than 1% of all wineries in the United States, despite Black Americans comprising more than 10% of the population. In South Africa, Black vineyard ownership remains under 3%, a stark reminder of how recent — and ongoing — this transformation is. Events like Afro Wine Week are essential platforms in this space. They bridge the gap between celebration and action, showcasing Black excellence in wine while creating the networks, visibility, and capital needed for sustained growth.

The ethos of Afro Wine Week is futurist in its ambition. It embraces an Afro-futuristic vision where taste is cultural currency and where wine is not only a drink but a vessel for imagination, ancestry, and wealth. This is not about fitting into old molds, it’s about reshaping them entirely.

With every bottle poured, from a Maison Noir Pinot to a Klein Goederust Cab Sav, African wines are expanding global palates and disrupting traditional norms. They remind us that elegance and innovation are not mutually exclusive, and that the future of wine is diverse, dynamic, and deeply rooted in culture.

Afro Wine Week stands at the intersection of heritage and possibility — an open invitation to experience taste as identity, celebration, and collective progress.