Keynote Luncheon - Session Detail

Welcome & Introduction

Natalie Collins, President, California Association of Winegrape Growers

Keynote Speaker Luncheon

Moderator:
Julia Coney, Freelance Writer, Washington D.C.

Robin McBrideRobin serves as the Board Chair and President of McBride Sisters Wine Company, a multinational organization headquartered in Oakland, California. It is in the top 1% of volume, largest Black-owned wine company in the United States, as well as one of the most inclusive, accessible, socially aware and sustainable.

Robin and her sister began importing wines from New Zealand in 2005 and started making their own wine together in 2009. By spring 2017, the pair were producing wine from their hometowns in Monterey California and Aotearoa New Zealand under one label, McBride Sisters Collection. In 2018, they launched Black Girl Magic Wines, a celebratory wine brand paying homage to women in their family and community, and in 2019 the sisters debuted She Can Wines, a premium canned wine in 2019 on International Women’s Day.

Robin serves as a Board Chair for the McBride Sisters SHE CAN Professional Development Fund which she founded in 2019 with her sister Andréa. Since its inception the fund has awarded over $3M in scholarships, grants and technical training to 3,000 professional women in wine & spirits, hospitality and finance. In 2021 the fund partnered with Southern University of Louisiana as their flagship HBCU, to create a career pipeline for diverse students into the wine industry.

Robin and Andréa were the first Black women winery owners on the cover of Wine Enthusiast magazine and were nominated for the Wine Star Award for the US Winery of the Year in 2021. Robin resides in the San Francisco Bay Area and has three children Daneia, Domenic and Angelo who all have pursuits in the wine & food industries.

The Tuesday Keynote Luncheon is priced separately and includes a plated lunch and wine.