By Aaron Allen, The Seattle Medium
Black winemakers and distillers will gather in Seattle for a dinner event that honors a pioneering legacy while showcasing a new generation in the industry.
The Men, Wine, and Spirits Dinner, hosted by Marcia Jones, founder and CEO of Urban Connoisseurs, LLC, will take place April 19 at Osteria la Spiga. The event highlights the contributions of Black professionals in the wine and spirits industry while paying tribute to John June Lewis Sr., widely recognized as the first Black winery owner in the United States. The event also marks 86 years since Lewis opened Woburn Winery, connecting his legacy to a new generation of Black winemakers and distillers.
“This isn’t just a dinner. It’s a declaration,” says Jones. “In 1940, John June Lewis, Sr. opened Woburn Winery’s doors as the first Black winery owner in the United States. Eighty-six years later, we’re standing on his shoulders, and we’re just getting started.”
The evening will feature a lineup of winemakers and distillers, including former professional athletes Sidney Rice of Dossier Wine Collective and Channing Frye of Chosen Family Wines, alongside industry professionals such as John Joubert of Black Éden 1912 Bourbon, Dexter Meadows of Meadows Estate Vineyard & Winery, Sean Perryman of 40 Acres Blending Co., Ken Dillon of Footprint Wine Tap, and Derek Baljeu of Knights Bridge Winery.
Jones describes the gathering as “an unprecedented lineup of Black excellence in wine and spirits,” bringing together both established and emerging voices shaping the industry.
The event is the latest evolution of Jones’ work through Urban Connoisseurs, where she has spent more than 15 years creating opportunities for Black winemakers to showcase their work. After beginning her career in sales and marketing, Jones said she recognized a gap in the industry.
“I started doing Winemaker dinners actually down in California, where I knew most of the winemakers. And it would just be a featured winemaker once a month at a restaurant,” recalled Jones. “But then I had an opportunity to actually expand it to include more than just one winemaker and feature multiple winemakers.”
That expansion led to the creation of her Women in Wine events, which began in Miami and later moved to South Florida before making their way to the Pacific Northwest.
“One of the winemakers, Shay Frichette, who co-owns with her husband Frichette Winery in the Tri-City areas here in Washington after COVID, begged me to please move the Women and Wine up to Seattle,” Jones adds.
Building on that momentum, Jones introduced the Men, Wine, and Spirits Dinner, broadening the platform to include a wider range of voices and experiences within the industry.
This year’s event is centered on honoring Lewis’ legacy while highlighting the continued presence and influence of Black professionals in winemaking and distilling, fields where representation has historically been limited.
“We’re not asking for a seat at the table anymore. We’re building our own and inviting the community to witness what happens when legacy meets innovation, when history meets hustle, when community meets craft,” said Jones.
The evening will also feature a curated dining experience by celebrity chef Jerome Brown, designed to complement the wines and spirits being showcased.
Jones emphasized that the event is open to the broader community and is rooted in a larger mission to create access and opportunity.
The dinner supports Urban Connoisseurs’ efforts to connect communities with the wine and food industry while also investing in the next generation through its Black Winemakers Scholarship Fund.
“The Men, Wine, and Spirits Dinner represents more than exceptional wine and bourbon, it’s about honoring where the industry has been while claiming where it’s going, celebrating the men who are rewriting the rules of an industry that historically excluded them,” Jones concludes.
Tickets for the event start at $155, with limited seating available at www.urbanconnoisseurs.com
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