Wine tastings go virtual
And boost winemakers on the rise
Arizona-based Wine Spencer offers 12 themed tasting experiences, including several classes that support Black and female winemakers and wineries.
A new Arizona-based wine-tasting events company is offering virtual experiences that “support the next generation of Black and female wine professionals.”
Wine Spencer, founded by sisters and sommeliers Shaunna Cooper and Shayla Smith, offers 12 themed tasting experiences, including South African Wine Tour, Female Winemakers and Ancient World Wines.
Cooper, the co-founder and chief wine taster, is based in Phoenix. Co-founder and Chief Wine Pairing Officer Smith lives in New York City.
In honor of Black History Month, some of the proceeds from the Black-Owned Wineries and Female Winemakers experiences booked this month will benefit the Black Winemakers Scholarship Fund.
The scholarship’s goal is “to affect sustainable growth in the winemaking community by increasing the number of winemakers of African descent in the U.S., create opportunities for the next generation to pursue various careers in the wine industry and maintain brand and legacy for the Generation after Next,” according to its website.
“Black History Month is about celebrating our own heritage while also supporting minority winemakers traditionally left out of the wine industry,” Shaunna Cooper said in a statement.
What is Wine Spencer?
Wine Spencer, named after Cooper and Smith’s father, grandfather and great-grandfather, has offered virtual and in-person tasting events since the sisters founded it a year ago.
Cooper and Smith call it a “contemporary wine brand that exists to inspire people to decant and appreciate the taste of wine from professional and business events to private occasions and social celebrations,” according to Wine Spencer’s website.
They also “have a strong desire to redefine what wine means and give it a modern significance, especially among minority communities, diverse ethnicities and cultures that have been traditionally not been catered to by the wine industry.”
Both sisters have earned the Wine Spirit and Education Trust Level 2 Award, which is “a beginner- to intermediate-level qualification exploring wines, suitable for industry professionals and wine enthusiasts,” according to the Wine and Spirit Education Trust website.
Wine Spencer’s virtual wine tastings
Here’s the complete list of Wine Spencer’s tasting experiences:
● Wine 101.
● Old World vs. New World.
● All White Everything.
● All Red Everything.
● Let’s Get Bubbly.
● South African Wine Tour.
● Black-Owned Wineries/Winemakers.
● Female Winemakers.
● Ancient World Wines.
● Food and Wine Consultation.
● Create Your Own.
● Seasonal (Holiday Wine Guide, Rose All Day).
How to book a virtual wine tasting
Wine Spencer’s virtual tastings start at $25 per person. Once an experience is booked, Smith and Cooper will recommend the wines to purchase ahead of the event. The participants must obtain the wines themselves.
The Female Winemakers class will “start with Barbe-Nicole and how in 1805 she turned Veuve Clicquot into the worldwide brand it is today. From there we will learn about modern-day winemakers from South America, South Africa and the United States who are blazing new trails in the male-dominated wine industry.”
The Black-Owned Wineries class will “offer wines from around the world and present each region, the climate, the terroir and how it all contributes to the distinctive winemaking style of the producer.”
To learn more about each class, visit winespencer.com/classes. To book a tasting, visit winespencer.com/drink-with-us or email contact@winespencer.com.
Reach the reporter at kimi.robinson@gannett.com or at 602444-4968. Follow her on Twitter @kimirobin and Instagram @ReporterKiMi.