A celebration of Black vintners, chefs and artists in the East Bay
A celebration of Black vintners, chefs and artists this weekend in Oakland and Berkeley
The 14th Annual Black Vines Festival kicks off Thursday. The four-day event showcases Black vintners, chefs, artists and others to break barriers and inspire young people.
OAKLAND, Calif. - An annual Black History Month celebration held in the East Bay kicks off Thursday in Oakland.
Black Vines Festival Weekend continues to grow each year as the event celebrates its 14th anniversary during the last weekend of February.
Right now, there are approximately 100 Black-owned wineries in the country.
Officials say that's less than one percent of the industry.
Fern Stroud is the founder of Black Vines.
She says the annual festival shines a light on black wine and cultural experiences.
On Wednesday, Stroud gave a preview of the events to come that showcases the skills of Black vintners and chefs.
Meanwhile, Joseph Paire, executive chef at the Claremont Hotel, prepared steak frites, a special dish that will be featured on Friday during the Black Vines Festival weekend.
"It's a great social dish. Something you can share if you're hungry. You can have it yourself," said Paire.
It's made with shaved prime rib and served with steak fries with truffle aioli, and cheese.
"It's a decadent, indulgent dish that you can definitely fill yourself up on," said Paire.
The event will be held in the lobby bar of the Claremont.
It's part of a weekend-long festival celebrating black excellence with food and wine, highlighting the skills of artists and vintners.
"This is rose petal. It's 75% roses and 25% hibiscus flowers," said vintner Aaliyah Nitoto, owner of Free Range Flower winery in Livermore, as she showed off bottles of her wines.
She said she's one of only six vintners in the country who makes wine from flowers.
"It's great to be creative. Then it's great to also share what you've created," said Nitoto.
Stround said she created Black Vines to bring the annual festival to break barriers and inspire black youth.
"If you see someone doing things that you never imagined, it opens up your options," Stroud said she wants to show people that wine is accessible to everyone.
This year's event includes a wine tasting and food event to be held on Eighth Street in Berkeley.
Black Vines will offer wines at the Black Joy Parade in Oakland on Sunday.
Stroud said the festival started as a one-day event with dozens of people in attendance.
Last year, the four-day festival in Oakland drew more than 2,500 people.
"We've introduced hundreds, thousands of folks to black-owned vineyards, vintners, and artists," said Stroud.
Black Vines kicks off its festival at the Oakland Museum of California on Thursday.
Stroud recommends people go to the Friday Flo Jazz in the Lobby event at the Claremont Hotel to get a taste of the festival without having to pay the price of admission.
Last year, Stroud expanded the festival from the East Bay to Washington D.C. and Belize.
She is looking for more opportunities to expand.
Amber Lee is a reporter with KTVU. Email Amber at Amber.Lee@Fox.com or text/leave message at 510-599-3922. Follow her on Facebook @AmberKTVU, Instagram @AmberKTVU or Twitter @AmberKTVU
The signature event will be held this Saturday.
On Wednesday, Stroud gave a preview to the events to come that showcases the skills of Black vintners and chefs.
And the festival takes place during the last weekend of February--a celebration of Black History Month.
On Wednesday, Joseph Paire, executive chef at the Claremont Hotel, prepared steak frites, a special dish that will be featured on Friday during the Black Vines Festival weekend.
"It's a great social dish. Something you can share if you're hungry. You can have it yourself," said Paire.
It's made with shaved prime rib and served with steak fries with truffle aioli, and cheese.
"It's a decadent, indulgent dish that you can definitely fill yourself up on," said Paire.
The event will be held in the lobby bar of the Claremont.
It's part of a weekend-long festival celebrating black excellence with food and wine,
highlighting the skills of artists and vintners.
"This is rose petal. It's 75% roses and 25% hibiscus flowers," said vintner Aaliyah Nitoto, owner of Free Range Flower winery in Livermore, as she showed off bottles of her wines.
She said she's one of only 6 vintners in the country who makes wine from flowers.
"It's great to be creative. Then it's great to also share what you've created," said Nitoto.
Stround said she created Black Vines to bring the annual festival to break barriers and inspire black youth.
"If you see someone doing things that you never imagined, it opens up your options," Stroud said she wants to show people that wine is accessible to everyone.
This year's event includes a wine tasting and food event to be held on Eighth Street in Berkeley.
Black Vines will offer wines at the Black Joy Parade in Oakland on Sunday.
Stroud said the festival started as a one-day event with dozens of people in attendance.
Last year, the four-day festival in Oakland drew more than 2,500.
"We've introduced hundreds, thousands of folks to black-owned vineyards, vintners, and artists," said Stroud.
Black Vines kicks off its festival at the Oakland Museum of California on Thursday.
Stroud recommends people go to the Friday Flo Jazz in the Lobby event at the Claremont Hotel to get a taste of the festival without having to pay the price of admission.
Last year, Stroud expanded the festival from the East Bay to Washington D.C. and Belize.
She is looking for more opportunities to expand.
Amber Lee is a reporter with KTVU. Email Amber at Amber.Lee@Fox.com or text/leave message at 510-599-3922. Follow her on Facebook @AmberKTVU, Instagram @AmberKTVU or Twitter @AmberKTVU