What I Poured at My Fellow's Forum

A wine list inspired by Monticello's Black winemakers.

My time at the International Center for Jefferson Studies is a wrap. In late May, I presented my research at a public forum titled Black Winemaking at Monticello, followed by an impromptu tasting. A big thank you to friends, Tracey and Tiffany, who helped pour. I wanted to present wines representative of the fruits the enslaved community would have had access to at Monticello or in the forests: Apples, currants, grapes, plums, etc.

Admittedly, I was introduced to most of the featured winemakers at [ABV] Ferments, a bi-annual wine summit founded by Jahdé Marley. I wrote a piece about their previous gathering, which took place in Oakland this past winter. [ABV] Ferments is returning to Brooklyn for its fifth volume on Tuesday, July 16th. Tickets are live with options to attend in person or virtually.

Now, onto the wines:

Patois Bricolage 2021

Cider | Virginia | $28/bottle

I knew I needed to include cider on the list. The obvious choice was Patois, a small cider project that relies on foraging apples from abandoned orchards. Bricolage is the culmination of that vision, made from roughly 100 different crab, heirloom, and seedling apple trees in Virginia. A non-stuffy cider with lots of complexity, acid, and tannin (Imagine biting into a tart apple with thick skin). Cidermaker Patrick Collins gave me an extra bottle to cellar for a year.