News — wine

Coviello Salinès’ father, Freddie Francisco Salinès, introduced him to cooking and winemaking at a young age although his dad wanted him to become a neurosurgeon.

“He wanted me to be like the early Ben Carson, so he would bring home large brain books for me to study,” Coviello told Soul Vision Magazine. “They were 1,000 pages long, breaking down analysis and all this different stuff with him,” according to Travel Noire.

Coviello’s parents migrated to Southern Bronx from the Caribbean. His father was a serviceman while his mother was a nurse. Cooking was his father’s big hobby and he would often pair different wines and beers and things that match with the food that he made, Coviello recalled.

After completing a university in Ohio where he studied biochemistry and minored in petroleum engineering, Coviello worked in the engineering field for a while before he was discouraged from the field by the wide-scale land destruction, racism, and nepotism.

It was at this point that he decided to venture into winemaking, after all, he had been introduced to it in his formative years when his father was alive. He traveled to Geneva to meet his friends. While in Geneva, he learned about the unethical practice of wine coloring. Coviello got to work on a scientific blueprint.

“I started writing out the formula of not only the derivative of grape skins but the anthocyanin compound that is in multiple fruits and vegetables,” he told TravelNoitre. “I also wrote the analysis of spectrum when it came down to the acidic to pH scalability of these different types of skins that allowed the molecular breakdown of that compound to sustain another color.” 

“So at that point, I started researching it, I figured out a formula that I was comfortable with, and I brought it to a few of the researchers and a few of the people that I was close with. And we started to find different areas that we can start sourcing these products,” he said.

He also traveled to Italy, known for producing some of the finest wines in the world, to learn more about preparing wine. He finally managed to come out with a product he so desired.

“It broke down every single avenue of the color spectrum of blue,” he said of the final result. “So when you look at the bottle, it has every single hue of blue attached to it, which I wanted to achieve but I didn’t think it was possible.”

After successful trials, he launched Amour Genève, the world’s first FDA, TTB, and EU-approved natural blue. His blue wine is now making waves in several countries, including the United States. “People are loving it. They’re loving the story. They’re loving the journey and the shape of the business. It’s just, it’s just all beautiful.”

Also, the wine is linked to his father as the wine’s trademark color of blue is his late dad’s favorite color.

Snoop Dogg appears excited about his success in the wine industry following the first release of his brand, Snoop Cali Red. Now the rapper is out with a new Rosé. Dubbed Snoop Cali Rosé, the wine is a blend of Grenache and Zinfandel, which breaks the rules of typical rosé culture with a touch of Cali-behavior and Snoop’s iconic West Coast Style.

Snoop Cali Rosé, launched in partnership with Australian wine brand 19 Crimes, is the first California Rosé and second collaboration with the hip-hop icon.

According to Yahoo Life, rosé is a line of wines inspired by the convicts-turned-colonists who built Australia. And it also comes a year after the African-American rapper debuted Snoop Cali Red, which was the top-selling wine innovation of 2020.

“We did it big with 19 Crimes Cali Red, so you know we had to do it again – and this time, I was thinking pink,” Snoop said in a statement. “I can’t wait for everyone to sip on my Snoop Cali Rosé and bring those fresh feels from spring into summer and beyond. I hope when you open a bottle of this wine you take a little mind trip to my Cali home. This is how we Rosé the Snoop Dogg way!”

The launch of Snoop’s newest Rosé comes on the heels of a collaboration between the rapper and 19 Crimes that saw his Snoop Cali Red becoming the number one selling wine innovation of 2020. Snoop Cali Red also allowed customers of the brand to directly speak to Snoop Dogg dubbed the AR experience, “Ask the Doggfather.”

Following the launch of Snoop Cali Rosé, customers will also have the same “Ask the Doggfather” experience. According to the statement, fans can log on askthedoggfather.com on a mobile device and scan the bottle’s label.

Beyond his wine business, Snoop has also immersed himself in the food industry; he collaborated with Dunkin’ to make a sandwich, co-hosted a dinner party show, and holds a Guinness World Record for mixing the world’s largest gin and juice, according to delish.com.

Although Snoop isn’t one of the convicts that built Australia, his association with 19 Crimes is expected to bring a more modern-day element to the brand’s wine selection.

“Snoop embodies the spirit of 19 Crimes–rule breaking, culture creating and overcoming adversity,” marketing vice president of the Americas for Treasury Wine Estates John Wardley said in an announcement.

The wine industry has been known for being notoriously white but there are many examples of Black entrepreneurs who have not only been able to enter the market but also find ways to thrive. These twin sisters have found a way to integrate culture with their love of rosé wine to create a new brand.

Nichelle and Nicole Nichols are the founders of Guilty Grape, a newly launched wine brand of rosé packaged in the micro-vineyards in Napa Valley at an affordable price. “As Black women and wine lovers, we became increasingly frustrated with the lack of Black representation and inclusion within the wine industry,” said the sisters in an email interview with BLACK ENTERPRISE.

“From marketing efforts to the type of wines being offered to our community (typically sweet wines), we noticed that the African American market was an afterthought in wine. Our culture deserves more, so we decided to join the other small groups of Black industry disruptors by starting The Guilty Grape to include those overlooked consumers.”

Coming from an entertainment background, the sisters wanted to create a brand that offered representation for other Black women who like to indulge in wine with their own business aspirations. “There is no easy access point into the wine industry, but it was abundantly clear that our mere presence was disruptive to the norm,” they added.”Between being young, Black, female, finding the right resources, and building the right relationships —there were many hurdles.”

The brand plans on expanding its collection to include Chardonnay and Cabernet options at a later date.