Meet Marcia Jones

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Marcia Jones. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Marcia below.

Hi Marcia, so excited to talk about all sorts of important topics with you today. The first one we want to jump into is about being the only one in the room – for some that’s being the only person of color or the only non-native English speaker or the only non-MBA, etc. Can you talk to us about how you managed to be successful even when you were the only one in the room that looked like you?

Interesting question. It really doesn’t make sense because it implies being effective/successful is defined by overcoming adversity or that I’ve given other people the power to determine my destiny. It simply isn’t true. I look at it differently. These people in the room who don’t look like me are now blessed because I’m in the room, and I walk with the spirit of God who has been my strength and guide throughout my life, and even more so on this wine journey where many people don’t share my skin shade.

I think you should ask the other people in the room…”How does it feels to be in the room with Marcia? How is it, you didn’t know about her before. She’s impacted and influenced so many people’s lives through this wine journey, and she’s not even a Social Media Influencer! She’s so vibrant and full of life. The room lights up when she walks in. Clearly, you can see she has a passion for what she does. Not just a passion, but a deep love. Her smile never breaks as she shares her almost accidental, but quite possibly a calling to connect wine connoisseurs to Black winemakers, to impact the next generation of winemakers. She does what she can (and without all the fanfare) to help build diversity in the wine industry. She is a wonderful storyteller and can magically bring a glass of wine to life simply by sharing its origins. By origins, the story behind the person who planted the grapes, their inspiration to plant a particular varietal. She shares their inspiration to make wine the way they make wine, and so much more. How is it you people in this room have never heard about her, and the wonderful work she has done with Black students who study viticulture, enology, or agriculture to inspire them to consider a career in the wine industry. How is it you didn’t know that a few years ago, she started the Black Winemakers Scholarship Fund that gave 2 – $5,000 to these students, and that this year she awarded 3 students $10,000 each”.

You should ask, why is it these people in this room who don’t look like me haven’t contributed to my work to help increase a diverse wine space so all feel welcome that she’s been doing since 2011?

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I founded Urban Connoisseurs, LLC in 2011. What started out as an appreciation for the great wines and hospitality experience, I received on my first visit to a few Black owned vineyards (Black Coyote-now closed and Vision Cellars) in California in 2011, has turned into a business that truly brings people, winemakers, and wine together on multiple levels. I started this business not for fame and recognition (though recognition is always appreciated-SMILE), but because I saw a lack more of diversity in the industry, as well as a lack of knowledge on the part of the consumers (including myself) that there were a small but good number of Black winemakers who people didn’t know about.

Urban Connoisseurs, LLC was created to connect people who love wine (and some who don’t) to the Black winemakers. What started for me as a lot of work (sales and marketing for a few Black winemakers), has morphed into something that doesn’t seem like work at all, but rather fun and full of love.

I started out doing wine tastings (small and festival tastings, and sales & marketing). I loved the smaller events. I was excited to share wines and stories in a setting that gave the consumer the opportunity to ask questions and learn new. I soon learned I didn’t love the large festival settings where some people came because they paid a one-time price and wanted to drink as much free wine as they possibly could. Most of those people weren’t interested in the winemaker or the story behind the wine.

I have a wine club where members receive quarterly shipments of 4 different wines from 4 different Black winemakers. I love reviewing the wines to decide which ones I want to feature each quarter. I love sending the quarterly newsletter that tells the story about the wine and the winemaker. I love hearing from my members about their experience tasting these wines that they perhaps would have never thought about.

I thought that was the most exciting thing I was doing. Then, one day I met the owner of a restaurant in Hayward, CA, and we started talking about creating “Meet the Winemaker” dinners. I worked with his Sommelier and chef, and we created a 6-month (spring and summer) wine dinner series where we featured one Black winemaker each month. We created a 5-course dinner specifically for the wines from each featured winemaker. After the first dinner, a few guests asked if they could join me the next time we reviewed the wines and give their input. So, I created two types of tickets: VIP with the option to attend the wine review 3 weeks prior to the dinner; and General Admission with dinner and wine. The VIP option was so exciting. It gave me, the chef, and Sommelier the opportunity to listen to the guests prior to selecting the wines and dishes for the menu. The guests also stayed and had dinner at the restaurant, so the owner appreciated that. That was a special time. Sadly, it only lasted for 6 months. By the next year COVID-19 hit.

I also created the annual Women in Wine Celebration Dinner, which I hosted on a yacht in Miami and Ft. Lauderdale for 2 years. This event brought Black women in wine from the US, South Africa, and France together where I highlighted 1 wine from five different women winemakers and created a 5-course dinner. The guest loved it! I also created the first annual Men in Wine Celebration Dinner in San Francisco. Then COVID-19 hit.

Like so many people, I lost friends and loved ones to COVID-19. I also took a huge hit with my business. I had started filming for my documentary, “Journey between the Vines: The Black Winemakers’ Story” and working on my book about Black winemakers. COVID-19 took so much out of me. My business was mostly based on face-2-face experiences. For the first year of COVID-19, I just wanted to wait it out. I didn’t want to go the route of virtual event. But, when it became clear, this pandemic wasn’t going away soon, I decided to join the virtual world. In 2021, I hosted the 1st International Winemakers Summit, bringing together Black winemakers from around the world onto the virtual screen. It was a 3-day summit with sessions throughout the day. Discussions ranged from: Surviving and Thriving Through the Pandemic, How to Maintain Wine Club Membership, How to Grow Wine Club, What Does it Take to Distribute Retail, Checking the Pulse of the Winemaker, and more.

The summit was a huge success. Not only did Black winemakers participate in panel discussions, but professionals in the industry, aspiring professionals, wine connoisseurs, and anyone interested in learning more, registered.

The 2nd annual International Winemakers Summit in 2022 was also virtual. But in 2023, we hosted the 3rd International Winemakers Summit at Longevity Winery in Livermore. I received a grant to host a Black vineyard tour for students who were studying viticulture, enology, and/or agriculture. I combined the tour (entitled, The Bridge Builder Initiative-Connecting Students to Black Winemakers) with the summit. We toured 4 vineyards in California. The tour ended in Livermore, where the students had the opportunity to meet over 20 Black winemakers from California, Oregon, Texas, Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland, New York, Washington, Canada, and South Africa.

I felt this by far, is what excites me most, impacting the next generation. However, I realize I get excited by all the opportunities that have come my way.

However, in 2022, and with the Pandemic behind us, I decided to move both my Women and Men in Wine Celebration to Seattle, Washington. 2024 will be my 5th annual Women in Wine, and 4th annual Men in Wine. Each event sells out and exposes returning and new guests to Black winemakers. It also gives space for these winemakers to enjoy the fruit of their labor, meet one another (yes, they don’t know every Black winemaker), and not feel like a novelty (their words not mine).

I’m also excited about the new relationships I have formed with several HBCUs that have agriculture programs. I’ve been invited to speak to students, staff, and other agriculture professionals about the opportunities available in the wine industry with an agriculture degree.

Lastly, but not least, 2024 brings even more excitement. I’m working on finishing my documentary and book. I’ve forged a new relationship with a car dealership and will host my first wine tasting at the dealership on January 17th. And I hope there are more tastings to come. I’m consulting on a project to develop a vineyard and winery in a country in Africa, and so much more. I’m on the committee for The Soul of Seattle, an event bringing Black owned restaurant owners, Black winemakers, and other Black owned food and beverage owners together for an evening of celebrating these Black Food and Beverage Artists. And, of course, I love my wine club members and I’m getting excited about creating new experiences for my members and growing the club.

All of this, through the struggles and hardships, and victories, bring me joy, and my creative juices always get excited about what’s next!

1/17 – Wine Down Wednesday, Marysville Toyota
2/10 – The Soul of Seattle, Bloc 41, Belltown Seattle
3/24 – Annual Women in Wine Celebration Dinner, Osteria la Spiga, Seattle
6/22 – Rosé in Black, and wine festival featuring Black winemakers who make Rosé wines (location TBD)
July 30 – Annual International Winemakers Summit, Frichette Winery, Red Mountain, WA
Nov – Annual Men in Wine Celebration Dinner

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Hospitality, Hospitality, Hospitality! If you don’t know how to be kind to others, how to treat them as if they were a guest or family member visiting your home, all the wine knowledge means NOTHING.

You can learn how to pour wine. You can learn how to taste and distinguish the many different varietals. You can learn how to sell and market wine. Hospitality comes from the heart. If you don’t have that quality in your character, don’t go into this industry.

If you knew you only had a decade of life left, how would you spend that decade?
Raising money for my documentary. I have raised money for my scholarship fund. Obtained grants to help students and winemakers come together. I hit a roadblock when it comes to the documentary.

Contact Info:

Image Credits
Image taken with Marcia’s phone at wine dinner at Playt Restaurant.

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