Cassandra Schaeg: "Fresh Glass" is brought to you by Visit California.

California: dream big.

♪♪♪ Cassandra: The Conrad Prebys Foundation, Stone Brewing, Beyond Law, KPBS Explore, the Villegas Family Fund, Jonathan & Christina Barbarin, Gemma & Ross Blain, the Clarke Family, with additional contributions by "Fresh Glass" innovators.

♪♪♪ Cassandra: And viewers like you.

Thank you.

For a complete list of financial contributors, please visit www.FreshGlassProductions.com.

Cassandra: It's nearly harvest time here in two of Northern California's largest and most renowned wine regions: Livermore and Lodi.

These areas have been producing wine since the mid-1800s, but the future generation of winemaking is bursting with new and innovative ideas.

Chris Rivera: I've poured at low-rider shows.

I've poured at pop-up events.

The wine by Latinos unique enough, I'm always the only one there.

Cassandra: Here, a crop of vibrant winemakers are making a name for themselves, with unique blends that give new meaning to "wake up and smell the roses."

Cassandra: It smells like a bouquet of flowers.

Cassandra: With the help of mentors, they are mixing old traditions with new ideas and creating wines for the future.

Cassandra: I'm Cassandra Schaeg, entrepreneur, adventurer, and wine and beer enthusiast.

Food, beverage, and entrepreneurship are growing with women and BIPOC innovators creating brands and making a name for themselves.

Teo Hunter: Welcome to Crowns Inglewood, baby.

Cassandra: Join me on adventures and discover why they started, what drives them, and how representation is the cornerstone of their passion.

Cassandra: What do you come to do?

all: Sip.

Cassandra: I'm creating a space for people who look like me to share their stories and their spirits.

This is "Fresh Glass."

♪♪♪ Cassandra: Livermore, California is 35 miles east of San Francisco and part of the tri-valley wine region.

In 1840, Robert Livermore planted his first crop, and nearly two centuries later, the area has over 50 wineries.

It is one of the oldest wine regions in California.

I took a trip to Livermore to check out the town.

Cassandra: Which is about a 9- to 10-hour drive from San Diego.

We have to stop frequently so you can stretch.

Cassandra: Hi.

I don't know how they do it.

Cassandra: Here, a crop of vibrant winemakers are making a name for themselves.

Phil Long: What's up, girl?

Cassandra: Hi, Phil.

Phil: Hey, how are you doing?

Cassandra: Phil Long is the owner of Longevity winery in Livermore, California.

He and his late wife, Debra Long, opened Longevity in 2008.

Cassandra: What's your favorite of your wines?

Phil: My favorite wine of all time is whatever is in my glass at the time.

Cassandra: In your journey, has there ever been moments where you're wanting to throw in the towel?

Phil: Sure, the wine business is challenging.

I remember asking a young winemaker where does he want to be in five years.

He says, "Man, I just don't want to screw it up."

You only get one shot a year, and I kind of just don't want to screw it up.

Cassandra: That shot is coming.

The vineyards just across the street from Phil's winery will be harvested near the end of the summer.

We walked through the vineyard, where Phil reflected on his wine journey.

Cassandra: So when did you fall in love with wine?

Phil: Debra and I loved wine in Southern California but didn't know much about it, and for our anniversary once a friend of mine gave us this bottle.

It was BV Syrah, and I'm like, "Syrah, what's that?"

I didn't even know what Syrah was.

I thought it was a cheaper wine.

I literally had no idea.

And we're sipping the wine and I'm like, "This is the first wine I've ever had that I've ever tasted the fruit."

It totally changed my outlook on wine.

Cassandra: So I'm going to--I think I got it right as to why the name is Longevity, but I don't want to make assumptions.

Phil: You got it right.

Debra came up with the name.

When we were making wine in the garage, we were trying to think of a name and I said, "Well, you know, let's just use Long Family Cellars."

And she says, "What?

Long family?

Who else you see cleaning up this crap beside you and me?"

So she came up with Longevity, and it has stuck.

Cassandra: Yes.

Cassandra: Phil and Debra made their wine together from 2002 until 2019, when Debra passed after a long battle with pancreatic cancer.

The tattoo on Phil's arm honors his wife, who worked hard to establish their brand.

Phil's son, Phil Jr., stepped in to help continue the legacy.

Phil: When Debra was diagnosed with cancer, he didn't want me to go through it alone.

Cassandra: Helping others is something equally important to Phil.

He's the president of the Association of African American Vintners, also known as AAAV.

Phil: It's founded back in 2002 by Mac McDonald.

We just started with the few African Americans that found each other within the industry decided to band together and share resources 'cause there were--there weren't a lot of them, they're just three to start, so-- Cassandra: And now that you're in the mix?

Phil: Now that we're in the mix, we're over 200 members strong and growing.

We've grown, I think, 500% last year.

Cassandra: But what has being a part of that mean to you?

Phil: I never set out to be a black winemaker.

Being black is just what I am.

But once you're in the industry and you realize how few there are, it's like, "Why is this this way?

Why does that bowl of jelly beans that represent all the colors of people who enjoy wine, how come it doesn't look the same for the people who make wine?"

Right now it's just about trying to get those jelly beans to look a lot closer 'cause if you look at the bowls who make it you're going to be hard pressed to find anything else but a white jelly bean in there.

Cassandra: What does that mean for the future generation of winemaking?

Phil: That's the first step is awareness, especially to young African Americans and young people of color in this country, that the wine industry is something that they can participate in.

The second thing--the second barrier usually is financial.

So we're trying to provide scholarships in many factions of the industry, not just in winemaking, to get a more diverse landscape much more than what it looks like today.

Cassandra: Talk more about mentorship.

Phil: Part of the whole process of AAAV is mentoring others and helping them come along; and me trying to share those experiences and help others is part of what I do, is part of what we do.

Cassandra: What convinced you to have Aaliyah next door to you or to share space at Longevity?

Phil: So when Aaliyah and Sam were looking to expand out of a shipping container and needed some more space, I got in touch with them and we started talking and I'm glad we could be a part of their journey.

Cassandra: The journey for Aaliyah Nitoto begins with a centuries-old process of winemaking, and it doesn't include grapes.

Cassandra: It's so good to see you.

Cassandra: I went back to Longevity to check out Free Range Flower Winery.

Cassandra: Tell me about the history of flower wine.

Aaliyah Nitoto: The thing about flower wine is it's always been around.

They're also called garden wines, sometimes farm wines or cottage wines; and they're basically wines that women were doing in their home.

They would take herbs and flowers from their garden and create alcoholic beverages for actually their whole family.

The style of flower wine I do is indicative of what was happening in Europe, the 1600s, but kind of updated.

Cassandra: What got you into this?

Aaliyah: I love wine, and I was a biologist.

I studied biology at Mills College.

Cassandra: That's all-girls school.

Aaliyah: Yes; when I was at Mills I actually applied for internships at wineries in Napa, and I didn't get one internship and I basically said, "Okay, I'm going to take my education."

And I also studied herbalism.

And as I was studying, I find out about different ways people can use herbs, and this was there.

They were--it was like, "You can also make wine."

And I was like-- Cassandra: Done.

Cassandra: What she has created are unique blends of wines using flowers such as roses, hibiscus, and lavender; and she's getting a lot of attention for it.

It truly is a big deal from where she started.

Aaliyah: I don't have a farm, and I don't harvest.

I source my flowers.

For me and my partner Sam, we pooled about $20,000, which anybody, you know, knows in the wine business, they're like-- Cassandra: That's funny.

Aaliyah: That's beyond funny.

We--that's what we started the winery on, and I actually started it in a 320-square-foot shipping container.

Cassandra: Her budget was small, her space was small, and even the support from others was small.

Aaliyah: I did have one winery owner at one point say, "I had a girl working here before with her wine, and I'm not sure if I want that again."

Cassandra: Luckily for Aaliyah, she found someone who saw her talent: Phil Long.

Cassandra: How has Phil Long been a mentor to you?

Aaliyah: I didn't know about any other African-American winemakers really.

The thing that kind of really floored me is-- we're in this shipping container.

It's too small.

You only have 320 square feet.

We can't make any more wine, and he goes, "I'm moving into this new space and there'll be plenty of room.

Maybe you'll want to come in with me."

And I was like, "Yeah?"

Cassandra: You now have a wine family of other black winemakers and retailers and people supporting you.

Aaliyah: And I also have the Livermore wine community, which I didn't know I was going to get coming here.

It's like there's a lot of women winemakers here, which are really awesome.

At the beginning when I was having a really hard time entering, now I found a community of women and other winemakers who are just really open and helpful.

Cassandra: Aaliyah has grown; she now produces close to 500 cases of wine a year.

And you know what comes next.

Cassandra: All right, so this smells very delightful.

Aaliyah: Yes, so this is rose hibiscus--called rose hibiscus.

It's 75% hibiscus flowers, 25% roses.

Cassandra: Well, it smells like a bouquet of flowers.

This is even lighter than like a pinot.

Aaliyah: It's the one that's the closest to something that's familiar.

Cassandra: Generally speaking, what sets your wine apart from other wines, with the exception that it's not grapes?

Aaliyah: It's what you get from flowers out of the gate, whereas with grape wines they're really trying to cultivate those flavors.

I started making these wines the exact same way people were making them hundreds of years ago, in my kitchen in a pot for my friends.

Five years later, here I am.

Cassandra: Aaliyah's signature wine is her lavender sparkling with lemon, and I was excited to try this one.

Cassandra: What inspired you to do this?

Aaliyah: This as my first one, once I found out about-- Cassandra: Oh, what?

Lavender and lemon.

Aaliyah: It was a no-brainer.

I love lavender everything.

Cassandra: So this is the wine where I'm going to be smelling it more than be drinking it, because it smells so good.

Aaliyah: The lavender is one of my absolute top sellers.

Cassandra: What advice do you have for entrepreneurs who are women getting into an industry where there's not a lot of people that look like us?

What's your advice, words of wisdom?

Aaliyah: My word of wisdom is to go for it.

When it comes to being a woman and experiencing gender discrimination or racial discrimination, it's going to always be there, so we just got to keep going.

If you want something, you keep going.

You push forward and eventually you get where you're supposed to be.

Cassandra: Congratulations.

Aaliyah: Thank you.

Cassandra: I'm so happy for you.

♪♪♪ Cassandra: I had a taste of flowers, but now it's back to grapes.

I'm heading up to Lodi, California.

It's an hour north of Livermore and 35 miles south of Sacramento.

This region has been growing grapes since the mid-1800s, and with over 110,000 acres of vines, it's the largest and most diverse wine region in California.

Chris Rivera is one of Lodi's newest young winemakers.

His wine, Seis Soles, is branded as traditional wines designed for the modern palate.

Cassandra: What does Seis Soles mean?

Chris: Seis Soles--my parents are from Michoacán, Mexico.

And I'm born and raised here, but I went off the Aztec creation myth.

They thought they were the chosen people of the fifth sun god, and I interpret that--us as the Latinos now live under the sixth sun as we grow in purchasing power, political power and all that.

So we've been growing grapes and picking grapes for generations, but now we're landowners and brand owners.

Cassandra: Gerardo Espinosa is one of the few Hispanic landowners in the valley.

Gerardo is a third-generation farmer.

His grandfather came to this area as a farmer during the 1942 Bracero Program that allowed Mexican farmers to work on short term.

Gerardo's grandfather eventually began purchasing land and today the family owns 160 acres of vineyards in the Lodi area.

Cassandra: What does harvest look like out here?

Gerardo Espinosa: Beautiful, I mean, it's right around the corner; once harvest comes, it's all hands on deck.

Probably I won't see my family as much, but, you know, I just want my family to see that, you know, our heritage, our roots are showcasing and are being expressed in a bottle or in a vineyard.

I try to tell that to my son.

You know, this is where our grandfather or--you know, I'm the third generation, so he will be the fourth generation.

"You know, you're a fourth-generation farmer."

That's one of the goals, is to leave that imprint that-- you know, that heritage has--can do wine also.

Cassandra: Gerardo was not only a landowner; he also produces premium wines of his own under the name Anaya Vineyards.

While Gerardo's wines showcase the lush vineyards, Chris approaches his winemaking from a different angle.

Cassandra: Your red blend that you're pouring?

Chris: Yeah, it's a blend of Syrah and cabernet, and the cabernet comes from this vineyard actually.

Taking my skill set to make wines that I think people want to drink when they're getting into wine, right?

I think this cabernet has a lot of structure-underlying components that make it a longer aging, so I thought it was perfect for something that I would call reserve.

Cassandra: What are some of the characteristics of your grapes in this wine?

Chris: In my style is more creating a tasting experience that I want people to have.

What I like is that the cabernet brings that structure underlying kind of a dryness, not necessarily overwhelming tannins, for something that has some substance, some ageability; and on that I use Syrah to kind of layer some texture.

The idea was to kind of create a really approachable but structured wine.

Cassandra: What's the legacy you want to leave, sir?

Chris: You know, I started Seis Soles specifically seeing that Latinos were wine curious but not necessarily feeling they were welcomed in the space, and I think that goes across all the BIPOC community.

What I want to see is that--if I can create a situation where Latinos feel comfortable getting into wine culture, right?

We all know wine is not the most serious thing or anything like that.

It's not like we need it, but we are engaging in these communities, we're spending money, and we're enjoying different things like wine and tequila and spirits.

So why can't wine be the case?

And so that's what I want to leave with Seis Soles.

Cassandra: Well, thank you; thank you for keeping your legacies alive and thriving and moving forward and, you know, chasing your passions.

Cheers.

Cassandra: Growing the grapes and processing the wine are a small part of creating a wine brand.

Chris and I talked about the realities of building a successful label.

Cassandra: How hard is it to get your brand out there?

Chris: Hard; to build a brand now, people really want to have some authenticity with it.

I've moved down to Los Angeles.

The idea is that if I'm really going to create a brand that speaks to Latinos, I kind of need to go where they are at.

Cassandra: You're a Mexican winemaker.

Describe the wine community within your culture.

Chris: Just like, I think, the black community, we're not a monolith, so when people say, "What do Mexicans think about wine?"

I'm like, "Well, which segment?"

Within my own Mexican community, what I'm seeing is that people have an interest.

There's curiosity.

You know, they like food and they like celebration, we know that, but the idea is that we've always turned to beer and tequila, right?

And we have worldwide renowned cuisine.

How are we not going to have the taste capability to enjoy wine?

Cassandra: What are you pouring?

Chris: Right here I have a 2019 SolTierra.

This is a blend of cab, Petite Sirah, Petite Verdot, Merlot.

This is my high-end, my top bottle, right?

This is one you can create when you want to have a special occasion and--or maybe put away for a while.

Cassandra: What is some of the advice that you have for future Mexican winemakers who want to get into this craft?

Because a lot of people that I've spoken to say they didn't even know that this path was available to them.

Chris: Yeah, 100%, I fell into it too, first generation.

My parents didn't have any wine at home, right?

First of all, choose the education path but take any job.

And if you're young, take a restaurant job where you're maybe a pourer, but you might be around wine, some wine professionals.

Take an entry-level job at a winery.

But if you're also like me when I started this way late in my life, don't take no for an answer.

Cassandra: You talked about Joseph Smith being a mentor to you and how you got started working at Klinker Brick.

Joseph Smith is the famed Belizean winemaker.

How has he been influential in your life and in your winemaking process, and what are some of the takeaways that you've learned from him?

Chris: I think the main thing is that, like, I came in a situation where my impression was that folks are going to be pretty like--they're going to clutch pearls, right?

They're going to make sure that you can't come and take their job; they're not gonna wanna tell you stuff.

I came into an opportunity where someone said, "Hey, I just need work done.

I need you to help me get this done.

We have a vision."

And I told him, "Hey, I'm interested in winemaking."

He's like, "Cool.

Do your job.

And if I give you more responsibilities and you're able to handle it all, I'm going to keep giving you responsibilities," and that's exactly what happened.

Cassandra: Back in the barrel room, we spoke with Belizean winemaker Joseph Smith.

Joseph has helped put Lodi's wine community on the map.

He owns Vinture Wine Company, which produces SIP Moscato, Concrete, and JSL wines.

But he's also a mentor to winemakers.

His generous spirit has helped people like Chris get started.

Cassandra: First time I saw you was in Wine Enthusiast Magazine.

You were in their picture looking fly with a glass of wine; talk about that article.

Joseph Smith: A few winemakers like myself and a few other women winemakers were making Petite Sirah standalone.

So Wine Enthusiast was amazed with the quality of those Petite Sirahs, and I was actually chosen as one of the Petite Sirah to be in the article.

Cassandra: Your name is synonymous here in Lodi.

Chris attributes his growth and journey in the winemaking to you.

Joseph: Oh, really?

Cassandra: He does, he does.

How important is mentorship, and how have you seen Chris grow over the years creating Seis Soles?

Chris: Don't make me cry.

Joseph: So I think it's best if you can find that one person that actually believes in you and challenge you.

I think that's the thing me and Chris had.

I remember he came and said, "Hey, I'm thinking to start my own brand."

And I'm like, "Okay."

I told him, "Look, I have no problem with that.

I think that's awesome."

'Cause he saw me already doing a little bit of the branding stuff and I think that's motivating to him, you know.

He actually touched wine, and he says--he tell people, "Hey, Joe has a lot with my growth, he helped me a lot along the way."

So I want to see that succeed.

Cassandra: What's the legacy that you want to leave?

Joseph: So I want to make sure that when I leave, it lives on with the generations, 'cause I have a whole 'nother generation coming from Belize.

Cassandra: So if there is a celebrity that you'd want to help you get Seis Soles off the ground and out to the community, who would it be?

Chris: I would go for Eva Longoria, yeah.

I have a Mexican-owned brand.

If you want to come on board, we got you.

We're looking for some partners.

Cassandra: I want to try everyone's wine over dinner.

Bring your bottles.

Bring your bottles.

Let's go to this party.

Cassandra: Wine pairings are always fun, and Chris knows how to pair his wines with authentic Mexican cuisine.

From charcuterie to traditional desserts, it was a culinary feast.

I tried Chris, Gerardo, and Joseph's wine with this amazing spread.

Cassandra: We have this lovely festive pairing that is true to Mexican roots, but I'mma let you tell me what you have in front of me so I can get to eatin' what you're pairing it with.

Chris: We have a couple to talk about here.

We'll probably start with the ceviche.

Joseph: So I'm actually pairing my rosé, which is the JSL rosé.

It's called Saignée rosé, named after my daughter; it's a rosé of Grenache, Mourvèdre, Cinsault, and Carignane; and I actually do a true-style rosé.

I wanted to stay true to the Provencean style, but at the same time I wanted to make it California.

So ours is a little bit more on the fruitier side, but it will pair really, really well with that ceviche.

Cassandra: Awesome.

What do we have up next?

Gerardo: We have some mole here.

I picked my Nebbiolo to pair with mole.

The Nebbiolo is very high acids, high tannins.

And I think the mole with the sweetness and with the chocolate, it really satisfy your palate very well.

Our Nebbiolo is from the vineyard that we were earlier today.

Cassandra: Yeah, I'm actually drinking the Nebbiolo.

Gerardo: You are drinking the Nebbiolo.

So now you can pair the mole with the Nebbiolo.

You know, that's one of the dishes that--you know, you have a cow.

You have peanuts.

You have aguachile.

I mean, you have so many different ingredients that-- I mean, I believe there's more than 20 or 30 different ingredients in mole itself, you know, so-- Cassandra: Sweet, spicy, rich.

Chris: And so some of the other things that I didn't pair--we are setting up, put a whole course out, so we actually had some bits and bites that you can grab.

We included queso Oaxaca, queso fresco.

And then we have different, like, guayaba fruit paste.

So we're talking about messing with salty and sweet and mixing those flavors.

Once again, it could have been a traditional charcuterie, but we're trying to make a more Latino dish.

So I wanted to pair that with the white and the rosé.

My white is more of a softer approach to white, not as acidic but not sweet.

And then my white rosé is slightly sweet.

So it's fun to play with those flavors.

And then to wrap it up I have my Gran Reserva that we talked about today pairing with a dessert out of Guadalajara called Jericalla.

Everybody knows flan.

This is like a regional version of it, where it has a harder top almost like a crème brûlée but it's not caramelized like that.

Cassandra: I'll be the judge of that.

So say that name again.

Chris: Jericalla.

Cassandra: Jericalla.

Oh, Lord.

Yes.

Chris: So I mean, we're just wrapping up a fun meal with a slightly sweet dish, and we're trying to create a dessert but not necessarily something that's super sweet that will overpower the wine.

♪♪♪ Cassandra: Throughout this adventure, I've seen how the impact of mentorship enables more women and BIPOC brands in the wine industry.

Cassandra: Cheers to the past, present, and future faces and generations of wine.

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

all: Cheers.

male: Salud.

Cassandra: And thank you for joining me on this episode of "Fresh Glass."

♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ Cassandra: "Fresh Glass" is brought to you by Visit California.

California: dream big.

♪♪♪ Cassandra: The Conrad Prebys Foundation, Stone Brewing, Beyond Law, KPBS Explore, the Villegas Family Fund, Jonathan & Christina Barbarin, Gemma & Ross Blain, the Clarke Family, with additional contributions by "Fresh Glass" innovators.

♪♪♪ Cassandra: And viewers like you.

Thank you.

For a complete list of financial contributors, please visit www.FreshGlassProductions.com.

Cassandra: On the next episode of "Fresh Glass," Iris DuPont che Rideau is America's first Creole woman to own a winery in the United States.

Her story is the history of black America.

Iris DuPont che Rideau: In the South, when we approached a white person, we even had to kneel off the sidewalk in the mud.

I'm not even 10 years old.

Cassandra: Iris knew she wanted a different life.

Iris: I think if you just keep dreaming and do your thing, it just keeps evolving.

Cassandra: Tune in to the next episode of "Fresh Glass."

female announcer: Support for this program comes from the KPBS Explore Local Content fund, supporting new ideas and programs for San Diego.

Cassandra: To learn more and support our guests, visit us at www.freshglassproductions.com.

♪♪♪