Fresh Glass

female announcer: "Fresh Glass" is brought to you by: Visit California.

University of California.

Cal State University San Marcos.

CCAE Theatricals, transforming lives through theater, creating pathways in the arts, inspiring the next generation of arts leaders.

Maya's Cookies, you can visit their locations or order online at mayascookies.com.

The County of San Diego Black Chamber of Commerce.

Computers 2 Kids.

Lifetime Smiles of Escondido.

Black Public Media.

With additional contributions from Fresh Glass Innovators Thank you.

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

male 1: Cheers.

Cassandra: I'm Cassandra Schaeg, entrepreneur, advocate, and enthusiast.

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

McBride sisters: We are the McBride sisters.

Cassandra: Join me exploring unique flavors, captivating stories, and the entrepreneurial spirit of America's tapestry.

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

This is "Fresh Glass."

Cassandra: Do you believe in magic?

I'm so excited to introduce two sisters who grew up on opposite hemispheres, yet surprisingly, were both surrounded by vines.

When they finally met, they ignited a magic that the wine industry has never seen.

Robin McBride: We felt like it was our calling to do something together on wine.

Cassandra: Robin McBride and Andra McBride John are shattering barriers and cultivating excellence.

Their sisterhood transcends, inspiring entrepreneurs to forge their path to success.

We met in 2018 on a mission to grow our businesses and have supported each other ever since.

So when Robin told me she was in San Diego, I made sure we connected.

Joining her is my wine sister, Fern Stroud, founder of Black Vines, a community of Black vintners and wine lovers.

We indulged in libations, broke bread with emerging leaders, and caught up on life.

Cassandra: America's finest city.

Fern Stroud: This is dope.

Robin: Gorgeous.

Cassandra: I came to impress.

Robin: You did, impressive.

Cassandra: So good to have you here.

I'm glad you took the time to come down and frolic with me.

Fern: We enjoy the frolic.

Robin: And we frolicked.

Cassandra: What did you think about last night's dinner?

Robin: I thought it was an amazing dinner, so thank you for putting that together.

And I just get so inspired, you know, by speaking with our young folks who want to come into this crazy world of entrepreneurialism.

Fern: The highlights are the young people, like those emerging leaders, and they were speaking real concrete, like, change.

Cassandra: What's the vision of Black Vines?

Ultimately, the mission of Black Vines is to do our part in the building, maintenance, and sustainability of a Black economic ecosystem.

We use wine as a medium to bring people together, and another piece of our mission is to capture images of Black men smiling so we can blast those images as far and wide as we can.

Cassandra: What's been new with you, Robin?

Robin: Making a lot of wine.

We've introduced a few new wines to the market, and we have a vineyard property in Napa now, in Carneros, specifically, and we just had a harvest of our Reserve Chardonnay.

Gorgeous little property, so we're getting used to being, you know, vineyard owners and having a estate home, and a barn, and other produce that's growing on the property.

So, you should come through.

You should come see it.

Fern has been there.

She's seen it.

We've had some amazing get-togethers.

We can frolic in the vineyards.

Fern: Yep, and I'm inviting me.

You coming with me.

Cassandra: And see Andra.

I haven't seen her in a long time either.

Robin: Come on.

Andra McBride John: I'm Andra McBride John.

Robin: And I'm Robin McBride.

McBride sisters: And we're the McBride sisters.

Fern: I missed y'all.

Robin: We missed you too.

It's so good to see you.

Cassandra: Why don't you just tell us where we're sitting.

Robin: We're in beautiful Carneros, California, in Napa at M Ranch.

Andra: M Ranch is the McBride Sisters's new estate property.

Robin: It's our home!

It's where our estate chardonnay grapes are grown and, you know, where we play and frolic in wine country.

Cassandra: Let's get this party started.

Let's--let's pop bottles before we chat.

Robin: Okay, do you have a particular bottle that you would like popped, ma'am?

Cassandra: You know I'm a bubbles girl.

Robin: I know you are.

We got a little something for you that you may have had before.

Andra: Looks familiar?

Cassandra: It does, it's my favorite, but tell us about it.

Andra: So this is the McBride Sisters collection, Hawke's Bay Sparkling Brut Ros.

Robin: It's our wine, but it's definitely my wine.

Andra: It is kind of-- Robin: She likes to claim all the New Zealand wines, which makes total sense, and it's kind of my favorite wine right now.

So whenever, like, the sun starts to come out, it's spring, it's summer, this is--this is my wine, yeah.

Andra: Do you want to do a big bang?

Robin: Oh, it's a party.

Look at those bubbles.

It's beautiful.

Andra: Wanna pass the-- Robin: Okay, all right, we'll hold the-- Of course she has a coupe too.

Cassandra: Of course.

Robin: You know that that's hotly debated in this family, right?

Cassandra: Why?

Robin: So Andra is a fan of the coupe, which I agree is beautiful.

It's very elegant.

I find it not practical, as practical as a flute.

Cassandra: So, I'm not a flute gal, because the flute's restricting.

It's narrow, and I want my wine to breathe, so when I ask for bubbles, I'll ask for it in a white wine glass.

Robin: I really thought you were on my team.

Cassandra: Cheers.

McBride sisters: Cheers.

Cassandra: To season two of "Fresh Glass" featuring the McBride Sisters.

Andra: Congratulations.

Cassandra: Thank you.

Cassandra: So talk about how the McBride Sisters came to be.

Robin: You know it's hard to make that a short story.

Me and my sister met for the first time in 1999.

We found out about each other and met.

Up until that point, we each thought that we were only-children.

Growing up, I grew up in Monterey, California.

Andra grew up in New Zealand.

Both in very beautiful wine country, but we just didn't know that we had a sister out there somewhere in the world.

We have the same father.

We have different moms.

We ended up, you know, not knowing about each other growing up in these beautiful places, and it wasn't until our father was terminally ill and asked his family to find and connect both of his daughters, life-changing moment for sure, but one of the things that came from that was we felt like it was our calling to do something together in wine.

By the time, I think within five years, we had started our first wine business together, which was importing wines from New Zealand, from where Andra grew up.

Cassandra: Talk about your wines.

Andra: We have three brands.

So we have McBride Sisters Collection, our namesake, that's made from wines in New Zealand and Marlborough in the Hawke's Bay, which is what we're drinking right now.

And then the Central Coast Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon red blend, and a Chardonnay, and that makes up the collection.

Those growing environments are considered maritime.

They're influenced by the Pacific Ocean, which gives a very distinct style.

We'd like to say lighter wines, waves of flavor.

And then we have Black Girl Magic, which we launched in 2018.

She is our maximalist of a brand, and we really created this brand to pay homage to the women in our family.

Our father's family grew up in agriculture, sharecropping, picking cotton.

We felt at that point in our careers that we were able to do what we did because of the women and our family, sacrifices that they had made, and also the women in our community.

Black Girl Magic, in style and taste, is going to give you a lot, so big, luscious, beautiful wines.

Cassandra: It's funny because I'll say, "You know the McBride Sisters?"

And they'll go, "Who?"

And I'll be like, "Black Girl Magic."

"Oh them!"

Robin: We have that same experience.

Cassandra: Yes, you are Black Girl Magic.

Cassandra: Robin and Andra started McBride Sisters in 2005, almost 20 years ago.

It's impressive because the odds of surviving entrepreneurship as Black women in an underrepresented industry can take a toll.

Cassandra: If you could sum up in three words what entrepreneurship is.

Robin: Fulfilling, challenging.

I think our takeaway is that, you know, it's not for the faint of heart.

There is a lot of very rewarding moments that come with being an entrepreneur and I think a sense of fulfilling your passion that you set out to do, but do know that it is a challenging road, I think regardless of what industry you're in.

We happened to choose a particularly tough one.

We didn't know, but we chose probably one of the hardest to enter into as women and as Black women.

But at the end of the day, it is our life's work.

It is what we're passionate about, and we celebrate the joyous moments and, you know, our optimism for the future.

Cassandra: What made you decide that this was the home, M Ranch is where it's at?

Because of the M?

Robin: That was actually part of it because we very much believe in signs.

I think we think that there are, you know, no coincidences.

And I think we'd been looking at properties for a long time, for years, and not necessarily even in this area, in Carneros and Napa.

We looked a lot in Central Coast.

We looked in different areas, but this one really spoke to us, and we visited, and we saw that the name was already M Ranch, and of course, McBride, and we were like, "We hear you."

Andra: And I think also, too, we're really close to the bay and the ocean right here, and McBride Sisters Collection, you know, all of our wines are grown in maritime environments.

They're lighter styles of wine.

And obviously, Carneros is known for sparkling, and we like to make sparkling, and so, it was the perfect environment.

Like, just the whole vibe and the presence of the place is so serene and beautiful on top of the vineyards as well and just feeling like a really special place where we could be the next stewards of the property.

Robin: It's more than just a winery tasting room.

There's history, and there's roots, and we're excited that we get to be the ones to take it into the next chapter.

Cassandra: The next chapter for us was a tour of the sprawling estate.

Robin: This is all Chardonnay, and these are about 20-year-old vines.

It's spring, so we have new little fresh leaves that'll come up on the vines.

Cassandra: Were you up at 4 a.m. during harvest?

Robin: So we actually started harvest last year at 12, midnight.

Cassandra: Oh, you did midnight?

Robin: Yeah, we started at midnight.

We never went to sleep.

We never went to sleep.

So the whole crew was here.

We have an all-women picking crew for harvest.

So we all met up at like 8 p.m. We ate some food, gathered here about 10, picking started at like 12, finished in a few hours, and then we followed the grapes to where we press, which is just kind of against those mountains over there, Soda Canyon.

You sleep real good after that's done.

Up until then, not so much, but once the grapes are picked and pressed, then you can relax a little bit.

Cassandra: What's the acreage of M Ranch?

Robin: So, planted right now, this, which you can see on this side, is about 6 acres of Chardonnay.

We have the other side of the property that we're gonna do a new planting project, and we're--we'll figure it out this year, but we're kind of leaning towards a Gamay, maybe a Pinot also, who knows?

We'll split it up.

But we have another kinda 6 acres to play with.

Robin: And you know, we talked about symbolism being really important to us, right?

So, there is this giant-- Cassandra: Yeah, that would have about told me.

Robin: That was a sign, right?

So there's an enormous copper M that's here, and me and my sister looked at each other and we're like, "This is it."

[thunder clapping] Cassandra: That's rain!

That's rain!

Robin, you ain't never seen me run this fast!

Cassandra: Robin and I joined Andra to escape the rain, continue the tour, and chat about their venture, SHE CAN.

The rain doesn't do well with the mane.

So, we're gonna bring it into the bar, which is--it looks like it's a work in progress.

Robin: So, to be determined what we're gonna do with the bar.

But there is a story that actually the owner, the builder of this house, took this whole bar, this bar, the back bar--it's a working bar behind here from a saloon in San Francisco.

So I guess that's what, like, eccentric people did back in the days.

He was like, "I want this bar in my home," so they dismantled it from, like, a gold rush era saloon and put it in this house, so here we are.

Cassandra: Success has always been in the cards for Robin and Andra, but with that success, they know the importance of giving back.

Their SHE CAN brand is dedicated to uplifting women.

Fern and I are recipients, and I'm working on my wine certification thanks to them.

SHE CAN is a wine in a can made by women.

The focus is women's empowerment.

So not only did we wanna make sure that we introduced high quality wine in a very convenient package, we also wanted to take the opportunity when we launched it, which is 2019, to start a nonprofit, SHE CAN Professional Development Fund.

So, I think, to date, we have about 3,000 women who have engaged with the funds, and that's either through the scholarships and mentorships or just being part of the community and networking.

Cassandra: You're one of the recipients of SHE CAN.

Fern: Watching their journey, you're just seeing it grow and develop in them being based in Oakland.

Two Black women doing amazing things, that's just been so inspiring.

And so, once they kind of kicked off that SHE CAN initiative, that allowed us to test out new strategies.

It allowed us to, you know, build a new market.

It propelled us to a whole 'nother level of business, and so I always thank Robin and Andra.

They know, they're my homies outside of the market space, and no, it's all love though.

It was rooted in love.

It's rooted in community and always pushing you to see the best out of folk, and I love all of us here.

Like, this is--we have the McBride sisters, but we're all sisters as well, so.

Robin: Yes, we're all sisters.

Cassandra: Sisterhood is what makes Robin and Andra special.

It sparked women across the country to become sisters in wine.

And I'm truly honored to celebrate with Robin, Andra, and Fern.

Cassandra: You're celebrating a milestone as well with Black Vines?

Fern: Well, you know, year 13, an amazing event, the largest we've had thus far.

It's wine, it's art, it's jazz, it's love, it's Black, and everyone else who wants to be in that space filled with love and Black people.

New beginnings on the cusp, not too old to adjust, old dog, new tricks.

Remember I was just a pup.

Pack your bags and take flight.

Don't worry.

It's all covered.

Live your life while you can.

Our days are all numbered.

The rain can cause thunder, but the sun comes after clearing up the disaster.

Isn't it lovely?

I ain't looking back.

I'm focused on what's in front of me.

Everybody days are numbered, but I'm still here luckily.

I know that God got me, so I'm in good company, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

So take it from me, I got some places I should take you to see.

You know it's easy when you ride with a G, light speed, moving fast through the city, trying to find me some peace.

I finally live to be the god-- Cassandra: One of my favorite quotes is "Family is family, whether it's the one you start out with, the one you end up with, or the family you gain along the way."

Andra: When we first became sisters, newly found, newly formed, and in the wine business, we decided that we should create a crest, a family crest, and so-- Robin: As you do when you have a new sister.

Andra: And then so on this family crest at the very top is a peacock.

The peacock is representative of our father.

We have the same father, and he was a cocky gentleman.

And then on either side are two lionesses that are representative of our mothers.

Cassandra: So I have three questions before we cheers.

Let's cheers first to legacy, cheers.

So my first question--we have to drink.

My first question is, Fern, what's the legacy that you wanna leave?

Fern: A legacy of love and giving.

That's it.

Andra: Do we have to go now after that?

I mean, she was like, drop the mike and then now.

Robin: Yeah, I do.

I mean, for me, maybe we can have different ones, I don't know.

But for me, the legacy, I think, that I want our experience to leave with the world is that anything is possible, everything is possible, that there's no rhyme or reason to, you know, our circumstance and to us coming together and then doing what we've done together, and if we were able to do this then everyone should follow their dreams.

Andra: I think our legacy is a hope about stewardship.

You know, so like, while we're here, you know, what we've been able to do for community and for the environment, 'cause that's what it takes to make this--this beautiful, beautiful liquid that we all get to enjoy.

I hope it's--yeah, it's about good stewardship, you know, while we're here and being a part of the wine industry.

Cassandra: My second question: What do you think your father would say right now?

Robin: I think he would be bragging about his daughters, to be honest.

I think that he would be amazed, surprised, delighted to see his family name on a bottle of wine and very proud of both of his daughters, probably never imagining that it's the direction that we would take or where we would end up.

But we know for his brothers, and sisters, and the rest of our family, there's so much pride in--in seeing the family name on these wines and watching what we've been able to do within our company and for the community.

Andra: Ditto.

Can I say ditto?

Cassandra: You can say ditto.

All right, so the--the third question: So can you take me back to your first vintage of McBride?

Like, close your eyes and tell me what that was.

Andra: 2009 New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc.

Cassandra: 2009?

Robin: New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, where it all started.

Cassandra: What did it look like?

What was it called?

Andra: It was called Eco.Love.

Yeah, so we took--we had Eco.Love from New Zealand.

We had Truvee from the Central Coast of California.

And then we were like, maybe we should, like, call the name our name, of the brand our name, and we combined the two brands under McBride Sisters Collection in 2016.

Cassandra: All right, so close your eyes.

Robin: Uh-oh.

Oh no.

[crosstalk] Cassandra: Close your eyes.

Keep 'em closed.

Andra: Can we open?

Cassandra: Hold on.

Robin: Wait, I can't.

Cassandra: Okay.

Andra: Oh!

And there you go.

Robin: Stop!

Oh wow.

Cassandra: Okay, well, I'm not even--I-- a friend of mine a couple years back found these for me.

Robin: That's one of my favoritest wines we ever made.

Andra: Yeah, that's one of our favorites.

Cassandra: So my gift to you is to give those back to you.

Robin: Oh my gosh.

Cassandra: 'Cause you--think about where you are.

You're standing in your estate, and you said Truvee.

Andra: Yes, "to find."

Robin: Which means, yeah, "to find" in French.

Andra: We found ourselves.

Robin: We found our place.

Cassandra: You found each other.

Robin: We found each other.

Cassandra: And we're all here.

Don't cry.

I see it!

I see it!

Instead of crying, let's just do a cheers, okay?

Let's do a cheers.

All right, I love y'all.

Congratulations.

To whoever may need this nugget of encouragement, things will be all right, so quit your worrying.

I get it.

The odds were stacked back against the wall, but if you consider it such, know you'll stand firm.

Cassandra: Sisterhood is a bond that transcends friendship.

It's not just about shared experiences, it's about facing life's challenges together.

Robin and Andra found each other and created a community where others could share their dreams and experiences.

Through their work, innovators like Fern continue to keep their culture thriving.

And I am humbled by the unwavering support that empowers us to become our best selves.

male 2: I am above you, I am below you, then right beside you.

For the cheers.

Trying our best to make due.

Every day is something new, but change gonna come, oh yes, it's true.

Brighter days are straight ahead.

Follow me, won't be misled.

Just look up.

Don't hang your head.

We'll get to the Promised Land.

Somebody loves you.

Please don't forget such.

Take you're time.

Don't need to feel rushed.

We gonna shine somehow, one day.

Word to O'Shea, today's been a good day.

Don't let one bad apple spoil the tree.

The fruits of our labor seem ripe.

Can't you see?

A little insight.

So don't ever dim your light.

Been wrong for too long as if it's all right.

Leave your fears in the rearview.

Right now on a mission, trying to stay the course on this road to redemption.

Giving up seems tempting-- Cassandra: On the next episode of "Fresh Glass."

Cassandra: All aboard!

Cassandra: My experience continues, visiting some of Napa's hidden gems.

male 3: Liquid to lips is what it's all about.

female 1: These are yellow golden delicious apple that I'm getting just from smell.

Cassandra: I learn more about wine and then it's off to the adventure of a lifetime.

male 4: We're on the brink of being the new foodie destination.

It all starts from the kitchen.

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

University of California.

Cal State University San Marcos.

CCAE Theatricals, transforming lives through theater, creating pathways in the arts, inspiring the next generation of arts leaders.

Maya's Cookies, you can visit their locations or order online at mayascookies.com.

The County of San Diego Black Chamber of Commerce.

Computers 2 Kids.

Lifetime Smiles of Escondido.

Black Public Media.

With additional contributions from Fresh Glass Innovators Thank you.

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

Cassandra: Watch episodes of "Fresh Glass" on the PBS app.

Cassandra: This is old-school winemaking at it's finest.

female 2: If you don't see yourself in the space, be the person in the space.

male 5: I know a bunch of Black people that know how to swim, 'cause I grew up in the projects of Chicago, and in that project, we had a swimming pool.

male 6: Well, as you know, it takes a team.

You had a team in the military that you're a part of, I had a team on the football field, and now this is our team.

female 3: There's so much that goes into a bottle.

I don't wanna just make mediocre wine.

I want my wine to be great.

female 4: We're kind of assembling this almost like toolkit of skills that you don't even know what that's ultimately leading to.

male 7: Welcome to Crowns Inglewood, baby!

female 5: Welcome to Crowns Inglewood!

male 7: About three years ago, I found out that my great-great-great-grandmother was a brewer.

male 8: The few African Americans that found each other within the industry decided to band together and share resources.

male 9: It's best if you can find that one person that actually believes in you.

female 6: We were told to get off the sidewalk.

Sometimes we even had to kneel in the mud.

I'm a child.

female 6: I think if you just keep dreaming and do your thing, it just keeps evolving.

all: Cheers!