A new way of thinking about wine professionals
WORDS | Sedale McCall PHOTOS | Courtesy of Oenoverse Club
The Virginia wine community is known for its collaboration and teamwork. Since it gained prominence in the 1970s, it has always come together to find what works best in this area and to share that knowledge with other winemakers. When visiting wineries here, you will see and hear winemakers sharing information, results from studies and even fruit. That collaborative spirit permeates every part of the industry, from winemaking to selling wine to my personal trade, writing. And it’s something that we all can appreciate.
I got into the industry because I saw that it was missing the contributions of diverse wine professionals. A small group is consistently on major panels, events and discussions within the industry. I believed (and still do) that one way to fix that was to show people the broader spectrum of wine professionals that exist in the industry.
My first articles told stories of various wines, winemakers and other professionals in the industry who I thought needed more attention. I called them “untold wine stories” (which later became my Instagram handle.). However, I didn’t realize how many untold wine stories were right here in my home state. For example, the history of slavery in Virginia has deep ties to the history of Virginia wine during the days of Thomas Jefferson. John June Lewis was the first black winery owner in U.S. history, and he was right here in Charlottesville. He founded Woburn Winery in Clarksville, which operated from the 1940s to the 1970s.
Through a mutual friend, I encountered Carly Maher, founder of The Veraison Project, an organization that seeks to make the beverage industry more inclusive and equitable through immersive experiences and financial support for travel and coursework.
Fast forward to the summer of 2023. I jumped at the chance to join The Veraison Project as a grantee, which gave me access to Oeno Camp. Oeno Camp is a partnership between The Veraison Project and Oenoverse, a wine club at Blenheim Vineyards run by Reggie Leonard and Tracey Love.
Oenoverse seeks to reimagine what the wine industry looks and feels like. That includes diversifying the voices and individuals in the space, but also diversifying what those individuals contribute. While some participate in traditional ways as a winemaker, marketer or sommelier, others join the Oenoverse as social media influencers, photographers, caterers and more.
Think of the Oenoverse as a new world where being in the wine industry is accessible to anyone who wants to play a role. In the wine industry, most sommeliers need a costly CMS (Court of Master Sommeliers) certification to work — not in the Oenoverse. In the wine industry, only winemakers and wine reps are asked to tell the story about a wine — not in the Oenoverse.
In the Oenoverse, if you have the right experience and the passion and desire to be a wine professional, you have access to the opportunities to do that. I have seen teachers pouring wine at a tasting event, and social media marketers hosting educational events on cocktails. Reggie himself works full time in the University of Virginia’s engineering school. But through the Oenoverse, he is a winemaker, educator, host of tasting events and founder of an extraordinary wine club.
Picture your favorite field trip as a child. Maybe it was an immersive museum, a historical reenactment, a place to run and play or enjoy great food. Oeno Camp was all of these things for me. The three-day camp was designed to immerse attendees in the ins and outs of winemaking in the Charlottesville area, primarily the Monticello AVA.
The event started out with a very informative historical tour at the Jefferson School African American Heritage Center. The center is housed in what was once one of the only schools African Americans, formerly enslaved, could attend. As you enter, you can still see some of the hallways that were used by the students, next to the exhibits that told their stories.
Our tour was run by Leslie Scott-Jones, an actor, director, radio host and the Curator of Public Programs, Learning and Engagement at the Jefferson School. We all learned so much about the history of the area, including agriculture during that time. It was the perfect onramp into the types of conversations we would have over the course of the camp.
Those conversations began at Commonwealth Crush, a first-of-its-kind incubator program in the Waynesboro area. There, we explored several non-traditional wine styles including hybrids, native grapes, cider and mead. Ben Jordan, founder and winemaker, along with Lee Campbell, partner and head of hospitality and operations, led us through an incredible exploration of the wide range of what the state has to offer.
“In my opinion, one of the cool things about being here is the diversity of geology and climate. It allows us to embrace different grapes and different styles,” said Jordan.
We also visited more traditional wineries and vineyards, including Afton Mountain, Veritas and Blenheim Vineyards. In each location, we explored the wines, winemakers and their visions for making wine in a state like Virginia. Ultimately, this experience unlocked the door to the Oenoverse, and demonstrated how big the impact of the organization could be for myself and the industry in general.
Oeno Camp alum and Uncorked & Cultured founder Angela McCrae moved to Napa Valley and took an internship with Silver Oak winery. Oakland resident, wine writer and Oeno alum Sydney Love is back in Virginia on a two-month fellowship doing research in Monticello. Former Old Dominion University counselor Akeyla Porcher quit her job and now works in wine full time. Oenoverse member Tiffany Nguyen started an events planning company in September of 2023. The next month, her company partnered with Oenoverse for their signature Two Up Wine Down event. That passion for wine and hospitality is turning into her next venture, a wine and tearoom.
My Oeno Camp experience led to multiple articles in national publications, promoting Virginia wine. As time went on, the relationships I made during the experience allowed me to publish more articles, leading to awards and fellowships as a writer.
As a full circle moment, I returned to the Oenoverse as a host for their first wine club event. It was amazing to open the door of the Oenoverse to new members and share the love of Virginia wine with them.
Oenoverse is more than a wine club. It’s a gateway into the wine industry for many people who would not otherwise know how to join. It’s transforming the industry by changing what, and who, can be considered a wine professional. And for that, we should all be grateful.
Joining the Oenoverse is as simple as participating in events for professionals in the area. In addition to Oeno Camp, their other flagship event is known as Two Up Wine Down, a large gathering in Charlottesville in November. The event brings together lots of industry professionals around the state. In two short years, the event has gained enough popularity to garner attendance from national figures in the industry. Last year’s event brought the likes of acclaimed writer and speaker Elaine Chukan Brown, Vine Pair’s tasting director and podcast host Keith Beavers, George Walker, and more. Anyone can also bring their talents to the Oenoverse and the club will find a home for them.
So enter the Oenoverse, and tell them I sent you.
This article first appeared in our 2024 Summer publication, The Rainbow Connection.
Sedale McCall is an award-winning wine writer and editor, passionate about telling stories of the wine industry that are not told enough. A Virginia-native, born in Richmond and residing in Alexandria, Sedale focuses on his home state and the places, spaces and wines people should taste and experience. He was the 2023 Journalist of the Year at the Hue Society’s Rosé Brunch Awards and is currently conducting research as a fellow for Vinous Media to better understand the major AVAs of Virginia.
He holds his WSET Level 2 with Distinction, American Wine Expert and Certified Specialist in Wine certifications.
