While you might initially think of wine country as an expensive destination primarily frequented by a certain demographic, recent data paints a different picture. According to Napa Valley’s 2023 Visitor Profile and Economic Impact Study, from 2018 to 2023, the number of Black visitors to the region tripled, rising from 4% to 11%. Additionally, 95% of travelers from all demographics expressed interest in returning. With over 400 wineries in Napa, Calif. alone, there’s more for everyone to explore and enjoy. Kelly E. Carter can attest to that.
An accomplished and groundbreaking sports journalist, she became the first woman NBA writer to cover home and away games for the Los Angeles Lakers, beginning her career at the University of Southern California. “So here I am in college, going to The Forum every night so that I could go into the locker room after the game. That all prepared me,” she tells ESSENCE. “But I remember one professor told me, ‘Kelly, you really shouldn’t concentrate on sports. You should think about double majoring, looking at something else. There just aren’t female sports writers out there. There aren’t that many.’ I’m just like, ‘No, no, I’m going to do it.’”
And she did, because blazing trails is nothing new to Carter. Her work with the Lakers is actually what got her into wine, and soon enough, the wine industry. “From 1991 to 1995 when I was a Lakers beat writer, and became the first female to cover the Lakers, I would travel with the team every game home, and away,” she recalls. “I spent a lot of time with the team personnel, as well as the other beat writers, and the Lakers trainer at the time was a guy named Gary Vitti. Gary said, ‘Hey, Kelly, I noticed you drink white wine. You should be drinking red wine. It’s better for you, health wise.’ And so, I switched to red wine, and that really just kind of took off, because then I started really getting into red wines.”
She adds, “Later, when I covered the NFL for USA Today, and I tracked the six most Western teams, I was often in the Bay Area, covering the 49ers and the Raiders. I would come up to Napa Valley and the Raiders had training camp in Napa at the time. I started getting more and more into wine.”
Make that very into wine. So much so she moved to Italy in 2003 and spent a few years diving deeper into international wine regions and the business as a whole. So far, she’s traveled to almost 50 countries, experiencing fine hospitality and dining as a luxury travel writer. She’s also settled in Napa Valley. This year marks Carter’s tenth year living there.
In 2020, following the uprisings spurred by the murders of Black men and women by police, she was inspired to turn her love of wine into something bigger and more impactful. “I decided to start Napa Valley Noir, after George Floyd was murdered, and a lot of inequities were exposed across various industries, as far as the lack of representation,” Carter explains. “Even though we’re spending dollars, we were not represented, as far as jobs go and on the front line. I just knew I wanted to expose wine to more of us, and I had to figure out the best way to do that.”
Through this avenue, she’s producing unique Napa experiences with us in mind. From tastings at boutique wineries and vineyard lunches, to lodging at luxurious homes and hotels, and opportunities for hot air balloon rides and spa visits, Carter is crafting personalized itineraries to help Black wine lovers feel more at home in wine country.
“With Napa Valley Noir, I’ve taken all that as well as utilizing my connections, my insider expertise, to wine makers and winery owners in Napa to open the doors for us primarily, but not only for us,” she says. “I’ve had people ask, ‘Is your company only for Black people?’ And I said, no, it’s not. It’s for everybody. But I want us to know that there is a Black person here in Napa who is looking out for them, who is going to help them get to the wineries that are best suited for them. Because a lot of us are new to wine and let’s face it, the wine industry, it’s very snobby, and there’s a lot of rules.”
But her efforts go further than Napa Valley Noir. She’s also a mentor with Wine Unify, a nonprofit amplifying people of color already making waves in the wine sector and eliminating barriers for underrepresented groups who desire to enter the industry.
“It’s very important to me to keep showing that we are here and there’s more of us. To see so many of us and so many women in a traditionally male-dominated field, it’s very exciting, because most wine makers, most people in the wine industry are white males. Every week I hear about another Black-owned wine brand launching and it’s not just celebrities,” she exclaims.
She praises the McBride Sisters who purchased a vineyard in the Carneros area back in 2023 and her Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated Sister Ms. Theodora Lee, founder of Theopolis Vineyards, for helping to expand Black women’s presence in the vineyard ownership space. She’s looking forward to seeing more Black people make their way to Napa Valley, whether to have a good time, or to help diversify the industry.
“People come to Napa and they say, where are the Black wineries? And I have to break down, it’s not easy having a winery, even just having a tasting room. It’s expensive. Napa is expensive,” Carter says. “It’s become a bucket list item, and a destination for so many travelers. But there are ways to come here and not break the bank. Don’t be afraid of coming to Napa. The more that we’re here, the more doors that will be opened.”
Plan your Wine Country visit and learn more about the endeavors for creating inclusivity and representation for Black people by connecting with Napa Valley Noir and The Association of African American Vintners.
