Meet the négociant behind Durham's first Black-owned winery

Modest opened her urban winery in 2021 because she believes the minority community has been overlooked in the area of wine. While Blacks are heavily marketed to by some brands, Modest says there are not many Black winemakers in the industry, so Modest set out to learn more about wine and everything that goes into it, eventually deciding to open Melanated Wine, Durham’s first Black-owned winery.

“I’m a wine négotiant. I get the opportunity to curate delicious wines and bring that to the community,” says Modest.

Her interest in the wine process led her to explore an alternative way to create her product: she opted to open an urban winery.

“It just means we don’t sit on a vineyard. And I was like, ok, I don’t want a vineyard," Modest said. "There are great farmers around the state that do a really good job of growing really good grape varietals.”

Melanated Wine buys North Carolina-grown grapes, then creates and bottles the wine near their Durham wine shop.

“A lot of people think that in North Carolina it’s just muscadine and scuppernong, and that’s not the case,” Modest points out. “I’m very strategic in making sure that everyone is aware of all the goodness that we have.”

Modest says she loves creating blends with the different grape varietals and has received great feedback on the results.

The label’s sweeter offerings, Blackberry Wine and White Sangria, are currently sold out.

For fans with who prefer a drier wine, Melanated Wine offers their red and white blends. The red is a medium- bodied blend of Cabernet Franc and Syrah grapes. The white blend is unoaked Chardonnay with just a bit of Riesling to soften the Chardonnay. Melanated Wine also offers an off-dry, semi-sweet Riesling aged in a stainless-steel tank – very light and crisp. And Modest says they’ll unveil two new blends this spring.