Black Wine Importer Gives Their Take on the Wine Industry, the U.S. Wine Market, and How Much More Wine Could be Sold if African Americans Were Engaged More
April 23, 2025 — There are very few Black professionals in the wine industry; fewer are label owners, and even fewer are importers or distributors, and so their thoughts, analyses and feedback are relatively unknown to foreign wine producers. Additionally, there is a huge complaint by some African Americans wanting to get into the business that finding out how things work is almost impossible. After continually hearing the complaints and constantly having to give foreign producers a better [if not totally different] insight into the nuances and reality of the U.S. wine market, Zachary M.C. Harris decided to just write a book about it. The second book is more of a companion to the first and centers on five conversations which occurred after the closing of the first book.
When a Black Man Loves Wine: Analyses, Critiques, Thoughts, Experiences, Recollections and Revelations of a Consumer Turned Tiny Industry Player
ISBN: 9780976835998
When a Black Man Loves Wine: Five Conversations After the Fact
ISBN: 9780976835974
Both available on Google Books, e-book format only
From looking at the excessive fixation for France French wine and wines made from “French” grapes [and the biases against wines from other countries] and how that came to be, to examining the history of the United States and how lack of interaction and hidden history has created a reality in which virtually no one earnestly approaches Black consumers from an unbiased perspective, Harris covers a lot of territory. Recalling his experiences as well, Harris shows ironclad examples of everything from: people trying to scam unwitting vintners; vintners trying to pawn off entry-level wines as premium and luxury quality offerings; distributors who say that they wouldn’t know how to sell wine to Black people; being addressed by an African immigrant using the n-word on a crowded street in front of Antica Bottega del Vino during VinItaly; to a wine professional foolish enough to try to throw their weight around when they were in the wrong, and who didn’t know better than to revisit a lost fight (he argued that wine doesn’t pair with chocolate!)
Inspired by books like Reflections of a Wine Merchant and The Rogue Warrior’s Strategy for Success, Harris chose to stick to his unfiltered conversational style of writing, breaking down many different parts of the business to give people more information that usually goes missing, or that you only learn after having to suffer a setback. You know, the stuff you wish someone would have told you before you decided to do something. As he goes from his background – West Philadelphia born and raised! — and how he got into the business, to where he is now, the book is a must read for anyone wishing to sell wines in the U.S. or those wishing to get into the business of import, distribution, or having their own brand. Aside from that, it is quite entertaining with some of the stories which in his own words, “I can’t make this stuff up.”
Currently, Harris is the owner of a small import and distribution company and has his own wine brand. For more information go to whenablackmanloveswine.com, or email him at zach@whenablackmanloveswine.com or call 302-386-8118
About Zachary M.C. Harris | Author
Over the years, Harris has had a lot of “interesting” moments while pursuing the business of wine, usually underlined by his gregarious attitude and amiable treatment to the people he comes across, especially those in the service industry.
His love of Italian wine has had him in in the front of the procession during the Festival of San Gennaro on Mulberry Street in Little Italy; probably the only African American to do so, which came from an odd meeting and re-meeting with John “Cha-Cha” Charcia — the unofficial mayor of Little Italy — while going to and coming from VinItaly.
His devil-may-care attitude even garnered an impromptu hug and kiss on the cheeks from the president of Portugal during one trade show, which prompted the producer who stand he stopped in to want to work with him.
His dancing has both given him fans and friends with producers in both Portugal and Italy.
And his “dirty-sexy” dress ensemble of a fancy waistcoat, dress shirt with French cuffs, cufflinks, denim jeans and dress shoes [and sometimes a tux jacket] has secured his spot in the memory of many export managers and producers, who always remark how he is always stylishly attired.
It is very common for him to attend a wine tasting or trade show and be approached by someone he met in the past at a similar event that remembered his dress, his philosophy about wine, and/or his reactions to their offerings, and his knowledge about that type of product. The difference in time could be the same year, a year, or even ten; he makes an impression that sticks.
