Chris Gaither Makes Wine Accessible to the Masses
Master sommelier and restaurateur Chris Gaither poses for a portrait at Brown Estate in Napa Valley where he is the director of education. The Black-owned winery is a pioneer in the beverage industry. Photo credit: Maggie Mai
by Katrina L. Spencer
There are fewer than 300 master sommeliers in the world, according to the Court of Master Sommeliers Americas. The certification this institution grants, providing recognition to people in the beverage industry, is the most esteemed and competitive of those available. About ten percent of master sommeliers are women. Fewer than five of master sommeliers are Black. Chris Gaither is one of them.
This historically black college grad started his post-secondary studies at Atlanta’s Morehouse College, the institution par excellence for Black men in the United States. At that time, as a Spanish major, he didn’t know that he’d become a leading mover, shaker and oenophile -- a lover of wine. But life sometimes brings surprises. He worked in restaurants then and was encouraged to learn more about the age-old, fermented drink.
“I became one of the most knowledgeable people on staff,” Gaither said.
After years of study and an internship at world-class restaurant destination the French Laundry in Northern California, the trajectory of his career took hold. Gaither is not only an expert on wine, sake, vermouth and cider, he’s also the director of education at Brown Estate. Brown is the first and only Black-owned estate winery in Napa Valley, the United States’ best known region for wine culture. There he trains staff who work in tasting rooms, preparing them to introduce the vineyard’s products to guests. He travels, too, dozens of times a year, marketing, including at his alma mater.
Part of his ethos is making wine more approachable to a broad variety of people, a trend that appears to be gaining traction and popularity in the industry. Certain myths abouts wine can be intimidating to newcomers. For example, much media coverage would suggest that wine is strictly European, that it’s exorbitantly expensive by default and that enjoying it is for a narrow sliver of the global population. Gaither is here to disassemble those myths.
“You don’t have to be a wine specialist to appreciate wine,” Gaither said.
Chris Gaither and his wife, Rebecca Fineman, pose for a photo with their children at their restaurant and bottle shop, Ungrafted. Hundreds of wine selections and new American cuisine are served there in San Francisco, California. Photo credit: Zha Zha Liang
On brand with the educator he is, Gaither cited a variety of ventures led by people of color who have broken ground in the field. Theopolis Vineyards, Maison Noir Wines, the McBride Sisters, J. Moss Wines, Vision Cellars and Dwayne Wade have all captured his attention. He can also rattle off specialized resources in the digital realm, like the well respected GuildSomm reference guide, that help consumers, too -- especially newcomers -- to navigate the world of wine, making it more accessible.
The book and web site Wine Folly, for example, touts itself as a master guide to wine. Online, the site is masterfully illustrated with captivating infographics that make learning fun and engaging. Its A-Z guide includes descriptions of a wide selection of grapes, ranging from Greece’s Agiorgitiko to Austria’s Zweigelt, and the regions highlighted where grapes are grown are as familiar as Idaho and as respected as Bordeaux.
British wine critic Jancis Robinson’s writing, he said, educates the general public about wine, too. Her site includes nearly 300,000 wine reviews, robust glossaries of wine-related terminologies, maps, travel diaries, book reviews, a podcast and commentary on a unique event titled Vin & Hip-Hop, or Wine & Hip-Hop, hosted in Burgundy. Robinson’s is one of the most respected names in the industry globally, which has led to her offering tips to the queen of England!
The Kachet Life, was a third site Gaither shared. It features the lifestyle-based blog and podcast of wine enthusiast Kachet Jackson Bell, a Black woman. Jackson Bell writes, “I believe you can be both the muse and the CEO of your life.” Her site shows the ways in which she is artistic and creative, but also business-minded and intentional about what she consumes and curates. As much as subscribers should expect to learn about wine through Jackson Bell, they should also expect wine pairings, exercise tips and travel reflections.
Chris Gaither and his family sit for a photo at the Royal Sonesta Hotel in Portland, Oregon, following his passing of the master sommelier exam in 2022. Photo credit: Melissa Monosoff
Gaither’s ambitions to reach people don’t end there. Along with his wife, Rebecca Fineman, also a master sommelier, the two have founded the restaurant and bottleshop Ungrafted in the Dogpatch neighborhood of San Francisco, open since 2018. At the family-friendly establishment, you can choose from 700 wine selections to drink, 250 retail selections to purchase and order za’atar pull-apart bread, fried chicken over polenta or steak frites. Gaither’s engagement in the field is only limited by imagination, which continues to grow.
