Alaska Airlines is bringing Black Girl Magic to First Class with McBride Sisters wine
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In 2018, McBride Sisters Wine Company’s Co-Founders Robin and Andréa McBride launched Black Girl Magic Wines, a celebratory wine paying homage to women in their family and community. The McBride Sisters Collection, featured onboard Alaska Airlines, includes wines from the Central Coast of California and New Zealand.
Sourced from some of California’s finest winegrowing regions, Alaska Airlines has partnered with the McBride Sisters Wine Company, the largest black-owned winery in the country to bring award-winning wines to its guests for when it’s time to take any occasion up a few notches.
Our goal is to introduce customers to west coast wines that they fall in love with and seek out after getting off the plane with us,” says Todd Traynor-Corey, Alaska’s managing director of guest products. “The partnership with the McBride Sisters and Black Vines may be amongst the first in the space, but it won’t be the last.”
McBride Sisters Collection Chardonnay & Red Blend
The Chardonnay, with a pale golden color, has aromas of lemon curd and honey, pineapple and ripe pear. Soft and balanced texture, with a slight hint of toasty oak that balances the palate and persists with the fruit. Complexity and character without weight.
This is not your gramma’s Chardonnay.”
– McBride Sisters website
Cherry and plum dominate the aromas, gently laced with cedar and vanilla, the Red Blend is a well-rounded wine, great with any meal or on its own with great conversation. Extended oak aging softens the finish and brings with it a suggestion of baking spices and cocoa.
Since joining Alaska in 2021, Alaska’s DEI Director James Thomas has been working to increase overall diversity and inclusion in every facet of the airline, including their business partners.
In his previous role as the DEI Director at Chateau St. Michelle, the oldest and most acclaimed winery in Washington State, Thomas met Fern Stroud, the founder of Black Vines, an organization that brings together Black winemakers and enthusiasts to build a community and showcase their craft to the world.
“I was eager to introduce Robin and Andrea [the McBride sisters] to Alaska because of the sisters’ achievements in business and their unique story,” stated Stroud.
Alaska Airlines sponsored this year’s 12th annual Black Vines Toast to Black Wineries and Diverse Art Festival in Oakland, CA. The vibrant event brought oenophiles from around the country to toast diverse wine brands, including:
Being able to work side by side with so many seasoned and new Black owned wine makers was exhilarating,” said Jamishia Ramsey, founder of Black Excellence Wine Company. “There were so many people of all shades who came from all over the country to meet the winemakers and try our wines. Being able to connect and relate with all these beautiful people no matter what background or race over wine was top tier.”
The McBride Sisters are more than a brand.
Robin and Andrea were linked by wine before they ever met. Unbeknownst to them until they were young adults, they were half-sisters—raised on opposite sides of the world.
Once they met, they soon realized they shared much more than matching DNA. Robin, raised in Monterey, California, and Andrea, raised in Marlborough, New Zealand, both share a love for wine. After nearly 20 years of success on the ground, the sisters are taking to the skies with their first airline partnership.
Our brand is about experiences,” said Robin. “When we lend our products and time, it is meant to be sustainable and beyond the months of February or March. We look for partners who are just as invested in our story as they are in our brand. We want to be part of the traveler’s experience and are excited for the collaboration with Alaska.”