It was my pleasure to meet and get a chance to speak to the beautiful McBride Sisters at this years the 8th Annual Blogalicious conference here in Atlanta. Robin McBride and Andrea McBride aka the McBride Sisters are two long lost sisters who found each other and bonded over their love of wine!
What an intriguing story these two women told as they took the stage at Blogalicious8 for the final key note. Same father. Different mothers and continents between them they talked about how they never knew that the other existed until their father died. 9 years apart in age, Robin grew up with her mother in California while Andrea was raised by her mother (until she died) in New Zealand. Finding each other seemed like an impossible task but with patience, time and very helpful relatives of their father, the two girls were eventually able to connect and the rest is history!
“Despite the 7,000 miles that separated us, we would eventually find our way to each other in 1999. Our story, proof of the bond that can form over a bottle of wine and is a story we’re now telling with the McBride Sisters Collection.” www.McBrideSisters.com
McBride Sisters Wine Company
Although they were thousands of mile apart the McBride girls had both developed an affinity to wine making due to the fact that they both grew up in regions that are popular for wine making California and New Zealand. Together these African American sisters managed to crack the ceiling in wine making which is a white, male dominated industry to create McBride Sisters Wine Company.
They shared 3 Key pieces of advice they received that helped them to develop in business:
- Have Unapologetic Tenacity
- Be Confident Enough to Blaze Your Own Trail!
- Power of Community (Women Supporting Other Women)
I got a chance to speak to them both afterwards over several glasses of their Eco.Love Reserve Wine (which has not been released yet). We tasted a Rose, a Pinot Blanc and a Pinot Noir. My favorite was the Pinot Blanc. All were very good with a distinct New Zealand flavor. Having tasted wines from both Northern and Southern France the flavor in the notes were distinctly different than any other Pinots that I have tasted, so I asked Robin how the different regions (New Zealand vs California) affect growth and the flavors in their wine. Robin explained that New Zealand has a hole in its ozone layer and that this has quite a different affect on vegetation and how it grows. We also talked about the wild Thyme that grows in the region which also contributes to the notes and the flavors in their wines. I cannot wait to taste their Truvee line of wines. Robin and Andrea also talked about how they designed their own crest for their wine label which is based on their father. I love that neither of the ladies appears to harbor any ill will towards their dad and that they celebrate the fact that were it not for him they would not be where they are today.
It was a great evening and a perfect end to my time at Blogalicious 8! Until next year Bloga Fam! See you in Miami 2017!
McBride Sisters Wines are completely affordable and sold coast to coast at great retailers like Safeway, Kroger, Albertson’s, Lucky’s, BevMo, Vons, Wegmans, etc. as well as at local wine shops and liquor stores.
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