Rideau, Iris
c. 1937-present · Contribution: 1989-2016
Vintner & Entrepreneur
Opened Rideau Vineyard in 1997, believed to be the first winery in the United States owned and operated by a Black woman
Portraits are AI-generated interpretations, not photographs.
Quick facts
- Born
- c. 1937
- Active since
- 1989
- Category
- Agriculture & Food
- Best known for
- First Black-woman-owned U.S. wineryRideau VineyardRhône varietals
Impact on the world
Rideau opened the door to Black women in American winemaking at a time when Black-owned wineries were nearly nonexistent. Her success made the possibility real for those who followed.
An alternative history
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Sources
- Source lookupFind
Wine Spectator
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Related visionaries
Lee, Theodora
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Founded Theopolis Vineyards in 2003 in Mendocino County's Yorkville Highlands while continuing a full-time career as a senior trial lawyer, becoming one of the few Black women to both own and personally make wine in the United States
Lewis, John June Sr.
1894-1974
Widely recognized as the first African American to own and operate a winery in the United States (Woburn Winery, Clarksville, Virginia, founded 1940)
McBride, Robin
c. 1974-present
Co-founded McBride Sisters Wine Company in 2005 with half-sister Andréa McBride John, building it into the largest Black-owned wine company in the United States by volume
McBride John, Andréa
1982–Present
Co-founded and serves as CEO of McBride Sisters Wine Company, which she built with half-sister Robin McBride into the largest Black-owned and largest women-founded wine company in the United States