Delta Partners With Brown Estate – Napa’s First Black-Owned Winery

WHY IT RATES: Brown Estate wines will be featured on the domestic Delta One wine menus for the winter 2019-2020 rotation, furthering Delta‘s commitment to supplier diversity.—Mia Taylor, TravelPulse Senior Writer.

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During a surprise wine tasting at the San Francisco Delta Sky Club, Delta today announced a new partnership with Brown Estate, the first and only black-owned estate winery in California’s Napa Valley. And as a toast to Black History Month, Brown Estate is making its first onboard appearance today in a surprise in-flight tasting for customers on Flight 1473 from San Francisco to New York-JFK.

The innovative idea to partner with Brown Estate started with Carlyne Scott, a member of Delta’s black community business resource group (BRG) and BRG Program Manager.

Scott originally suggested the winery as a special for Black History Month, and that seed germinated into a larger relationship between Delta and the winery. Delta will feature Brown Estate wines in the winter of 2019-2020 as part of its commitment to supplier diversity.

“Partnering with innovative, diverse suppliers from certified small-, minority- and women-owned businesses like Brown Estate is fundamental to Delta’s strategy to keep climbing year-round,” said Heather Ostis, vice president — Supply Chain Management. “Seeking employee perspectives and leveraging unique ideas brings us closer to meeting that goal, while creating the highest quality experience for our customers.”

After Scott’s suggestion, a selection of Brown Estate wines were passed to Andrea Robinson, Delta’s Master Sommelier, for consideration in the airline‘s seasonally rotating wine menu. Robinson’s year-round wine selection process – including both in-the-air and terra-firming tastings—culminates annually with a final tasting of more than 1,500 bottles over one week. Only the very best selections earn Robinson’s stamp of approval. Two Brown Estate selections made the cut.

Domestic Delta One customers will see two Brown Estate wines on the winter 2019-2020 menu: 2017 Betelgeuse Sauvignon Blanc and 2017 Chaos Theory.

“We are delighted to partner with Delta Air Lines,” said Deneen Brown, president of Brown Estate. “Delta’s all-in commitments to the spirit of inclusion and to their wine program are perfectly aligned with our core values at Brown Estate.”

Chaos Theory, a well-balanced red blend of Merlot, Petite Sirah, and Zinfandel, greets the nose with a lively aroma of ripe Rainer cherries, blackberry compote, winter spice, and heavy cream. Hints of Asian apple and Meyer lemon are followed by dark chocolate, tiramisu, and fresh-baked croissants.

On a lighter note, Brown Estate describes its Betelgeuse Sauvignon Blanc as “endless summer in a bottle” — straw gold in color, with refreshing clarity. Tropical fruit comingles with subtle citrus, fever grass, and lemon verbena, while night-blooming jasmine and honeysuckle are complemented by a cascade of stone fruit, lychee, pineapple and guava.

Delta’s Commitment to Supplier Diversity

For over 20 years, Delta has been committed to a supplier diversity program as part of its mission to seek diversity and promote inclusion in the workplace, and in partnerships and local communities. Delta’s program has set a goal of achieving Billion Dollar Roundtable status, a group of corporations that spend a verified $1 billion on annually with diverse suppliers. Learn more here about Delta’s process to identify and do business with small-, minority- and women-owned businesses to maximize returns to Delta customers, shareholders, and employees.

Delta’s Wine Offerings

Delta has partnered with Master Sommelier Andrea Robinson since 2007 to create a robust wine program that rotates seasonally to pair perfectly with the airline‘s Delta One menus. The selection includes recognizable brands for the occasional wine drinker and surprise picks for the most discerning wine enthusiasts. Andrea’s wine selection is a year-round process that includes in-flight tastings to make sure the wines taste just as good at cruising altitude as they do on the ground.

About Brown Estate

The Brown Estate label was established in 1996, when the Brown family harvested what would become their first bottling of Brown Zin. Their first three vintages debuted in January 2000 at the annual Zinfandel Advocates & Producers Grand Tasting in San Francisco. In 2017, they opened their Brown Downtown tasting room in the heart of downtown Napa.

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SOURCE: Delta press release

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