Vino Noir: Steve Byfield at Nyarai Cellars

Black people make wine. Black people drink wine. Black people enjoy wine.

These may seem like overly simplistic, unnecessary or even flippant statements.  However, when we consider the lack of representation in the world of winemaking and marketing these also apparently seem like radical ideas.

Thus the concept for this series emerged. During this time where Black voices are being lifted up, Black excellence is being celebrated and Black innovation is being recognized, space was needed to put a spotlight on and create a dialogue around the contributions of Black people in the Winemaking industry. A space to explore and investigate how Black people purchase and enjoy wine and unpack why there is very little direct consumer marketing tailored for or centred around Black people. So welcome to Vino Noir.

Join us as we begin a multi-part series created to promote, celebrate and enlighten the world of Black wine makers and drinkers.

To kick Vino Noir off, we were privileged to spend some time with Steve Byfield, the owner and Winemaker at Nyarai Cellars. He is one of the only Black people heading up a major winery in Canada and one of a handful in North America. Talking with Steve, I was immediately struck by his warmth, positivity, and upbeat self-starter attitude. His insistence on professional development and striving for excellence shone through, and he thoroughly embodies his personal motto of “Don’t do a good job, do a great job.”

He attributes his drive to his upbringing in Kitchener with strong parents that instilled self-esteem and respect. They told him from a young age that, “people will see you differently – you must fight through it”. He had this at the back of his mind when he was a university student looking for part-time work. He met a prominent figure with a retail wine business who offered him a role, and who would later become his mentor.

From there Steve took the opportunity to learn every aspect of the business that he could. After graduation he got a job in marketing for a winery and over the years took on more of a role in learning the art of winemaking.

Steve maintains that his positive experiences in the industry far outweigh the negatives. However, he has one instance that sticks in his out in his mind. He was working at a wine event showcasing a wine that he developed as the Assistant winemaker for that winery. He had a couple of people come over to sample the wines and ask questions about it. During their interaction they began to question his “pouring technique” and it became apparent that they had assumed he had no experience or knowledge of his craft. As some other people came over and asked him his role with the winery he was able to notify them that as Assistant Winemaker, he had personally developed and created the vintage they were enjoying. Suffice it to say the original guests were more than a bit embarrassed and had to reevaluate their original assumptions.

            This speaks to a larger issue with Black people in this industry. The assumption that we are “guests” in these spaces and these assumptions are related to the fact that we are rarely in these spaces, rarely invited, and even more rarely in a position to showcase our abilities or excellence.

            For Mr. Byfield, he used this experience and others to help drive him to continue to grow and improve in his field. He is aware of his rarity in this industry and is hopeful more Black people will see him and his success as a beacon to working hard and earning their own places in the industry. He is also aware of the moment we are living in politically and how the focus on dismantling oppressive systems and lifting up BIPOC voices.

“We are living in a time when people are saying enough is enough. This feels different, there is a ground swell of a different type of attitude, monuments coming down, sports teams changing their branding”

Thus many things within the industry need to be examined, whether it’s shedding European colonial leisure pursuit mindset to being more inclusive in Marketing and generating opportunities for BIPOC. Steve feels that with these changes of mindset “ more people will see the wine industry as a viable profession.”

So join us as we continue explain and explore as well as educate and celebrate the amazing richness of the Blackness in the context of the world of Wine.

Know an amazing BIPOC working in wine? We want to feature them in Vino Noir! DM us over on our Instagram.