One of the rare black- and women-owned wineries in Pennsylvania (and the U.S., for that matter) is Cyrenity Sips in Hatboro. Michael Klein uncorked its distinct story for The Philadelphia Inquirer.
The business originated from a hobby that owner Shakia Williams shared with her husband.
“I feel like I’m in a unique position and here’s why: There aren’t many of us,” said Williams.
“Out of 11,000 wineries [in the United States], there’s less than 100 that are African American [owned].
There’s less than that that’s actually women [owned] — and women are 80 percent of the wine drinkers,” she related.
There are currently 18 bottles in Cyrenity’s product line, ranging from traditional wines such as Sangiovese and Riesling to types popular among fun-seekers.
Williams started her hobby by making wine gummies.
She then got a job at a local winery to learn more about winemaking and management. Her entry into fermenting her own vintages came from bottle-at-home winemaking kits.
Before long, she and her husband had 23 cases of wine in their garage.
To reduce that inventory, the couple opened a small-batch winery with a tasting room.
“What I think I bring to the table is [opening] up people’s minds to the diversity of wine,” said Williams.
Read more about Cyrenity Sips Winery in The Philadelphia Inquirer.