By Bob Sacks
RED BANK – As part of Black History Month observances, the annual acknowledgement of African American achievements and their significant place in U.S. history, the T. Thomas Fortune Cultural Center will hold a series of events titled “Out of Africa.”
T. Thomas Fortune was born into slavery in Florida, freed by the Emancipation Proclamation, and later became a dynamic presence in American journalism and the newspaper business; he and his family eventually moved to Red Bank.
The cultural center is holding its On A Sunday Afternoon fundraising event Feb. 19 at Triumph Brewing Company featuring the cool jazz of the Brandon McCune Trio and a tasting of South African wines led by MJ Towler of “The Black Wine Guy Experience.”
“The wines are being supplied by Blackhawk Imports, one of the first companies to begin importing wines from South Africa after the end of apartheid,” Towler said.
Towler has deep roots in Monmouth County; he was born in Long Branch and graduated from Long Branch High School and Monmouth College, now University. After graduating from Rutgers School of Law, he set out to build a career, although unsure exactly what excited him the most.
Through social contacts and pure serendipity, he eventually met John Kapon, whose family owned America’s oldest wine shop, Acker, Merrall & Condit in New York. The two men became good friends and Towler began to work in the store in 1997. Towler had virtually zero experience with wines, but was hired based solely on his intelligence, people skills and personality.
He noted that Robert Parker, the uber-wine critic, was also a lawyer, and saw parallels between fact-checking, case presentation and the sales of wines. He worked on the retail floor of the shop and poured wines for tasting seminars upstairs and, in a relatively short period of time, received, in his words, “a Ph.D. in wine.”
Towler got to taste some of the greatest wines of the world and learn about winemaking and winemakers. A couple of years later, he met a visiting wine representative, which led to a job as assistant wine director at Sparrow Wine & Liquors of Hoboken, where he learned even more. After some time there, a friend he first met at Acker who had moved to California, facilitated his relocation to The Montecito Wine Bistro in Santa Barbara, California, where he was retail store manager and sommelier in the Bistro. When the Wine Spectator published its opinion of the best wines ever made, Towler realized he had already had the privilege of tasting a number of them.
In a business where almost 60% of all sommeliers are white, about 20% are Hispanic or Latino, and just 11% are Black or African American, Towler’s journey is remarkable. There are over 11,000 wineries in the U.S. and less than 1% are Black-owned or have a Black winemaker.
Notably, Towler was the first African American wine auctioneer in the U.S.; he participated in Acker’s $1.5 million spring auction in 2000.
His quest for more knowledge and experience allowed him to meet many interesting people at all levels of the industry over the years, and he found he loved talking to them and learning about their lives. This led him to develop The Black Wine Guy Experience podcast in 2020, where he shares a bottle of wine with a notable wine personality while conducting an entertaining and informative interview. The podcast can be found on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts and Amazon Music.
Towler moved back from California and once again lives in Monmouth County. He said at some point he would love to host a television series somewhat inspired by the late Anthony Bourdain, focused more on wine and talking with the people who make up the industry, discussing their lives and experiences while sharing some wine and food. His superb interviewing skills are quite evident on the podcast, which has become very successful. There is nothing like that on TV presently and he is working to get it picked up. To listen to him following his passion, visit blackwineguy.com.
From modest origins with no previous knowledge of wine, Towler has managed to become a prominent part of a business that has so few people of color working in it and rise to a position of prominence and respect. His ability to avoid any pretentious attitudes about wines and talk about them in easy-to-understand terms appeals to wine drinkers on all levels. Coupled with a great sense of humor and a knack for putting people at ease when he interviews them, he has made himself a unique force in the wine world.
The On A Sunday Afternoon fundraiser will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. Feb. 19 at the Triumph Brewing Company, 1 Bridge Ave., Red Bank. Tickets are $100. To purchase tickets or for more details, visit tthomasfortuneculturalcenter.org.
Bob Sacks, longtime food and wine buff, writes about food, wine and restaurants. Follow him on Instagram @dinnerwithbob.
The article originally appeared in the February 2 – 8, 2023 print edition of The Two River Times.
