With 20 years invested within the wine and spirits enterprise, Ingrid Greatest is aware of an excellent mix. She’s placing her experience behind the label with iBest Wines, her new South African wine model launched in October 2023. “I’m a lover of wine,” she tells EBONY. “It was solely till about 5 years in the past I found that South Africa had a wine area I did not know.”
Tapping into the artwork and tradition of the African area, Greatest has created two unbelievable blends excellent for each event. Extra impressively, she’s given her female-forward workers a vested stake within the firm from the bottom up.
Right here, Greatest tells EBONY extra concerning the model and the right time to drink iBest Wines.
What impressed you to go to South Africa to create your model?
I went on a discovery and fell in love with South Africa and determined I’d do that; I’ll launch a wine from South Africa. I spent tons of time researching and figuring out what I wished to do and what I wished the model to face for. I wished to immerse myself within the course of. I feel the most important factor for me was ensuring I planted roots in South Africa and bought the folks’s blessing to do it.
Your organization is a mix of your first preliminary and final identify!
Sure, it is my namesake. For me, it’s a play on my outdated and new. If you concentrate on outdated wine homes, they’re usually household names. And I simply so occurred to have the luck of the draw that my final identify is Greatest. When the trademark got here by, I used to be so blissful.
Inform us concerning the wines you’ve launched.
I used to be very deliberate in launching blends. I’ve a white mix of Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc and Sauvignon Blanc. I’ve a purple mix of Cabernet, Shiraz, Petite Syrah and Malbec. I wished to indicate the breadth of the varietals from South Africa and take folks on a journey. The blends are refined however approachable. I feel Black and brown folks have felt that wine manufacturers aren’t talking to them or there hasn’t been sufficient illustration. So, it was vital to not isolate any new drinkers on their discovery. However then you might have of us like myself who’ve been consuming wine for a very long time. And I wish to assume my palate is developed. I additionally wished to make sure that the subtle wine drinker may benefit from the blends. They’re each simply superbly balanced and blended.
When’s the right time to drink iBest Wines?
I get pleasure from a glass of iBest wine when the solar units, and I do know I haven’t got a lot left to do and may dive into one in every of my artwork books. I’m enjoyable and setting the tone for what I need my night to be. You do not have to have an enormous scene arrange. It may simply be you and a wonderful glass of wine. I additionally like to placed on one in every of our enjoyable playlist mixes we have been engaged on with some mates. The backdrop of excellent music and an excellent glass of purple mix is all the time good.
You’re giving your workers fairness on this endeavor. Why was that vital to you?
I have been so blessed. I had the capital to go on this enterprise and really launch a wine by myself. It was massively vital for me to be prepared to share in fairness with the crew of ladies who’ve helped me construct this. It is simply one thing that was close to and expensive to my coronary heart; I wished to let this be a path for ladies to have a chance to personal one thing. Oftentimes, we do not get these alternatives. I do know I did and labored out some unbelievable issues prior to now, although I’d have beloved to have a bit of the pie. The truth that I can do it now means a lot to me. It is my model, nevertheless it’s it is their model too.
How has your life modified from establishing this connection to South Africa?
Connecting with folks in South Africa has been one in every of my life’s most transformative experiences. I’ve household there now. I’ve those who have totally supported me by this journey. I’ve an entire neighborhood enthusiastic about my launching iBest wines in South Africa, which we intend to do to take the model world. Going to Africa to ascertain my roots and be so welcomed was life-changing. I have been everywhere in the world and there hadn’t been anyplace that, as a Black girl, I felt like I used to be residence and welcomed in such a approach. The meals is unbelievable. The wine, clearly, is unbelievable. The folks, the tradition and the music make it one of many world’s most stunning and dynamic locations on the planet.
We don’t hear a lot about South African wines.
I wished to concentrate on South Africa as a result of it is so underrepresented. You go to your wine retailers and eating places and do not see a whole lot of South African wine. I am hoping that iBest wines might help champion simply the class. There are unbelievable winemakers from South Africa and unbelievable wine manufacturers. And so they need to be as targeted on as Italy, France, Napa and all these different nice locations.
What’s the subsequent grape or selection that you simply wish to discover?
We’ve a few issues up our sleeve. I wish to discover doing a single varietals launch. The glowing class could be very fascinating as nicely. South Africa makes unbelievable glowing wine. You wait and see!
Get iBest Wines at ibestwines.com and reservebar.com.
