A Brief Convo on Latino Representation and Accessibility in Wine With Latina Winemaker Nancy Ulloa
Having grown up in a Mexican household, Nancy Ulloa of Ulloa Cellars has always been aware of the lack of accessibility that latinos have to the wine world. Today, she actively works to bring latinos into the conversation by making wine with the latino community in mind and acting as an educational resource by teaching lessons about wine in Spanish.
"Minorities have such huge buying power that is not being addressed."
“I grew up in a household where wine was not something that was commonly consumed.
I got exposure to it through working in hospitality. I have found that in general, minorities are not being targeted for marketing when it comes to selling a bottle of wine.
And I feel there’s a little bit of a disconnect of people in my culture wanting to learn more about wine, but feeling intimidated because of elitist wine language. I think that if you’re not someone in the wine industry, you’re not going to understand what “bâtonnage” or “cooperage” or “tannins” are.
I have found a very deep passion in making the wine tasting experience more friendly. Number one, utilizing terminology that it’s easy to understand. I like to take concepts within production and break them down into vocabulary that it’s relatable to people.”
“If we were to educate our consumer, there’s a whole different avenue of profits that we could make. When you target a certain group for marketing, they feel seen. They feel valued as a consumer. That’s something that I feel we are not taking an advantage of as people in the wine industry.”
AHIVOY; empowering vineyard stewards
“I come in contact with a lot of people who work either in the bottling lines or in the fields or even in production at wineries, but even though they’re working with this product all the time, they don’t really understand what they’re doing. They’re just doing these like tasks that are being given to them.”
“AHIVOY is educating the vineyard workers and the cellar workers about what happens in production and after production. They’re being educated on the terms and and what that does to the wine – I think that not only is educating them but it’s also turns them into consumers. It also allows mobility within the industry. You don’t have to stay and work in the fields the whole time. Eventually, you can work in a winery and eventually from the winery, you can work in the tasting room. It’s also a pathway for them to have more economic freedom in the future.”
AHIVOY coined the term “Vineyard Steward” in 2019 and it has now been adopted into the industry, representing “individuals who work within vineyards, embodying a commitment to sustainable practices, land stewardship, and community engagement.”
"My target for wine education is someone like my dad."
Although Nancy’s brand targets mainly women, she works hard to provide education on wine so that people in her community without a formal wine education can feel welcome to enjoy and learn about wine.
“I have taken advantage of my brand as a platform to the fullest. And I will continue to do my advocacy work.”
Editor
Natalie is co-founder and editor of The Grapevine Magazine where she helps winemakers big and small tell their stories. She lives in Manhattan, New York City.
