Blazing a trail for others to follow

Bertony Faustin never planned to be a winemaker. A son of Haitian immigrants and a native New Yorker, wine just wasn’t on the radar.

But after grinding out the day job for years – as a physical therapist and anesthesia tech – inspiration finally struck. His wife’s family had been growing grapes on their property in Northwest Portland since the early 1980s and selling them to local winemakers. With help from friends and neighbors, Bertony created Abbey Creek Vineyard in 2006 and makes 700-1000 cases of wine each year from the grapes on his family’s land.

Along the way, Bertony kept getting the question – “Are you the only black winemaker in Oregon?” As it turns out, according to the Oregon Wine Board, he’s the first on record. It’s nice to blaze a trail, of course, but only if there are others following your lead.

So, Bertony launched the Red, White & Black documentary project. Working with director Jerry Bell and cinematographer Peter Fuhrman, RW&B will identify and tell the stories of minority winemakers – black, Latino, LGBT, and more. It’s an important story, and through its telling, will inspire others to follow their dreams in the wine world.