Mac McDonald’s Outsized Impact on the Black Wine Community
As he celebrates his 80th birthday, pioneering Black winemaker Mac McDonald reflects on the community he’s fostered, the legacy he’s built—and what comes next
Dorothy J. Gaiter, senior editor of The Grape Collective, conceived and wrote The Wall Street Journal’s wine column, “Tastings,” from 1998 to 2010 with her husband, John Brecher. They’ve written four wine books and created the “Open That Bottle Night” annual celebration of wine and friendship. Gaiter has been a reporter, editor, columnist, and editorial writer at The Miami Herald, The New York Times, and The Journal, which twice nominated her work on race for the Pulitzer Prize and once for “Tastings.” She’s won awards from the Newswomen’s Club of New York and National Association of Black Journalists.
As he celebrates his 80th birthday, pioneering Black winemaker Mac McDonald reflects on the community he’s fostered, the legacy he’s built—and what comes next
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Dorothy J. Gaiter talks about her experience as a Black wine journalist in an industry that has been slow to shed its identity as an exclusive all-white club