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Black History Month should be celebrated all year long.

Insert 1010 Wine, the Black-owned wine bar located in Inglewood that currently offers  the largest selection of Black and Brown owned wine in California. Owned by siblings Leslie and Le Jones, 1010 Wine houses more than 90% Black-owned wines, specifically ones not often found in local grocery stores.

Beyond this amazing feat, 1010 Wine prides themselves in pairing their incredible selection of wines with an elevated and delicious dining menu. Their goal is to fill the void in the industry and community, fostering a safe space for people from all walks of life to come eat, drink, and potentially find their new favorite wine. They also host live performances, with an ambiance that’s comfortable and sophisticated at the same time. 

Now 3 years since its inception, 1010 Wine is excited as ever to be announcing their newly revamped menu featuring elevated West African cuisine curated by Chef Mo Marvel. The new menu features delicacies from the land and sea, such as salmon crudo and oysters on the half shell light bites, as well as entrees of Piri Piri chicken and Prime Beef bavette. 

 

Sheen Magazine spoke with the co-founders Leslie and Le Jones about this exciting new venture.

 

What does it mean to open the first black-owned wine bar in Inglewood, California?

We were born and raised in Inglewood. We decided to open this space because we were tired of going outside of our community to enjoy good food, good music and good wine. To open the first wine bar in a community that we are so deeply rooted in, means everything to us.  

Where did your love of wine come from?

Le started drinking wine while in law school and would introduce different wines to Leslie every time we were back home. Our relationship in adulthood really was cultivated over wine. 

Why is it important for you to support black-owned wine?

Our parents instilled the importance of supporting small businesses, black and brown-owned businesses and women-owned businesses when we were children. When we started to love wine, we instantly started to research black-owned wine companies. We fell in love with wines from Brown Estate in Napa and Maison Noire in Oregon. Black owned wine companies make up less than 1% of wine companies in the country. To be able to highlight these brands at 1010 and teach our community about them is major.

What else does 1010 Wine offer, besides wine?

We have selections from black-owned beer companies. For Dry January, we also launched cocktails using non-alcoholic wine brand Wine Not. We planned to have the cocktails on the menu just for dry January but they became very popular and have become permanent menu items. 

What are you most excited for with the new menu? 

1010 has been open for almost 3 years. We have grown as business owners in the hospitality industry. Our palates have evolved and this new menu speaks to that. We were also more intentional this time around to curate dishes that really compliment the wines we serve. When a guest comes in and sees the new menu, they will also notice a suggested wine pairing with each dish. This will make it easier for our guests to enjoy their dining experience. 

How important is the pairing between food and wine?

An excellent food and wine pairing can really elevate the dining experience. Oftentimes, people will base their wine selection on the protein they are eating. We feel it is important to also consider how the food was cooked: grilled, baked, fried, etc. It is also important to consider the sauce the protein is accompanied by. The wine we would pair a salmon curry dish with is completely different from the wine we would pair with a salmon dish that was prepared with a lemon and butter sauce. The perfect pairing makes the food and the wine tastes better as they would if they were enjoyed alone. 

What can we look forward to next? 

There are so many things we want to do with our brand and we know it has the potential to grow. For now, we are excited to introduce our community to the new menu and continue to foster the relationships we have with our amazing guests. 

Photo Credit: Courtesy of 1010 Wine