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DLynn talks with Carmelo Anthony about the film Uncorked
Wine Unify’s Tonya Pitts and DLynn Proctor featured on CBS This Morning
In the News
Diversity in Action in the Wine World
By MaryAnn Worobiec
A nonprofit founded by industry veterans DLynn Proctor, Martin Reyes and Mary Margaret McCamic, Wine Unify looks to increase diversity through education. Reyes, the first Mexican American Master of Wine, calls education “a solvent against the stubborn crust of preconception that brown and Black people don’t know wine, or don’t ‘look the part’ of a wine-savvy consumer or expert.”
One in a Thousand Winemakers Is Black. These Men Are Working to Close the Industry's Gap
By Maria C. Hunt
High-end wine tastings aren’t always the friendliest places if you look young and Black. Standing in a scrum of tasters in San Diego about 20 years ago, I exclaimed over the aromas from my glass of pinot noir. A middle-aged white man with red hair and glasses snapped, “I’m not listening to a thing you have to say.” Little did he know that I was the regional newspaper’s restaurant critic, so people were listening.
Like Wine? This Sommelier Wants You to Try Cognac
Content by Remy Martin with Food & Wine
Today, sommelier DLynn Proctor is a 20-year veteran of the industry with a resume packed with film credits, industry superlatives, and extensive experience in the fine dining world. But back in 2006, before all the accolades, he visited the Cognac region of France for the very first time. After driving for an hour and a half northeast of Bordeaux, Proctor found himself in picturesque Segonzac, a sleepy village in the heart of Cognac. The scenery — rolling, sunlit fields dotted with verdant vineyards bursting from fertile soil — recalled previous visits to France’s most famous wine regions.
How the Netflix Film ‘Uncorked’ Breaks New Ground for Black Wine Drinkers
By Julia Coney
“Uncorked,” which releases today on Netflix, is a film that represents a cultural shift. Historically, the wine industry has ignored the $1.2 trillion in spending power of black Americans. And while athletes have become trend-setting, bottle-moving oenophiles, Hollywood also has been late to the party. But in a cinematic evolution that touches both realms, here is a movie that finally speaks to what many black wine consumers have been saying to themselves: I’m here buying wine, studying wine, and working in the wine industry — but I’m often ignored.
A former NBA executive is leading Napa's businesses through crisis after crisis
By Curtis Bunn
In the first days of Travis Stanley's new job in 2014 as president and CEO of the Napa Chamber of Commerce, an earthquake rocked the heart of the country's most established wine region in Northern California. Uncertain what to do, Stanley drove downtown to see the damage.
In the News
Cont’d
DLynn Proctor Hopes to Unify and Inspire Wine Lovers
By MaryAnn Worobiec
The winery director and former sommelier talks about his journey through wine and his inspiration for co-founding Wine Unify.
By the Bottle: DLynn Proctor
By Alfonso Cevola
I first met DLynn in Dallas, when we both lived there. I’ve had the pleasure to open bottles with him in Texas, in Napa Valley (where he now lives) and in Italy. Presently he is the director of Fantesca estate and winery in St. Helena. He is also an actor and producer, known for SOMM (2012) and SOMM: Into the Bottle (2015) and Uncorked (2020), a film loosely based on the life.
Always Aiming High: DLynn Proctor Chats Live on His Storied Career
By Shawn Zylberberg
The sommelier and director of Napa's Fantesca Estate & Winery talks about pouring wines for the world's biggest names, reshaping the wine industry and a new TV show with comedian Kevin Hart.