The Wine Room That Started with a Phone Call
"Do y’all make wine?"
Robert’s Vineyard Wine Collection
I have a confession.
When we opened the vineyard in the spring of 2025, wine wasn't part of the plan. My grandfather planted these vines 75 years ago, but we opened Norwood to host weddings and events. That was it. We had a handful of dates on the calendar, and we were so excited to share land that had been in our family for generations.
Then guests started asking a question we didn't see coming: "Do y’all make wine?"
It had honestly never crossed our minds that a vineyard venue without its own wine was unusual. It turns out it is.
Our family never made wine into a business. But we did “make it”.
If you've ever stood under our tent and looked out over the vines, you've probably noticed the metal workshop behind the family home. That was my dad's garage. He passed away in 2024, but he loved that garage and tinkered with everything back there. And he also made wine, a little moonshine style in that garage. It was so good. We had it every holiday. He and my uncle even held their own winemaking competitions, and every Thanksgiving and Christmas, friends were texting me trying to get a bottle. He made a lot, but never quite enough to go around..
“Our family never made wine into a business. But we did “make it”.”
Archive: Holiday Wine Tasting (November 2020)
Pictured: Our dad (Charles Norwood) and friends.
So years later, here we are running a venue, and one night an idea flashes across our minds: what if we hosted a wine tasting? Not with wine you can pick up at the store, but with a real winemaker.
Right behind that came a second thought. We grow muscadines. What if we could find a Black winemaker who makes muscadine wine?
It took a couple of days of searching. Later we learned why: Black winemakers make up less than 1% of winemakers in the United States. We were looking for a needle in a haystack. But we found her: Dr. Darlene Roberts of Robert's Vineyard in Byron, Georgia.
When I called, she was in the middle of hosting her family reunion and told me to call back Monday. So I did. By Tuesday, my sister and I were driving down to Byron for a tasting.
We loved everything we tried. It took us right back to childhood, like a more polished version of the muscadine wine my dad used to pour at the holidays. Somewhere between a Google search, a phone call, and that drive to Byron, our wine program was born.
“Black winemakers make up less than 1% of winemakers in the United States. We were looking for a needle in a haystack.”
Archive: A walking meeting about wine (July 2026- Roberts Vineyard, Byron GA)
Pictured: Dr. Darlene Roberts (left) and Erika Norwood (right)
Once we got serious, we brought on a sommelier to lead and grow our wine program and teach us along the way. This past year, I've learned a lot about my own taste. It turns out in addition to loving Muscadine wine, I'm a Cabernet girl too: fruit forward, robust, a little complex. I'm not a dry white girl like my sister has turned out to be, but the reds have won me over. And for some reason, the more expensive the bottle, the more my taste buds seem to like it.
Today our wine room proudly exists to highlight Black winemakers across the country. Every month, we taste dozens of bottles to find the ones worth bringing to you. These are small-batch makers, so the wines are hand pressed, hand bottled, made with the best ingredients, and bought straight from the people who made them.
It also means quantities are limited. If you've fallen in love with something in our wine room and we told you there's a waiting list, there really is one. It might take a few weeks or a couple of months. But when you open that bottle, you'll know it didn't sit in a warehouse. It was picked, pressed, and fermented by someone who cared about it.
Over the next couple of weeks, I'll introduce you to more of the winemakers we'll be pouring this fall and winter. And as bridal season winds down, we're expanding our hours so you'll have more chances to come taste, hear their stories, and take a bottle home.
It's funny how things happen. An idea turns into a Google search. A search turns into a phone call. A phone call turns into a drive to Byron. And that drive turns into something you never knew you, or your community, needed.
With gratitude,
Erika Norwood
Archive: Sisters in Wine (May 2026)
Pictured: Alicia Norwood (left) Dr. Darlene Roberts (center) and Erika Norwood (right)