California's African-American Winemakers Including Vision Cellars, Esterlina VIneyards And Brown Estate

The Association of African American Vintners counts only six wineries among its members–all of them in California. In addition, there are fewer than a dozen African-American-owned wineries in the entire country.

Those numbers might sound impressive until you consider that there were a total of 6,368 wineries in the U.S. in 2008–and that number grows annually.

In the spirit of changing those statistics, 1300 Fillmore (1300 Fillmore St.; 415-771-7100 or 1300fillmore.com) in the city's Jazz District is offering a four-course tasting menu paired with wines ($95) from African-American-owned wineries through Sunday. The event is well-timed, tied as it is to African-American History Month. But these wineries also deserve attention beyond the month of February.

Here are standout bottles from three of the finest wineries; each is represented on 1300 Fillmore's list:

2008 Vision Cellars Riesling ($22) Made from Mendocino County grapes, this floral and fruit-forward white with good acidity pairs with spicy foods and is perfect for sipping on our frequent warm-weather days in winter (visioncellars.com).

2005 Esterlina Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Alexander Valley Esterlina Lazy S Vineyard ($40) This single-vineyard Cabernet from the cooler reaches of Sonoma County, with a smoky halo around dark berry fruit, is delightfully accessible (liquidpartyworks.com).

2008 Brown Estate Zinfandel ($36) Made from Chiles Valley District grapes from Napa Valley, this racy wine with dark red fruit flavors begs for grilled, grass-fed beef (snooth.com).