Marvina Robinson, an entrepreneur from Brooklyn, has been passionate about bubbly and sparkling wines since her college days. Now, she has turned her passion into her own champagne brand called Stuyvesant Champagne, making her one of very few Black entrepreneurs in the country to have done so.
Robinson, who grew up in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood in NYC, started her love for sparkling wine since college when she would propose a toast with her friends every Friday night.
"I always loved bubbly, it always made me feel good whether I was up or down or if I just needed something to sip on," she told NY Daily News. "It's the perfect balance."
However, there was something she was looking for in every glass of wine that she couldn't find in the brands available in the market. That's when she decided to go to France to create her own recipe.
"I wanted the champagne to have some meaning, some depth to it," she said. "So I went to France to meet different people, visit different vineyards and grape owners."
When she came back to New York with several cuvées -- which means batches of wine in French -- she invited her friends to a blind tasting. Two of the variations, a salmon-colored Brut Rosé and a golden-colored Grande Réserve, were the best picks. Even celebrities like Tamron Hall, who was seen sipping the champagne on an Instagram post, can't get enough of it.
Most recently, the 43-year old wine enthusiast launched the two variations through her own brand Stuyvesant Champagne. Being one of the first Black-owned champagne brands could be challenging since she didn't have any guidelines to follow, but she managed to do it her own way also with the help of her family and friends.
More than that, she also plans to expand her business and open a champagne bar which she would call Coupette NYC, after the original champagne glass, later this year.
"I'm not finished. I still have a long way to go. I'm still building, still paving the way," Robinson said.
For more information about Stuyvesant Champagne and/or to order online, visit www.stuyvesantchampagne.com