EXCLUSIVE EVENT RECAP: House of Mandela WINE launch in the US!

Did you know that South Africa has a 3 billion dollar wine industry? And that less than 2%  of it is owned by black South Africans? Ain't that something? Enter the Mandela family..

Dr. Makaziwe Mandela & daughter Tukwini Mandela

Nelson Mandela's daughter Dr. Makaziwe Mandela and his grand child Tukwini Mandela have stepped into the competitive industry with a brand new delectable set of wines aptly named : House of Mandela Wines. "The wine movement is growing" Tukwini told the Huffington Post earlier this week. "More and more people are experimenting with wine beyond spirit drinks. And there's a large segment of the black community who are interested in the wine now."

Just this past Tuesday I had the pleasure of attending their exclusive US launch of red, white and sparkling wine held in an upscale event space in New York City. The pair told the small group that they carefully chose the vineyards where the wines come from and that it's taken 6 years from inception to get the final product to the masses. Here's how the wines breakdown.... you can chose from the 3 tiers below:

• Thembu
• Royal Reserve
• Sparkling

The Royal Reserve

The Thembu Collection

The Brut

While the guests were nibbling on the treats from the Mandela cookbook,  I had a quick chat with Tukwini, check it out below...

Me with Tukwini Mandela

Being a Mandela is....
interesting and challenging at the same time

What's the first thing I would notice if you invited me for wine at your house?
Camaraderie and love..

If you could recommend one recipe in your cookbook, what would it be?
LOL..OMG! Such a difficult question! Hmmm what would I recommend to you? I would say the sweet chicken!

What's the best piece of advice you've received from your grandfather?
Be true to yourself!

What makes you truly happy?
My family!

In case you are wondering how they decided used their famous surnames to name the wine Tukwini added "We are telling the story of our family and who we come from with these wines so it's natural that we would use the name Mandela."

You can buy the wines online at www.winetasting.com or 1-800-Flowers and with prices  ranging from $12 to 50, I would say that's a pretty good deal!Or if you are lucky enough to live in Dallas, Miami or NY the wine should be available in those regions soon.

Thoughts??