The McBride sisters’ story has many firsts, and their two wineries are built out of the love they have for each other. Andrea and Robin Mcbride are not only women winemakers, a challenge in itself, but also they are the first African American women winery owners/winemakers. Their latest endeavor is Truvée Wines, a Central Coast boutique winery.
The Mcbride Sisters Story
These two sisters did not know they existed until 1999. Although they were both born in Los Angeles, until recently, they lived their lives on different continents, one Monterey and the other in New Zealand. Even though they had the same father, they never knew that they had a sibling.
Honoring their father’s last wish to have the two meet, a family friend introduced them. One can only imagine that first meeting. Perhaps it was similar to an adopted child meeting their birth parents. There is a nine-year difference between Andrea and Robin, but you would never know once you experience first hand the bond these two have developed in such a short period of time. Once they met, they both discovered they had a common interest, a love of wine.
Robin’s background was technical sales and international import and exportation. Andrea had worked for her uncle’s grape growing business as an apprentice. Both had been exposed to wine due to wine regions they individually grew up near. Once they decided to unite forces in business, it was natural for them to start by importing premium and sustainable wine from New Zealand. Soon after, they started their first winery, Eco-love, in New Zealand. As a sustainable winery, Eco-love was the first carbon zero winery in the region. Here the girls produce Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, and Pinot Noir.

Truvée Launch
This year Robin and Andrea launched their new winery, Truvée Wines. Opening their doors with two very exceptional wines, a Chardonnay and a Red Rhone Blend, and both are reasonably priced at around $15.99. Truvée produces wine that is Sip Certified, Sustainability in Practice, and includes the purchase of grapes from vineyards that sustainably farmed.
Incorporating green practices is very important to the Mcbrides. “Sustainability is at the forefront of all of our growing efforts: it is the right thing to do; it integrates environmental, social, and economic structure and contributes to better quality and balance in everything,” including their wine.
Truvée means “to find” in French and symbolizes the sisters finding each other and discovering their common interest, wine. It also represents the great find that you will discover when you taste both their wines. Lastly, for Robin and Andrea, “the vision is to make delicious wines everyone can enjoy and inspire people to find what matters most to them.”
Chardonnay
The 2013 Truvée Chardonnay is a blend of grapes that are from Edna Valley, Bien Nacido, and Chalone. The wine is elegantly balanced with citrus aromas and flavors of white peach and vanilla. There is a more viscous quality to this lightly oaked Chardonnay. At the same time, the wine is very crisp with a nice acidity. The Chardonnay aged in a combination of French oak and stainless steel with 40% of the grapes going through malolactic fermentation.

Red Blend
The 2013 Truvée Red Blend primarily consists of Grenache with Syrah, Zinfandel and Merlot added. The grapes come from four different regions of the Central Coast San Benito, Chalone, Monterey and Paso Robles. The Grenache is from the South Hart Vineyard in San Benito. The Syrah comes from Chalone. The Zinfandel was grown in Paso Robles while the Paris Valley Ranch in San Lucas Valley provided the Merlot. The wine aged for six months in both new and neutral French oak.
This wine grows on you with time. My first encounter last January, I tasted predominately cherries. I recently revisited this red blend over a period of two days and discovered an amazingly elegant wine. At first, the blueberry flavors dominated the wine, but as the wine sat, I savored red cherries galore with hints of licorice. A sweetness on the finish rounds out the wine.

Wine brings people together and for Robin and Andrea, the experience of wine has increased their bond. We can let the Mcbrides wine unite us with our friends, family, and loved ones in an intriguingly delicious way.
Since originally writing this article, the Mcbride sisters now create wine under the Mcbride Sisters Collection. Here you will find both the New Zealand and California wines.
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