開啟葡萄酒行業(yè)多元化之門

文/米基·瓦格納 譯/涂杰

As the second African American and one of the youngest people to ever earn the Master Sommelier1Master Sommelier 侍酒師大師，葡萄酒行業(yè)的頂級(jí)證書，由國際侍酒大師公會(huì)（Court of Master Sommeliers）組織考核。該組織成立于1977 年，是全球首個(gè)對葡萄酒侍酒服務(wù)進(jìn)行認(rèn)證的考試機(jī)構(gòu)。title, McCoy is no stranger to being a changemaker. 作為第二位獲得“侍酒師大師”稱號(hào)的非洲裔美國人，也是目前獲得該頭銜最年輕的人之一，麥科伊對變革者的身份早就習(xí)以為常。

小卡爾頓·麥科伊是為數(shù)不多能夠掀起行業(yè)風(fēng)暴的人。只要在谷歌上搜索一下他的名字，你就會(huì)看到無數(shù)文章講述他如何一步步從普通員工晉升為葡萄酒行業(yè)最新出現(xiàn)的重量級(jí)人物。作為第二位獲得“侍酒師大師”稱號(hào)的非洲裔美國人，也是目前獲得該頭銜最年輕的人之一，麥科伊名副其實(shí)?！笆叹茙煷髱煛贝砥咸丫菩袠I(yè)的最高資質(zhì)，目前全球僅有269 人獲此殊榮。

2雖然麥科伊現(xiàn)在因其在葡萄酒行業(yè)的工作而聞名，但他當(dāng)年是通過烹飪進(jìn)入這個(gè)行業(yè)的。麥科伊從小在華盛頓長大，由祖母撫養(yǎng)成人。他說，烹飪是他童年生活的重要組成部分。麥科伊參加了“烹飪藝術(shù)職業(yè)計(jì)劃”的進(jìn)修，該計(jì)劃旨在為條件不好的青少年提供技能培訓(xùn)，幫助他們在烹飪職業(yè)生涯中取得成功。完成進(jìn)修后，麥科伊在一場烹飪競賽中勝出，贏得了美國烹飪學(xué)院的全額獎(jiǎng)學(xué)金。他表示，這是他人生的一大轉(zhuǎn)折點(diǎn)，因?yàn)樗緵]有上大學(xué)的打算。雖然進(jìn)入美國烹飪學(xué)院學(xué)習(xí)給他帶來了巨大的文化沖擊，但麥科伊說，這是一段很奇妙，但又令人備感壓力的人生經(jīng)歷。

3“烹飪學(xué)院就如同軍隊(duì)。每天，你必須把胡子刮得干干凈凈，戴好折疊規(guī)整的領(lǐng)巾和大大的廚師帽，還要確保刀具鋒利。如果廚師長用你的刀連張紙都劃不開，那你就得回家磨刀了。這是一個(gè)壓力非常、非常大的環(huán)境?！丙溈埔琳f，“實(shí)際上，我覺得很有趣。我知道這很奇怪，但我真心覺得很有意思?！蹦陜H19 歲的麥科伊成為埃斯科菲耶餐廳的助教。這家法式餐廳由美國烹飪學(xué)院的學(xué)生經(jīng)營，2012 年改名為博古斯餐廳。

4在獲得酒店餐飲管理專業(yè)學(xué)士學(xué)位后，麥科伊來到紐約，在那里由后廚走向前廳。他發(fā)現(xiàn)，餐廳服務(wù)員賺得比廚師還要多。于是，他成為一名服務(wù)員，想把它當(dāng)作一份短期工作。但他最終發(fā)現(xiàn)，自己真的很喜歡通過美食和葡萄酒與人交流。

5“我喜歡與人談?wù)撁朗常晃蚁矚g與人交流?！彼f，“這是我曾經(jīng)真正錯(cuò)失的東西。當(dāng)你經(jīng)常做菜，你感到非常愉快，因?yàn)槟阆矚g烹飪。但你從來沒有機(jī)會(huì)與人交流，你只是一門心思干活兒。我真的很喜歡把美食端給人們，為他們介紹美食，并與他們互動(dòng)。”

6因此，一位經(jīng)理告訴他，要想進(jìn)步，就必須更多地了解葡萄酒?！斑@是餐飲行業(yè)商業(yè)模式的重要組成部分?！彼硎荆八?，我開始把葡萄酒當(dāng)作一個(gè)賺錢的東西來研究。這是門生意?！?/p>

7麥科伊就是這樣了解到國際侍酒大師公會(huì)的。他花了五年時(shí)間認(rèn)真鉆研葡萄酒。28歲時(shí)，他成為世界上通過“侍酒師大師”考試的第二年輕的人。他周游世界，了解葡萄酒的方方面面，走訪釀酒人和釀酒公司。在此之后，他搬到了科羅拉多州阿斯彭市，在那里的五星級(jí)酒店“小內(nèi)爾”工作。兩年后，他升任葡萄酒總監(jiān)。正是在這里，他遇到了勞倫斯一家。麥科伊回憶說：“我們一拍即合，開始討論在納帕谷投資，以及投資的前景?！?/p>

8麥科伊和小蓋倫·勞倫斯合伙買下了海茨酒窖、一大片葡萄園和一間品酒室。麥科伊現(xiàn)在是勞倫斯葡萄酒莊園的主管合伙人，也是海茨酒窖的首席執(zhí)行官兼總裁，他也因此成為納帕谷地區(qū)酒莊的首位黑人首席執(zhí)行官。

9“我認(rèn)為，在這個(gè)領(lǐng)域身居高位的我有望成為一個(gè)范例，能向其他人表明，他們也可以選擇這條路?！丙溈埔琳f，“他們不應(yīng)該被強(qiáng)加任何東西，任何人都不應(yīng)該被這樣對待，但他們可以在心理上感受到，‘嘿，看啊，這是我能夠做到的事?！瘜ξ襾碚f，這是非常強(qiáng)大的影響力。努力工作，盡可能地讓我的職業(yè)生涯走得更遠(yuǎn)，從而向人們展示他們能夠做到什么。對我來說，這是非常值得的?！?/p>

102020 年，麥科伊與伊基米·杜博斯共同創(chuàng)立了“根基基金”，幫助黑人和原住民開辟一條投身葡萄酒行業(yè)并追求職業(yè)發(fā)展的路徑?！拔覀兿牒煤脤徱曇幌?，為什么我們覺得有色人種沒有參與葡萄酒行業(yè)，也沒有從事相關(guān)工作。”麥科伊說：“人們出于形形色色的理由喝酒，如果你不太了解相關(guān)的文化和社交習(xí)俗，就難以成為他們酒友社交圈的一分子。”

11“根基基金”提供葡萄酒教育和指導(dǎo)，并為人們在該行業(yè)謀求職業(yè)發(fā)展提供幫助。“伊基米構(gòu)建我們基金組織的方式有一大優(yōu)點(diǎn)，那就是管理費(fèi)用非常低。幾乎所有錢都直接用于受助者?！丙溈埔帘硎荆斑@個(gè)基金真的在做一些會(huì)產(chǎn)生影響的事，而不是搞一些花里胡哨的東西。作為該組織的一分子，我感覺非常有意義?！?/p>

12那么，麥科伊希望葡萄酒行業(yè)有怎樣的未來呢？“我的終極目標(biāo)是確保清除所有障礙，讓那些希望有機(jī)會(huì)進(jìn)入這個(gè)行業(yè)的人都能獲得機(jī)會(huì)?！薄?/p>

Carlton McCoy, Jr. is one of those rare people who has taken an industry by storm. Just google his name and you’ll find a myriad22 myriad 無數(shù)，大量。of articles on how he has risen through the ranks to become one of the wine industry’s newest heavy hitters33 heavy hitter（政商）大人物；有影響力者。. And as the second African American and one of the youngest people to ever earn the Master Sommelier title—the highest qualification in the wine industry, which only 269 people have earned globally—it seems fitting for McCoy.

2Though he is now known for his work in the wine industry, McCoy entered the industry through the kitchen.He was raised by his grandmother in Washington, D.C. and says cooking was a significant part of his childhood.Through the Careers Through Culinary Arts Program, which gives underserved teenagers the skills to move into successful culinary careers, McCoy won a cooking competition that earned him a full scholarship to the Culinary Institute of America (CIA). This, he says, was a major turning point in his life, as he had not been planning to go to college. And while attending CIA was a big culture shock, McCoy says it was a cool, yet intense, experience.

3“CIA’s like the military. You have to show up every day clean shaven, creased4creased 有折痕的，有褶皺的。neckerchief5neckerchief 頸巾，圍巾。, the big toques, sharp knives. If the chef can’t slice a sheet of paper with your knife, you have to go home and sharpen your knives, like a very, very intense environment,” McCoy says. “I found it to be very fun actually.I know it’s very odd, but I thought it was fun.” At just 19, McCoy was a teaching assistant at the Escoffier Room, a CIA student-run French restaurant that became The Bocuse Restaurant in 2012.

4After earning his bachelor’s in hotel restaurant management, McCoy moved to New York, where he moved to the front of house. He found that servers made more money than cooks, so he became a server with the intention that it would be a short-term gig. But he ended up really enjoying getting to connect with people over food and wine.

5“I like talking to people about food;I like connecting with people,” he says.“It was something I really missed.When you’re cooking lots, it’s very pleasant, you love cooking. You don’t ever get to connect with people. You’re just doing the task. And I really like to bring food to people and tell them about food and interact with them.”

6So, a manager told him that to progress, he’d have to learn more about wine. “It’s a big part of the business model of restaurants,” he says. “So, I started studying wine as an economic thing. It was a business thing.”

7This was how he came to learn about the Court of Master Sommeliers.For five years, he rigorously studied wine. And at 28 years old, he became the second-youngest person in the world to pass the Master Sommelier exam. After traveling the globe to learn about wine and the people and companies that produce it, McCoy moved to Aspen, Colo. to work at the five-star hotel The Little Nell, where after two years, he became the wine director.It was here that he met the Lawrence family. “We really hit it off and started to have some discussions about investments in the Napa Valley6納帕谷，美國著名的酒谷，著名的加州葡萄酒的產(chǎn)地，位于美國加利福尼亞州舊金山以北的納帕市（City of Napa），以生產(chǎn)葡萄酒而聞名。and what that could look like,” McCoy recalls.

8Together, McCoy and Gaylon Lawrence, Jr. bought Heitz Cellar, a whole host of vineyards and a tasting room.McCoy is now the managing partner of the Lawrence Wine Estates and CEO and president of Heitz Cellar, making McCoy the first Black CEO of a Napa winery.

9“I think my existing in this space, in a high position, hopefully can lead as an example to show others that it’s an option for them,” he says. “They shouldn’t be given anything, no one should be given anything, but just psychologically, seeing, ‘hey look, this is something I could do.’ To me, it’s very powerful,and it’s worth it to me to work hard to take my career as far as I can just to show people what they’re capable of.”

10McCoy also cofounded The Roots Fund in 2020 with Ikimi Dubose to help create a pathway for Black and Indigenous people to engage with and pursue careers in the wine industry. “What we wanted to do is to really examine why we felt people of color were not engaged in and working in the wine industry,” he says. “One was a lack of exposure culturally and socially. So, you were less likely to be in social circles with people who drank wine for a number of reasons.”

11The Roots Fund offers wine education, mentorship and help pursuing a career in the industry. “The great thing about the way Ikimi has structured our organization is there’s very low overhead. Almost all the money goes directly into efforts for candidates,” McCoy says. “So, it’s been very fulfilling to be a part of the organization that’s actually doingsomethingthat’sgoing tohave an impact,not justbesortofsomefluff7fluff 絨毛，無價(jià)值的東西。organization.”

12So, what does McCoy want the future of the wine industry to look like?“My ultimate goal is to make sure that all barriers are broken down, where candidates who want the opportunity to enter the industry have them.” ■