Pouring a new future

It’s not often that watching a movie sets the course for an entire career, but that’s where Justin Ferguson’s story begins. When he saw the 2012 documentary “Somm” — which follows four candidates preparing for the Master Sommelier exam — one candidate stood out. DLynn Proctor, a confident, sharply dressed person of color, reminded Ferguson of himself. He also noticed the microaggressions Proctor faced, which sparked Ferguson’s interest in the wine industry and its lack of diversity.  

Years later, Ferguson watched “Uncorked,” a film about a young Black man training to be a master sommelier despite pushback from his family. “That night I signed up for level 1,” he says. He earned his Wine & Spirit Education (WSET) Level 1 Award in January 2021, followed by level 2 in March and level 3 in December 2023. “Level 3 is where it gets serious,” he says. “It doesn’t teach you just how to talk about wine; it teaches you how to think in wine.”

While earning wine certifications and working in real estate, Ferguson became wine director for The Underground Kitchen in November 2023 — “stepping into a well-organized machine,” he says. The group already had a strong culinary program celebrating African-American heritage and supporting communities of color, LGBTQ+, and women. “They wanted to elevate their wine program,” Ferguson says, “and that’s where I came in.” He was a 2025 judge for the Virginia Governor’s Cup and will soon begin teaching wine classes at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden.

Read more on The Underground Kitchen.

How do you see people of color influencing the wine world — both historically and today?

Historically our influence has been foundational but not super visible. Our culture has worked in vineyards; we’ve been behind the scenes. Now we’re defining what it looks like and not waiting to be included in someone else’s narrative. That’s who we are, culturally, creatively, unapologetically. That’s what our culture is doing, showing up and making wine that we like.

How has your WSET training shaped the way you communicate about wine with beginners versus seasoned drinkers?

When you first get into wine, there's always this want to flex what you know and say, ‘You should drink this.’ But I like to meet people where they’re at. I just let people ask questions. Wine is complicated — not intentionally, but there’s so many grapes in the world that most people are afraid to ask questions. When you go into the bottle shop and people don’t look or sound like you, there’s another level of angst. I just like to keep it conversationally casual.

If you could enjoy a bottle of wine with anyone—past or present—who would you choose, what wine would you pour, and what makes that pairing meaningful to you?

Jordan Peele. He really understands how to layer meaning into entertainment. He’s making you laugh, making you think, making you uncomfortable — and most of the time all at once. It tests the viewer and attention to detail. That’s how I think about wine. We’d probably have a 2010 Côte-Rôtie. It’s a syrah, a red wine that takes time to evolve. It doesn’t show up immediately. The air comes out, and it starts to express itself, kind of like his writing. It’s one thing at first and then it gets deeper; it evolves. We’d probably talk about legacy and storytelling and just enjoy a glass of red wine that improves as our conversation improves.

Follow Ferguson’s wine explorations on Instagram at @theblacksommrva.

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