During the day, Rada Griffin is employed as an engineer for NASA. There, she is working on a secret project that has taken priority and will allow the first woman to go to the moon by 2024.
However, at night, the Huntsville, Alabama, stationed employee works on her wine company, Anissa Wakefield Wines.
“It’s a big responsibility for us to ensure that everything goes perfectly. Whenever I can find the time, I do my thing with wine,” Griffin stated.
She is also a personal chef and says that she has always had a love for wine. “Wine to me is food. The same way you view food when a chef puts a plate in front of you…that’s the same way I feel about wine. So, I just wanted to do more,” Griffin added.
Through Cornell’s Wine Essentials class, taught by Cheryl Stanley, the NASA contractor improved her winemaker skills and knowledge. In 2019, she became the first Black woman winemaker to be certified in Alabama. She then launched a club called Black Cuvee for other wine aficionados, residing in Alabama.
Griffin goes to Napa Valley, CA, often, in order to monitor her first vintage. This involves wine that is made from grapes that are grown and harvested in a certain year.
Griffin has experienced some obstacles on her journey. In 2019, her grape harvest was damaged during the California fires. Finally, last year, in April, the crops started growing back safely.
Griffin has also discussed Blacks in the wine business. “…there is a movement happening with Black people getting into the wine industry. You see it with celebrities and athletes alike. I’m hoping to do my part with bringing that forward.”
Griffin’s ultimate goal is to get her wine on some airlines, in order to increase her brand beyond Alabama.
“…when you’re flying…I want Anissa Wakefield Wines to be there. That’s the level I want to get to. That’s some years away,” Griffin expressed.
