Justin Ferguson: TheBlackSommRVA

Justin Ferguson spends his workdays making Virginia real estate deals. But when work is done and it's time to play, Ferguson becomes TheBlackSommRVA, a role that allows him to share the wine knowledge he's learned while becoming a WSET Level 3 certified sommelier.

"The more I jumped into this business [commercial real estate], I started being around wine more, and I wanted to be a better agent and understand what my clients want. So I'm like, let me learn about it. I've just kept progressing. And here we are now," he said about the bridging of his real estate and wine careers. "During COVID, it was great when the world was shutting down, and you didn't want to talk to anyone about real estate. I would call people and say, 'Hey, let's drink wine and talk about something other than real estate. We'll sit six feet apart and just be humans.' Real estate is transactional, but it gets too transactional. So, like, hey, Justin is here to provide wine value to me as well."

But Ferguson doesn't just use wine to help his real estate career.

He's been able to launch a second career as the wine director at The Underground Kitchen in Richmond, Virginia.

"It is an experiential dining kitchen. So we're not open every day, which is great," he said. "The Kitchen pays respect and creativity to the LGBTQ community but also to chefs of color with flavors. We like seasoning. Chef Steve Glenn likes Creole and Southern cooking. So that's good portion sizes, but really well-seasoned food. It's fun pairing different cultures with wine."

Initially inspired by Dlynn Proctor and the movie SOMM, Ferguson said he hopes his efforts expose more people to the beauty and wonder of wine.

"There was a guy, his name was Dlynn Proctor, and he was, like, the only Black guy. There aren't many Black Master Somms. So seeing him in that role sparked the idea — representation matters," Ferguson said about his initial push toward earning his sommelier certification. "Because my family still, to this day, doesn't drink wine; they aren't wine people. They are beer and other alcohol drinkers. I think [wine] wasn't introduced throughout my culture the same way other spirits were."

When asked to recommend a bottle of wine for Eat It, Virginia listeners to try, Ferguson did not hesitate.

"The thing on top of my mind right now is, honestly, Black winemakers," he said. "One that I've been enjoying is O.P.P wine (Other People's Pinot Noir) by André Mack."

Other stuff on this episode:

• The opening of Ripple Ray's, a Grateful Dead themed bar in Richmond (2:10)

• The new Mardi Gras menu at Get Tight Lounge (2:45)

• The Sunday Bagel phenomenon (4:40)

• The opening of the Ugly Dumpling (6:45)

• Robey's new column in Style Weekly (7:50)

• Robey's recent visits to Brave Captain and Susie's (9:00)

• The Mailbag wants to know about James Beard Awards snubbing Richmond restaurants once again (12:00)

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