A local woman who over-came her own struggles while pursuing a passion of winemaking is now creating space to help others do the same.
Donna Stoney is living her dream as a winemaker and owner of Stoney Wines. To get here, though, she had to overcome barriers – like the financial ones, because starting a winery is expensive.
She spent decades working for Multnomah County as a social worker, saving every dime until she had enough to start the second chapter of her life.
“I want to invest in my future,” Stoney said. “I got two things going against me here. I’m a woman and I’m Black.”
Donna had the means, the motivation, and the talent. What she didn’t have was experience, so she sought out someone who could guide her into unfamiliar territory.
“What did I do? I ran to the person that is the same. He’s Black, I’m Black, I feel safe, I feel comfortable, so I’m gonna go to him first,” said Donna.
That person was Bertony Faustin of Abby Creek Vineyards. As far as he or anyone else knew, he was the first Black winemaker ever in Oregon.
“What the industry paints the picture of what a winemaker is supposed to look like, obviously, is the issue,” Faustin previously told KATU News.
Even with everything she learned from Bertony, some of those same old struggles continued.
“My significant other is white, for instance, they would always address him all the time,” Stoney said. “And I would say, ‘I’m over here. Huh? I’m right here. Talk to me. I’m the one that pays the bills. I’m the one that’s going to school. I’m the one that’s trying to make this whole thing happen.’”
Donna Stoney, now the first Black female winemaker in Oregon, isn’t just fighting for her place in the winemaking world, she’s out to change it.
She started the International Association of BIPOC Winemakers, to support and to help grow the number of BIPOC winemakers. She won’t stop until she has members in every region of the globe.
“My hope for, at least here in Ontario and Canada, that hopefully, you know, there’ll be more people of color who wanna get into the industry,” said Steven Byfield, a winemaker in Ontario.
He doesn’t know of any other Black winemakers in his entire country. He thinks the work that Donna is doing, will make a difference.
“The fact that she’s a woman of color and she’s doing what she’s doing, will only inspire others,” said Byfield.
“If I can bring everybody all together with wine, how beautiful that would be?” Stoney said.
The Stoney Wines website says a portion of their proceeds support programs for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
