News Archives - Jenny Dawn Cellars

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Juneteenth Celebration June 18, 2022, 1 - 10 p.m.

Juneteenth: Celebrating the ending of slavery in the United States

Juneteenth is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States. Dating back to 1865, it was on June 19th that the Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger, landed at Galveston, Texas with news that the war had ended and that the enslaved were now free. Note that this was two and a half years after President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation – which had become official on January 1, 1863.

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Outdoor seating area at Jenny Dawn Cellars

Jenny Dawn Cellars named among Outdoor Patios in Wichita

Wichita sees an average of more than 220 days of sunshine per year and is home to more than 1,200 restaurants. What better way to enjoy the delightful weather during the warmer months and a meal than outside on a patio? Wichita boasts a variety of outdoor patio options at both casual and fine dining establishments, bars, breweries, and more! Review our list to choose the perfect patio option for your occasion.

Jenny Dawn Cellars also recently expanded its patio, offering an outdoor location for patrons to mingle and unwind. The winery opened in 2019 in Wichita’s historical and recently restored Union Station where it boasts a tasting room, event venue and on-site wine production. The winery crafts its own wines on-site, working with grapes and juices from growers in Kansas and California.

Read the full article here.

Twelve Kansas State University alumni selected as 2022 Alumni Fellows

Twelve accomplished Kansas State University alumni have been selected as the 2022 Alumni Fellows and will address students and faculty in classes and receptions April 20-22 during the 2022 Alumni Fellows week.

Alumni Fellows return to discuss current business and industry trends and to meet with students and faculty. The program is sponsored by the K-State Alumni Association, the Office of the President and the Deans’ Council.

“The Fellows were chosen based on their high levels of professional accomplishment and distinguished service in their respective careers,” said Andrea Bryant Gladin, K-State Alumni Association assistant vice president of alumni programs and organizer of the Alumni Fellows program.

Jennifer McDonald, is the founder and CEO at Jenny Dawn Cellars, Wichita, Kansas, for K-State’s Global Campus. McDonald earned a master’s degree in agribusiness through K-State’s Global Campus in 2016.

Read about all of the 2022 Alumni Fellows here.

Jenny Dawn Cellars among Oprah’s list of Black-Owned Wineries in the U.S. and around the world

Out of the more than 11,000 wineries based in the U.S., less than 1 percent of those are Black-owned or have a Black winemaker. Within the past couple of years, there’s been a push toward purchasing from Black-owned businesses, which has bolstered awareness and shined a spotlight on the benefit of increasing diversity.

From sophisticated red blends to sparkling bubbly, plus delicious whites and other varieties, businesses such as B. Stuyvesant, Theopolis Vineyards, and Maison Noir are among the handful of Black-owned wineries producing some of the finest wines in the world—while paving the way for aspiring winemakers.

To read the full article and list of black-owned wineries, click here.

winemaker Jennifer McDonald smelling a glass of wine in her winery

Jennifer McDonald makes Sweet July’s list of 15 Women of Color-Owned Wine Labels to Support

Today, thanks to many badass trailblazers like Iris Rideau, Theodora Lee, Tahiirah Habibi, Dorothy J. Gaiter, Julia Coney, Jennifer McDonald and so many others, women of color are breaking glass ceilings unapologetically in the wine industry. From retail shop owners, small business owners, journalists, and marketing executives to vineyard managers and social media influencers, women are changing the world of wine and lifting as they climb every step of the way.

This progress extends to the growing number of vintners and winemakers across the country and world. Here are 15 wine brands helmed by women of color that you should add to your growing wine repertoire.

Read more about the 15 winemakers on the list here.

Jennifer McDonald’s African Ancestry Journey

“For Africa, to me … is more than a glamorous fact. It is a historical truth. No man can know where he is going unless he knows exactly where he has been and exactly how he arrived at his present place.” – Maya Angelou 

Genealogy tracing has become a popular investment for Americans. Particularly important to one demographic. African-Americans of all different backgrounds were deliberately separated from their ancestry by the slave trade and events that followed. Generations have lived their whole lives wanting to know who they were and where they came from, in regards to their African Ancestry. To take advantage of this genetic technology is to accomplish what many Africans-Americans have been trying to achieve for decades. The information gained can be utilized to make meaning and new connections that will be beneficial in how you see yourself in the world! 

Continue reading “Jennifer McDonald’s African Ancestry Journey”

Jennifer McDonald owner of Jenny Dawn Cellars

Linktree Blog Highlights Jenny Dawn Cellars in Article about Supporting Black Wine Industry

“I am a well-dressed, well-spoken, educated Black woman. And when I walked through the doors of wineries, I wasn’t even greeted,” McDonald recalled. “I wasn’t even spoken to, said hello to, or made to feel welcome in their establishment as a paying customer.”

The slight was one of many reasons that propelled McDonald to create her own wine business and offer the kind of white-glove service all patrons should expect. Jenny Dawn Cellars has 14 handcrafted wines, all made and bottled onsite including a Union Station Chardonnay, Black Locomotive Crimson Cabernet, Red Caboose Dry Rosé, and Semi-Sweet White. Her wine and education class — cleverly dubbed Winuecation — allows patrons to sample six global wines paired with three appetizers.

 

“I always go out of my way to be very approachable and down to earth and make the experience fun.”

Read the full article here.

Celebrate National Drink Day at Jenny Dawn Cellars

National Drink Wine Day is Feb. 18. If your response to that is, “isn’t every day Drink Wine Day?” then this blog post is for you! Here are the best spots in Wichita to raise a glass in celebration of National Drink Wine Day, or any day for that matter.

In 2021, five Wichita restaurants were recognized as some of the “world’s best restaurants for wine,” earning 2021 Wine Spectator awards. The magazine chooses award winners on three levels.

Jenny Dawn Cellars

This chill spot is a great place to win(e)d down with friends to celebrate and relax. The lowkey winery is located next to Union Station in downtown Wichita. All of the wines offered are made in-house. How cool is that?  Jenny, offers wine flights to help you find a wine fit for you. She also offers guided wine tastings monthly, so be on the lookout if you’re interested.

To read about the other four Wichita restaurants listed, the entire Visit Wichita article can be found here

Jenny Dawn Cellars among list of “20 Black-Owned Wineries You Should Know”

Winemaking is not a field that has ever drawn a large number of African-American winemakers or winery owners, and it is not a field that has been particularly hospitable to them.

According to some estimates, no more than 1% of the country’s wineries are owned in whole or in part by Blacks or have a Black winemaker. African-American winemaker Phil Long of Longevity Wines in California’s Livermore Valley, president of the Association of African American Vintners, thinks even that estimate is too high, believing that the percentage is more like 0.1%. Whatever the reality, it’s undeniable that the industry is overwhelmingly white.

Doing consumer marketing research as a grad student at Kansas State University, Jennifer McDonald thought there’d be a place for an urban winery to serve city-dwellers. After unsuccessfully applying to nine other banks to finance her business – an experience she attributes to skepticism about whether a young black woman could successfully run a winery business in the Sunflower State – she won backing to establish Jenny Dawn in Wichita’s historic Union Station.

To read the rest of this article and find out about the other 19 wineries featured, click here

Jenny Dawn Cellars named among the ways to celebrate Valentine’s Day in Wichita

Valentine’s Day is quickly approaching and Visit Wichita compiled a collection of ways to celebrate love. Jenny Dawn Cellars was mentioned along with other Wichita businesses hosting events and activities for the weekend of Valentine’s 2022.

Jenny Dawn Cellars special events: Make Reservations for the Feb. 11 Valentine’s Day Wine and Jazz Dinner or Feb. 12 Valentine’s Day Wine and Jazz Dinner and enjoy an evening of live jazz music by Micah White and Chris Shaw, a three-course meal with a mocha mouse cake for dessert and a bottle of award-winning wine. Cost is $100 per couple, all tables will be properly distanced.

To read the complete article, click here.