Is Brooklyn in the house?
As a Brooklyn girl through and through, Bedford-Stuyvesant to be exact, Marvina Robinson has found a way to combine two things that she loves dearly — her neighborhood and champagne.
Robinson is the face behind the newest Black-owned champagne brand, Stuyvesant Champagne, an ode to the neighborhood that means so much to her.
When she was younger, she and her friends would pool together their money at the end of the week to buy a bottle of champagne from the local corner store.
“Each Friday, we would buy a bottle and sit out on the stoop and just catch up with each other over a glass of bubbly,” Robinson told Travel Noire. “It was our way of feeling fancy during our college days.”
The initial plan was to only open a champagne bar, but she realized that she wanted to also serve her own house brand. So, she set out to create one.
After visiting France she was able to come up with a flavor profile that she enjoyed.
“I went through about 12 different cuvées before narrowing it down to 3 that I really liked.”
From there, she hosted an intimate blind tasting to get feedback from people around her neighborhood.
Stuyvesant Champagnes currently has two cuvées on the market. The Grand Reserve which Robinson describes as fruitful and floral with notes of apple and ginger. She also has a rosé that is said to be berry forward and not too dry or too sweet.
For those who aren’t big champagne drinkers or those wanting to stretch out their bottle a little longer, Robinson also offers champagne cocktail suggestions including The Stuyvesant Love Potion Sparkler made up of gin, blackberries, agave, Stuyvesant champagne, and thyme.
The brand can currently be found exclusively in Happy Cork (51 Buffalo Ave.), another Black-woman owned business in Brooklyn.
“They were one of my biggest supporters from day one, so it was only right that I sold my brand in their shop,” Robinson said.
You can also purchase online from the brand’s website. There are plans to expand it into other stores around NYC soon, and Robinson will host a big tasting on March 21 for the public to come and try it out. That tasting will be held at Bed-Vyne (385 Tompkins Ave.) in Brooklyn as well.
Now that the champagne is here, Robinson will focus on opening her bar. Coupette NYC, named after the original Champagne glass that is shaped like a flying saucer, is slated to open later this year in Brooklyn.
We asked Robinson to describe the feeling of being one of the few Black-women owned champagne brands out there, here’s what she said:
“It hasn’t fully hit me yet. I’m not trying to be the poster child for any one thing, I’m the poster child for myself. It just so happens that I’m Black and I’m a woman with her own champagne brand.”
Once the brand gets more established Robinson has plans to also give back to the Bed-Stuy community through her business.
To learn more about Stuyvesant Champagne, you can visit the website: www.stuyvesantchampagne.com or find them on social media at @stuyvesantchampagne. For updates on the champagne bar, follow @coupette_nyc.