Domestique is proud to announce the application details of the 2021 Major Taylor Fellowship and a new advisory council that will help guide Domestique on its mission to address, challenge, and disrupt the lack of diversity in the wine world. 

The second annual Major Taylor Fellowship, which we first launched in July 2020, is designed to give a person of color a boost toward the top of the wine world. A three-week, stipend-based apprenticeship, the Major Taylor Fellowship will give this year’s recipient the opportunity to spend thirty hours a week at Domestique, learning the ins and outs of wine retail operations. 

After the first year of the fellowship and a year + of COVID, Domestique is looking toward strengthening and forming community more than ever. The shop has formed a new advisory council that will help guide its efforts and act as a critical resource for future fellows. The council brings together industry leaders, journalists, restaurant owners, producers, and importers to create a collective body that will help Domestique facilitate needed change and connect like-minded leaders in the field beyond the fellowship. Also part of this committee is Kayla Mensah, Domestique’s inaugural recipient of the Major Taylor Fellowship, who is now a full-time employee at the shop. 

Domestique’s advisory council includes: 

• Marissa A. Ross, Wine Writer & Author of Wine All The Time: A Casual Guide to Drinking
• Cha McCoy, Sommelier & Founder, Cha Squared Consulting 
• Christopher Renfro, Founder & Producer, The Two-Eighty Project
• Stephen Bitterolf, Founder, Vom Boden
• Genevieve Villamora, Co-Owner, Bad Saint 
• Kayla Mensah, 2021 Major Taylor Fellow & Domestique Employee

Applications for the 2021 Major Taylor Fellowship will be open from June 22 - July 6 and the finalist will be announced the week of July 20th. The Major Taylor Fellowship application is open to any BIPOC looking to establish a career in wine and will include a $3,000 stipend, in addition to covering housing costs. 

For questions, please contact: fellowship@domestiquewine.com

Eligibility for the Fellowship:

• Must have authorization to work in the United States and be over the age of 21.

• Must have fewer than five years of management in food or beverage industry.