“It pairs and plays well with others,” says Issa Rae of her loyalty to Prosecco. In this episode of the Wine Enthusiast podcast, editor Jacy Topps talks to award-winning writer, actress—and now sparkling wine creator—Issa Rae about why she got into the wine industry.
In October of this year, in partnership with E. & J. Gallo Winery, Rae launched Viarae Prosecco made in Italy with 100% Glera grapes. In an earlier interview with Wine Enthusiast upon Viarae’s launch, Rae said the bottle “unapologetically represents the freedom to let loose and be authentic.”
In this conversation, Rae does just that. Listen to find out if President Barbie drinks Prosecco, with whom Rae would most like to share a glass of Viarae and why one basic dish deserves respect.
You May Also Like: With a New Prosecco, Issa Rae’s Go-to ‘Insecure’ Drink Gets a Story Arc
Episode Transcript
Transcripts are generated using a combination of speech recognition software and human transcribers, and may contain errors. Please check the corresponding audio before quoting.
Speakers: Jacy Topps, Issa Rae
Jacy Topps 0:00
Hi, I’m JC Topps, editor here at Wine Enthusiast. I’m sitting down today with Issa Rae from the web series Awkward Black Girl and the HBO series Insecure to the blockbuster hit movie Barbie. Issa Rae has been acting writing, producing and creating for over a decade. And now the Golden Globe nominated actress has a Prosecco label. Welcome, Isa. I’m so glad you can join us today.
Issa Rae 0:26
Hi, thank you so much.
Jacy Topps 0:32
So I can’t tell you how excited I am that you are here because you I felt I felt seen ever since you’ve came on the scene and I want to let you know that I’m honored.
Isa Rae 0:46
You felt seen in the sense that you’re an awkward person?
Jacy Topps 0:50
Yes, because I too pretend like I’m in a music video when I’m by myself.
Isa Rae 0:54
Man, that’s the only way to do it. I’ve discovered. You’re my family.
Jacy Topps 1:00
Awesome. Well, congratulations on your new label, Viarae. Let’s jump right in. So I would love for you to hear about the first time you actually had Prosecco.
Issa Rae 1:13
Yes, the first time. I remember having Prosecco was when I went out with our pilot director, Melina Matsoukas before we shot Insecure. So we got picked up to shoot this pilot and it had taken us forever to find a director like several months. And when we finally found her, she wanted to take me out to get to know you dinner. Get me out to sushi. I like Matson pizza, which was already really fancy to me. He ordered a glass of Prosecco, and I was intrigued, like, I had no idea what it was. And then I ordered him to do and it became my signature drink ever since.
Jacy Topps 1:59
So what what like, what about Prosecco? intrigued you like, what style Were you drinking at the time? And What style do you like now?
Isa Rae 2:09
At the time, I mean, I was drinking whatever was being served at that restaurant. But it was more about that particular moment and how I felt, you know, it felt like the beginning of a beautiful relationship. It felt like the beginning of my career. I didn’t know how much my life was about to change. But it was an opportunity to celebrate when I felt like I hadn’t celebrated in a long time. And like Prosecco was at the center of that drink. And from that moment forward, anytime I felt good anytime I felt like celebrating with family or friends, Prosecco would mark those moments for me. And so I also appreciated that it wasn’t champagne, because champagne still felt too fancy. You drink champagne when like you’re really doing it so sociable in a way where it was like, Oh, this, this feels kind of down to earth and that I still have a ways to go. So it feels like a drink that I can pick up. Where it’s not too too sweet like Moscato not too brut like champagne and it’s like then I can just lounge and drink at any time.
Jacy Topps 3:23
So is that what inspired you to create your own label because you wanted to share that with other people?
Isa Rae 3:28
I did. So I actually put it…well the writers wrote my character in the show to love Prosecco as well, because I was always very in the writers room like, ‘oh we poppin Prosecco, we cracked the story beat, time to celebrate.’ They wrote the character–sometimes whatever I’d say things like offhandedly I find that my character would coincidentally say those same things or like them too. So they made my character love, Prosecco. And so as it aired as episodes aired, people started to try it. You know, my character loved Prosecco with a splash of whiskey initially, which is what I liked. And I found people were writing it like, oh, I tried that.,I like it. And then when it changed to Prosecco with vodka, people were trying that and when I discovered that people were trying Prosecco because of me, it made me want to have kind of my own to put my stamp on. And that’s, that’s what inspired me to create this particular label.
Jacy Topps 4:26
Awesome. So um, so like, everybody wants to like…the fans of Insecure know about the whiskey and the vodka? Is that how you enjoy your Prosecco? Is that art imitating life or life imitating art?
Issa Rae 4:41
Art imitating life. Yeah, I announced to the room I was like, yeah, no, I am kind of too grown for whiskey and Prosecco now, so now I could use vodka, and I really liked it. And so that is, that became her drink of choice as well. You know what actually, I discovered it when we went to…before prom. Before we shot season four, we went on a little Palm Springs writers retreat and there was this bar, that sort of this like, I want to say it was a vodka, French 75, which is not a French 75 is vodka, but it had rosemary in it as well. So it was delicious. And so I tried to make it at home and failed, so I was just like, if you’re gonna do this thing you’re just gonna do vodka and Prosecco together. It’s actually delicious by itself, but I’m still trying to replicate that Rosemary syrup.
Jacy Topps 5:43
I love I love rosemary infused anything.
Issa Rae 5:47
It’s perfect. It really is.
Jacy Topps 5:51
Can you speak to the involvement? How involved were you in like, in the process of making Viarae?
Issa Rae 5:56
I mean, very, you know, like that it had to be specific to my taste, or, you know, tons of questions about what I was looking for what I like just even in flavor profiles, what notes and I’m not a wine expert, by any means I just, you know, for the most part, know what I like. And so, because of that, because I didn’t necessarily have the language to communicate what I wanted. It involved a lot of testing, conversations, and then translating and interpreting what I was looking for. And so even before working with Gallo, I had been tasting different Proseccos at different companies trying to narrow down what that taste was like something that I wouldn’t get tired of, somewhat something that I could enjoy leisurely. And it also felt, you know, shareable. And that would play well with other cocktails. So extremely involved in short.
Jacy Topps 6:51
Yeah, I mean, I liked the way that you said, you know, that it plays well with other cocktails, because it’s like, that makes it more approachable. Absolutely.
Issa Rae 6:58
And you know, you have to consider that sometimes you may want a glass of Prosecco. And sometimes you may want to do it up at a bit more and other people. Like, I think the mixed drink bag is very, it’s such a sociable practice now that I’ve had my own home bar, I love to experiment. And so to be able to have a base to experiment with, like, oh, what can go well, what can I make with Prosecco and tequila? What works with Prosecco and rum? It’s very exciting.
Jacy Topps 7:31
Awesome. So now that you are a part of the wine industry, does anything about the industry surprise you? Or, you know, like, shocked you in any way?
Issa Rae 7:45
shocked me…
Jacy Topps 7:47
or surprised you, something that you didn’t know or pleasantly pleasantly surprised you?
Issa Rae 7:52
Pleasantly surprised me… I mean, that there’s such a there’s such a rich community just even going to New York to meet actual wine experts and enthusiasts finding the community around just even talking about wine. And I just didn’t know how strong it was like, I know that there were I guess I knew that there were wine experts and sommeliers and things like that. But there’s such a community of just people who fell into it and started businesses. And so it made it less intimidating to me, where it’s like, oh, everyone doesn’t just automatically enter this industry, knowing what they’re talking about fully. It starts with a passion, of course, and not necessarily an expertise, and it made me feel more comfortable being amongst them. Yeah,
Jacy Topps 8:46
Yeah, I definitely can see that. Well, so unfortunately, there’s only a handful of black women, right who own wine brands. And I’ve been lucky enough to have had the opportunity to actually interview them here at Wine Enthusiast like the McBride sisters and Marvina Robinson, who owns her own champagne label. It’s already intimidating to like, start a new business do you feel like it’s more intimidating as a black woman to succeed or you do feel more pressure to succeed as a black woman?
Issa Rae 9:15
I always look for areas where we’re not present because I’ve just I do feel like we can do anything and do many things well, so it’s never intimidating to approach it. Because I have a why not mentality. Like okay, well why hasn’t this been? Why have we been kind of excluded from these places? Or why aren’t we more active actively present in these spaces? I think if I looked more into it I might be discouraged and scared away. So I’d love to go impulsive and just be like well, yeah let’s try it. And then it’s like damn, there’s not there’s not many of those. And then you know, I spoke to McBride sisters first when I was looking to you know launch Prosecco. And, you know, ultimately they were looking more above us for more of a sparkling wine and Prosecco for me was really, really like what I was looking to, because of this story. And so I even met up with them once we launched, and that just the insight that they have around the industry and talking to them about like the international approach, and just, there’s just so much to learn, but they’re so willing to share it. And I love that about black women in these communities. We’re all over there. It’s very rare that we are hoarders of information, trying to step on each other to rise, it’s always communal. And there were so many black women at the event who were either wine enthusiasts, or wine experts, or winemakers. And that was so refreshing. So no matter how small the community just feels big by way of the sharing of information.
Jacy Topps 10:53
Yeah, I agree. So obviously, you feel that representation matters. But why do you like why does representation matter in the beverage industry? I mean, how important is it?
Issa Rae 11:06
I’ve seen even with Viarae, but the way that people have embraced this Prosecco in particular is so fulfilling because they’re posing with their friends that are, you know, posing at home when they’re away from their children. Like, this is mommy’s wine. This is Mommy juice time. Like, the way that we show up for things that represent us authentically, is, it makes it all worth. It makes it all worthwhile, honestly, because there’s just there’s nothing like feeling like you’re being spoken to, and you’re being specifically targeted in a genuine way. And I think that makes all the difference.
Jacy Topps 11:53
Yeah, I mean, I love to hear that. What what are you pairing? Viarae Prosecco with like, what are you eating when you’re drinking? I would love to know.
Issa Rae 12:06
I still drink Prosecco with sushi. Like I just had Sugarfish and Prosecco the other day. And actually Italian food. I’m a big branzino girl. But yeah, I mean, you could really I’m saying like mostly seafoods right now but it can really go with with anything you can have a steak and Viarae, you can have a rotisserie chicken, which is also my favorite, basic go-to meal. Always gonna get a half rotisserie chicken, very well seasoned from anywhere. Of course.
Jacy Topps 12:44
It has to be very well seasoned.
Issa Rae 12:47
It actually pisses me off when people just serve it as is, in a way which is disrespectful.
Jacy Topps 12:53
It’s so disrespectful, like why?
Issa Rae 12:56
Just shut your restaurant down please. It really is. It’s kind of just up to you when I said that it pairs and plays well with with others, I do mean that I would broaden that out to your taste in food too.
Jacy Topps 13:14
Okay, so, um, if you could enjoy a bottle of Viarae with anyone alive or dead, who would that be and why?
Issa Rae 13:29
It’s so rare, but Tupac came to mind. I just I love him and he’s associated with my memories of moving back to LA and I felt like I didn’t fully appreciate him as an artist. And as just a very attractive man. Until he was just so young and idealistic. You know, he had so many great ideas to help his community to the lessen the wealth gap in America, like he was just full of the optimism for how things can be changed and resentment for like the disenfranchisement of others and also just cool and funny. So like, yes, I would have happily share a bottle with him.
Jacy Topps 14:25
Yeah, I love that answer. I want to hear him rap like after having a bottle of Viarae.
Issa Rae 14:35
The first time we heard him rap after having a bottle easier…I feel like it just comes naturally to him. I’m sure he was. You know, I’m sure he’d like to drink or two to get him in the zone for his raps.
Jacy Topps 14:46
Exactly. Um, does President Barbie drink Prosecco?
Issa Rae 14:55
That’s a good question. I don’t know if there’s alcohol in Barbie land, I would imagine. I don’t know if there is like, I don’t think the Barbies know what getting drunk is, I think that’s a real world thing. I don’t know. I think that they have non alcoholic Prosecco for sure.
Jacy Topps 15:18
Oh that’s a thing. Yeah, that sounds good.
Issa Rae 15:21
Yes, that’s what she has. She’s very very focused on work and doesn’t want to lounge which I think Prosecco affords you the opportunity to do so she’s more like a non alcoholic Prosecco just for the bubbles, just for the bright bubbles.
Jacy Topps 15:38
Okay, I like that. She has to stay focused, there’s a lot to do. Yeah. Is I have one last question for you. When you are not drinking Prosecco. What’s in your glass? What are you drinking?
Issa Rae 15:55
What am I telling you, when I’m not drinking Prosecco?
Jacy Topps 15:57
When you’re not drinking Presecco.
Issa Rae 16:07
Do you mean, like anything? Oh, more sparkling water with freshly squeezed lemon is just my my drink of choice. In the evening and in the morning coffee all day, every day.
Jacy Topps 16:22
In the morning and evening, coffee?
Unknown Speaker 16:25
I drink coffee and like black and then you know later in the morning I’ll have like an almond milk latte.
Jacy Topps 16:32
Okay, okay, I’m shocked but okay. No judgment, no judgment.
Issa Rae 16:43
What’s your non-alcoholic drink?
Jacy Topps 16:47
Oh, orange juice is my non-alcoholic drink.
Issa Rae 16:50
That’s so healthy and like, oh, vitamin C. I’m not a juice drinker or soda drinker, but orange juice is is great and goes well with Prosecco.
Jacy Topps 17:09
Okay, that’s the perfect answer. Issa, thank you so much for joining us. Congratulations again on your Prosecco. It’s been a pleasure.
Issa Rae 17:19
Likewise, thank you so much for having me. Have a wonderful day.
The post Issa Rae, the New Patron Saint of Prosecco? appeared first on Wine Enthusiast.
