Purple Reign Inc., P.R.I., was born on the stoops of downtown Brooklyn. After spring made her glamorous exit, summer gave way to bonding sessions complete with cooool bottles of Riesling and airy Pinot Noir, Soppresseta, Cruculo, baguettes, gossip, laughter and delusions of grandeur. It was the Starving Artist Survival Kit. Right there on the stoop we, musicians, writers, actors, painters and the like, chatted about wine to the best of our ability, trying to make sense out of the confusing descriptions (so, how do they get chocolate inside of the wine anyway?)

And so P.R.I.’s journey with wine doesn’t begin in sommelier or culinary school or in a family chateau. It begins on the concrete vineyards of Brooklyn were dreams abound amidst good eating and drinking, despite severely pruned paychecks. It begins where are all glorious stories begin-- out of a need to make our drab circumstance more interesting, more vibrant, more worth living for.

Purple Reign, Inc., a 3-year old event planning and consulting group based out of Miami, Florida, is the first organization of its kind, planning and hosting private and large-scale events, wine seminars and festivals dedicated to exploring wines of the world in a way that is laid back and refreshingly unique. We are particularly interested in exploring wines in the context of foods of The African Diaspora. If you haven’t tasted oxtail stew with a glass Bertani Amarone 1997, jerk chicken with Betts & Scholl Grenache 2004, collard greens with Emir Torrontes 2005 or fried catfish with Champagne, you truly haven’t lived, my friends.

P.R.I wanted to fill a need to learn about wine in way that was more personal, comfortable and not condescending, fun and not fastidious. We wanted to invite people, who love Caribbean and African culture, to take this amazing journey with us in the context of the foods that we grew up with---lumbi, (stewed conch), rice and peas, mufongo, fried sprat, macaroni au gratin, peach cobbler and Jamaican black cake.

We wanted to create wine seminars and events that were smart, chic, informative and luxurious, so whether you were celebrating an engagement (or a break-up) a job promotion (or plantation departure), the birth of a child (or a child’s great escape to college), the experience would be nothing short of beautiful.