Detroit native Mikiah Westbrooks is the founder of Brix Wine. After a stint in marketing, she knew her calling was in entrepreneurship and combined it with her love for wine. Now she uses her brand to honor historical Black figures and support Black-owned brands.
Westbrooks explained what inspired the name of her wine, House of Harriet.
Which blush wines, rosés, and champagnes should people try?
I love this part. For rosés, I’m going to say mine, which is House of Harriet. It’s a tribute to Harriet Tubman and a really great sparkling rosé. Then we have another rosé … it’s a little drier and is called Romance. It’s really nice, and the bottle is absolutely beautiful, so that’s something that folks can check out. Then we can’t forget about the people who love a little sweeter wine or a little more of a fruit taste in their wine. We have some Michigan Rieslings in here because we’re in Michigan, so we have to support and ask for red wines. We have an amazing Cabernet from South Africa, which is really delicious from Adelina. That’s another thing that folks can check out. We have a little bit of everything. From Michigan to Portugal, we have it covered.
Why did you name one of your wines after Harriet Tubman?
When I closed, I had every intention of reopening. I wanted to make sure that I did it correctly because as an entrepreneur, we still make mistakes. We understand that but I wanted to make sure that I was steadfast in my intention to reopen. While doing it, I wanted to always be reminded of the shoulders that I stand on. Every time I look at one of those bottles, I’m reminded of what was sacrificed for me to be where I am right now. That was just really important for me, and hey, it’s Harriet Tubman. You can’t go wrong, she was strong. It’s about strength and a true representation of perseverance.
