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#THECOMMUNION | Wine + Spirits

@thecommunion_

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📢Stay Tuned
🏆@wineenthusiast Retailer of the Year Finalist
🍷Founded by Sommelier and Wine Educator @cha_squared

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🚨ANNOUNCEMENT ALERT!🚨

We're bubbling 🍾 with excitement to announce that The Communion has been nominated by Wine Enthusiast for the 2023 Wine Star Award in the "Retailer/Marketplace of the Year”category. 🏆🥂

The Communion was founded by @cha_squared with the vision of creating a safe space for all lovers and consumers of wine and spirits. 🍷🥃We're honored to be considered for such a prestigious title!

Click the link in our bio to learn more about @wineenthusiast‘s Wine Star Awards and nominations! And be sure to come celebrate 🍾 with us at our anniversary party on October 7th.

#TheCommunion
##winestarawards

#wineenthusiast #retailer #winelover #award #nominee #nomination #syracuse #newyork #blackownedbusiness #womanowned #supportlocalbusiness #upstate #thingstodo #explore #worldofwine #womeninwine #wine #spirits #community #wineandspirits #allarewelcome #blacksommelier taken in The Communion by @thecommunion_

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3 years ago

On Saturday, August 15, I'm joining MoAD (@moadsf) for their Diaspora Dinner: Sips & Soul at the St. Regis San Francisco, and with me, Chef Amethyst Ganaway (@thizzg) bringing the Gullah Geechee from the east coast to the west, along side a conversation guided by Gabrielle Davenport (@warm_brie) from my bookstore partner BEM | Books & More (@bembrooklyn).

Prepare yourself for a two part tasting and multi course wine dinner inspired by @thecommunion_ and my James Beard Award winning book, Wine Pairing for the People: The Communion of Wine, Food, and Culture from Africa and Beyond which traces Africa's own diasporic path through food and wine. This is a special dinner highlighting the Low Country section of the book. I am so excited ! Pull up a chair, raise a glass. 🍷

RSVP today, link in bio 👆🏿.

#DiasporaDinner #MoAD #BlackFoodways #TheCommunion #SFEvents taken in San Francisco, California by @thecommunion_

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2 months ago

Let me reintroduce myself, Cha McCoy, MBA, LEED AP
Certified Sommelier, Entrepreneur, Wine Educator, Public Speaker, Author and …

JAMES BEARD AWARD WINNER 🏅

Link in Bio for what’s next👆🏾

This is what leaning not unto my understanding looks like #GodsPlan

📸 @jonathancooper

#harlem #nyc #blackwineprofessionals #jamesbeardaward taken in Chicago, Illinois by @thecommunion_

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4 months ago

Wine Pairing for the People was never meant to sit comfortably within the wine industry, it was meant to question and expand it.

Today, I’m honored to share that this charge is taking me and @laylaschlack to Chicago in June as Wine Pairing For The People has been nominated for a 2026 James Beard Award🏅

But to be clear, recognition is not the end goal, transformation is.
This book asks us to reconsider:
👉🏿Who gets to define taste?
👉🏿Whose histories are acknowledged in wine conversations?
👉🏿And who still feels like they don’t belong at the table?

If this moment means anything, it’s a reminder that the wine and hospitality industry has an opportunity, and a responsibility, to evolve.
To move beyond exclusivity.
To invest in cultural fluency.
To make space for narratives that have always existed but have rarely been centered.

I wanted to write a book for the people who have been told or felt like wine isn’t for them. ✊🏿 Thank you to everyone who purchased the book, shared it with others, hosted me in your city and came out to an event. You are proof the revolution of wine is now!

Now that the book is out and I have spoken near and far to share this message the question is:
Who is ready to build whats next for wine? 🍷

#JamesBeardNominated
#WinePairingForThePeople
#WineEducation
#BeverageHeritage
#HospitalityIndustry taken in Harlem Baby !!!! by @thecommunion_

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5 months ago

Grateful for a powerful evening last Thursday at the Charleston Wine + Food Festival hosting The Communion Wine Dinner in celebration of my new book, Wine Pairing for the People honoring the chapters decicated to Africa. 🍷📚

Thank you to @bintu.chs for welcoming The Communion and bringing such thoughtful culinary storytelling to the table. It was an honor to collaborate on an experience that reflected the spirit of communion through food, wine, and culture.

A special thank you to @theheritagewinery and @ikengawines for the trust to serve as an ambassador for your wines for this experience and share the legacy and future of African wine with our guests. Presenting these bottles alongside Chef Bintu’s journey through Africa menu created a meaningful dialogue between heritage, terroir, at the table.🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿

Continuing to create spaces where wine, culture, and history intersect is at the heart of my work, and evenings like this remind me how powerful that exchange can be.

Thank you @bluebicyclebooks for being my independent bookstore for my Charleston Book Tour events.

📸 Shots Fired by @jonathancooper

#TheCommunion
##WinePairingForThePeople #Charleston #Booktour #CHSWF taken in Charleston, SC by @thecommunion_

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7 months ago

Announcing our next special event ‘The Communion’ @ Comfort Kitchen.

This dinner and🍷wine-pairing evening is part of a traveling series offering an inviting, accessible approach to gathering and enjoying wine.

✨ Hosted by entrepreneur and sommelier, Cha McCoy @cha_squared; and award-winning writer, Layla Schlack @laylaschlack celebrating their new book, ‘Wine Pairing for the People: The Communion of Wine, Food, and Culture from Africa and Beyond.’

✨Expect soulful plates, thoughtful pours, and a lively conversation about pairing wine with flavors from Africa and across the diaspora. Come eat, sip, get your book signed, and be part of a night that’s all about community at the table.

💛 Thanks to this event’s wine sponsor @jwinery and books were purchased from @justbook_ish

get tickets now at opentable. tap ‘experiences’ to find ‘The Communion’ link in bio

#bostin #comfortkitchen #winepairing #thecommunion #sommelier #booktour taken in Comfort Kitchen by @thecommunion_

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a year ago

📚🍷 YOU READY ?!!!
My new book Wine Pairing for the People officially releases in 3 weeks on November 4th, and I’m hitting the road to celebrate!

Join me for the Fall Book Tour:
✨ Nov 6–8 • San Diego, CA
✨ Nov 11–12 • Washington, D.C.
✨ Nov 15 • Charlottesville, VA
✨ Nov 20–22 • Boston, MA
✨ Nov 29 • Charlotte, NC
✨ Dec 4 • Harlem, NY

Stay tuned for event details, ticket links, and special guests. You don’t want to miss it!
Let’s raise a glass together to culture, community, and connection through wine. 🍷💫

#WinePairingForThePeople #BookTour #ChaMcCoy #WineCulture #FoodAndWine #AuthorLife #BookRelease #WineLovers #BlackExcellence #TheChaLife taken in Harlem by @thecommunion_

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a year ago

And just like that...
No one looks forward to moving 📦. Imagine packing for your home and business at the same time.😩 April has brought all the feelings. The signs were there. I knew I had to close The Communion Wine & Spirit, my first brick and mortar location @thecommunion_ . The thought alone was overwhelming and gave me severe migraines for months. I am proud this month I am finally doing it 💪🏿. Many entrepreneurs pridefully share the opening of their business, but the feeling of pain, fear, embarrassment, and even grief of closing a business are debilitating and not talked about enough in our community.

Though I am not certain on my next adventure, I am prayerfully waiting expectantly on God's plan to be revealed to me. I just wanted to share that I am able to pack up with joy in my heart ❤️ knowing that He is not done with me yet, and this was just the beginning!

I learned so much from this experience, from opening to closing the store. I am bursting at the seams to share my lessons in due time. I am still processing and receiving downloads from God on why the store needed to close now. I am just following orders. Stay tuned.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-4 declares: “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; … and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance. 💃🏿💃🏿💃🏿

#TheChaLife

#Entrepreneurship #StoreClosing #TheCommunion #entrepreneur #bossmoves #wineshop #wine #grief #trendaudio #shopsmall #smallbusiness #Tiktok #dance #bibleverse #BlackSomm #BlackOwned taken in The Communion by @thecommunion_

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a year ago

📢COMMUNION NEWSLETTER IS LIVE
EXTRA EXTRA READ ALL ABOUT IT 📰

In the words of a wise poet from the Bronx,
"Yesterday's Price 💲 is not Today's Price!"

Your favorite wine 🍷 cost will be going 📈 up. If you are not aware of Trump's recent post above, there is a trade war currently affecting the liquor industry in a major. The price of aluminum, steel, wine, and more will greatly impact final pricing to the customer for wine, yes including Champagne this time and spirits 🥃.

Check your email for The Communion newsletter with more info.

Store Hours: Friday 1pm to 7pm Saturday 1pm to 5pm

#Newsletter #SmallBusiness #Tariffs #Wine #Syracuse #wineshop #spirits #shopsmall taken in The Communion by @thecommunion_

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2 years ago

Join us for our community tasting tomorrow, Thursday, January 23rd from 4:30-6:30PM 🍷 It's the perfect way to recharge before going out on a Thursday night while keeping the energy going! Sample some of our favorites, share some laughs, and get ready for an amazing weekend ahead. ⁠
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No RSVP needed—just swing by, and be ready to sip, and savor! by @thecommunion_

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2 years ago

Meet Lisa Marie Newcomb, a wellness practitioner, founder of Thrive in Healing, and co-founder of Syracuse Yoga Collective ✨Swipe to learn more about Lisa’s passion for healing stems! @thriveinhealing @syracuseyogacollective⁠
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Reminder: Join us for Sunday School on January 26th for Damp January: A Mindful Approach to New Year Wellness. This afternoon session will focus on breathwork, intention-setting, and stress-reducing practices to kickstart your 2025 with clarity and mindfulness🌿✨⁠
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📅 When: Sunday, January 26th | 1–3 PM⁠
📍 Where: The Communion Wine & Spirits, 109 S Warren St, Syracuse⁠
Reserve your spot via #linkinbio taken in The Communion by @thecommunion_

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2 years ago

In 1965, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. visited Syracuse University and delivered a powerful speech on the role of education in the civil rights movement. His words echoed the call for equality, unity, and the transformative power of education—values we hold close at The Communion. As we continue our work in Syracuse, we honor Dr. King's legacy by fostering community, inclusivity, and a commitment to breaking down barriers. ⁠
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📸 Charles Willie, the first African-American professor to teach at SU, met Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. during one of King’s visits to Syracuse. King delivered his first speech in Syracuse, “The American Dream,” in July 1961. COURTESY OF UNIVERSITY ARCHIVES ⁠
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📸 Sims Hall | Syracuse University , Credit: Stephen Sartori⁠ taken in Syracuse University by @thecommunion_

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2 years ago