Flying Whale: How to Find Home Through Wine

What happens when wine becomes a vessel for memory, healing, and home?

In this episode of Wine Behind the Scenes, host Laurel Simmons sits down with Maba Ba, the storyteller and founder behind Flying Whale Wine, a French wine project shaped by personal taste over tradition. Born in Dakar, Senegal, raised between cultures, and now based in New York City, Maba's journey into wine wasn't linear, but it was always intentional.

From his first curious sip to producing his own wines in Roussillon, France, Maba shares how Flying Whale became a reflection of his identity, his upbringing, and his desire to break open the way we talk about and connect with wine. The conversation touches on diaspora, creative entrepreneurship, and the power of doing things your own way, especially in an industry that often expects you to fit into someone else's mould.
What You'll Learn:

• How Maba Ba's cross-continental life shaped his path into winemaking
• Why Flying Whale Wine is all about story, not snobbery
• The real challenges of getting small, independent wines into the U.S. market
• How Maba blends art, identity, and flavour to create something deeply personal
• Why belonging is a theme that runs through every bottle he produces
• The mission behind his "Sip and Tell" challenge
• What it means to make space for yourself and others in wine culture

Whether you're a wine lover, creative soul, or someone figuring out how to build a life across borders, this episode is a heartfelt reminder that the best wines tell stories and the best storytellers are often outsiders looking in.
Listen now at: www.winebehindthescenes.com