Not many wine books start with a full-throated ode to a brand of dirt-cheap malt liquor favoured by 1990s West Coast rappers. But then, of course, maverick sommelier, acclaimed vintner and budding restaurateur Mr André Hueston Mack is not like other wine buffs. And, for him, opening his wine manual/memoir 99 Bottles: A Black Sheep’s Guide To Life-Changing Wines with hood-approved 40-ounce Olde English 800 was a no-brainer. “My initial relationship with alcohol came through music,” says Mr Mack, with a chuckle. “So, for me, that was a case of wanting to talk about drinking, or wine, in an approachable, fun way; a way that told my story.”

The irreverent shock of its first recommendation isn’t the only way Mr Mack’s book distinguishes itself. Taking the improbability of its 46-year-old author’s backstory as a launchpad (an unlikely trajectory that has taken him from McDonald’s to stints at white-hot restaurants like New York’s Per Se and, ultimately, his current position as one of the few black wine producers working today), 99 Bottles is a bright, rambunctious, one-bottle-at-a-time biography that seeks to demystify the world of vinification with trading card-style breakdowns, wit and copious pop culture references.

It’s the same refreshing, playful approach that has characterised Mr Mack’s Oregon-based wine brand – Maison Noir Wines, formerly Mouton Noir Wines, or “black sheep” in French – since it emerged in 2007. Before natural wine producers started siphoning off some of the visual idiosyncrasies and anarchic spirit of craft beer, Mr Mack – raised on a youthful diet of rap and skateboard culture – was leading the way. Maison Noir Wines had punning T-shirts, eye-catching monochrome labels and bottles named after Naughty By Nature songs (“OPP” or Other People’s Pinot).

And now, though the venerated superpowers of the wine industry haven’t always taken kindly to his mischievous streak (“I got a cease and desist letter from [legendary French winemaker] Aubert de Villaine at Domaine Romanée-Conti because I made a ‘Run-DRC’ T-shirt with his face on it,” he laughs) he’s still determined to bring some playfulness to a sphere where, despite his more than 15 years of experience, he is still occasionally made to feel like an outsider.

“I travel all around the world and when I show up, [people] don’t believe I’m the wine guy,” he says. “In the beginning, it did fuck with me but I realised that I get to choose how I feel about it. Now I crack a smile, have as much fun with it as I can and use it as fuel to continue on my path.” For Mr Mack, that path entails existing as a positive example to the “thousands of people that email” saying they now want to work in wine or fine dining because of him.

Of course, as he notes, “some people get into wine because they like the snobbery of it”. But this can lead to muddled, hard and fast “rules” that he’s happy to debunk. “One thing everyone thinks is, ‘Oh, it’s not really a good wine if it doesn’t have a cork,’” he says. “And, true, it does have something to do with cost maybe. But the fact of it is, cork doesn’t provide a great closure. And because here in the US, most wine is consumed within 48 hours of purchase, you don’t even need cork because you’re not laying that bottle down in a cellar.” Misconceptions around how wines should be served prompt an even harsher rebuke. “Wine served at the wrong temperature drives me crazy,” says Mr Mack. “Everybody thinks white wine should be so cold, and I’m always thinking, ‘You just paid 200 dollars for this bottle of Chassagne-Montrachet and you want me to keep it in ice so it’s so numbingly cold that you might as well be drinking piss?’”

Today, Mr Mack looks to preach his approachable gospel through Maison Noir Wines, a wine shop called VyneYard and a forthcoming new Brooklyn charcuterie bar known as & Sons Hamlet. But what advice would he give to those of us who regard ourselves as enthusiastic but ill-informed wine drinkers? Who actively want to make the leap from just pointing at the second cheapest thing on a wine list?

“My approach to wine is to just taste everything,” he says. “Your relationship to wine is not about monogamy, so don’t treat it like a journey where you find the one perfect wine and drink that every day. That would be boring as hell and the great thing about wine is you can’t master it. Try everything, see what’s fun. Because, ultimately, you’re an expert in your own taste.” Words to raise a glass to, whether you’re drinking a vintage burgundy or a watery malt liquor straight from the bottle.

The three bottles Mr André Hueston Mack would recommend from his book:

Tio Pepe sherry Palomino Fino

This is not the greatest sherry, but it was a gateway for me. I watched Frasier and the fact that those guys had this sherry ritual was instrumental to my career. Plus, sherry is just a great, under-appreciated drink.

Jacques Selosse Substance Blanc de Blancs Champagne

I always thought that champagne was about celebrating special occasions, but it’s really not. It’s for every day. Not just because you should always be celebrating, but also as it’s one of the most versatile wines in the world. If you’re talking about food and wine pairings, when in doubt, put bubbles with it and it invariably works.

Maison Noir Wines Montgomery Place

I obviously have to talk about one of my own wines and this was the first one I made. It’s from California and named after the street I grew up on. Montgomery Place is a regal name, but it was in the hood during the height of the crack epidemic. So to name a wine after that street – where I saw crack hidden in tennis balls – was such a full circle moment.

99 Bottles: A Black Sheep’s Guide To Life-Changing Wines (Abrams Image) by Mr André Hueston Mack is out now