Though the seeds were already sown for quality wines in California, the famous Judgement of Paris Tasting in 1976 set the wine world ablaze and created new energy not just in America, but across the world for fine wine production and appreciation. Andrea Robinson MS has developed The Swirled Cup, a TV series that explores how the world changed with the Judgement of Paris as its “tipping point.” She covers areas such as winemaking, hospitality, and wine culture in the evolution of the wine market.

Detailed Show Notes:

Andrea’s background: investment banker turned Master Sommelier, Wine Director at Windows of the World in NYC, writing, TV Shows (Quench - Food Network, Pairings w/ Andrea & Simply Wine - Fine Living Network)

The Swirled Cup, a location based, documentary series

• Came out of “Judgement of Napa” tasting that was supposed to happen in 2020 w/ Steven Spurrier
• Spurrier believed Judgement of Paris legacy is increased wine quality and collaboration globally, that is levelled the playing field for other wine regions
• Show focuses on the evolution of the wine business, catalyzed by the Judgement of Paris
• 3 episodes on Delta Airlines flights now (through end of Sept 2026)
• 3 more episodes in production
• Will be streaming in 2027 (streamer to be announced)
• Short film screening version submitted to film festivals

Major themes coming out of The Swirled Cup include,

• Momentum for other wine regions outside of California
• Wine country travel and hospitality
• Collaboration between wineries
• Sustainability

Prohibition kept reputation of CA wine in “suspended animation,” took away the economic incentive to invest in production

• Tim Mondavi noted there were ~100 wineries in Napa in the late 1800s
• Cresta Blanca Winery (Livermore, California) won the Grand Prize at the 1889 Paris Exhibition
• Georges de Latour brought in André Tchelistcheff post-prohibition to bring back winemaking expertise

“Mount Crushmore” of American Wine: André Tchelistcheff, Robert Mondavi, Steven Spurrier, Patricia Gallagher

• Built a culture of quality for American wine
• “We’re only as good as our weakest link,” collaboration was key; Tchelistcheff had monthly technical lunches, Mondavi mentored a generation of vintners
• Patricia Gallagher was the major force behind the Judgement of Paris, was really excited about post-Prohibition quality of CA wines, wanted to do a July 4th tasting
• Spurrier had the guts to do the tasting, do it blind, and threw in French wines to ensure a fair comparison
• Mondavi accelerated wine tourism (used to be for trade only), showcased the wine lifestyle with food w/ his wife Margrit; would travel and order his wines and other benchmarks at restaurants to compare → good strategy still today for secondary markets; did partnerships globally (France, Italy, Chile) which opened the world’s eyes to America as a great wine market

Wine culture has evolved with more competition (e.g. - cannabis, alternatives)

• Entry points for learning high as on-premise very expensive as costs to run restaurants high
• Covid upended social experiences, but provides a potential to overlay wine on top of new experiences (e.g. - book clubs, crochet get togethers)
• Hospitality has become very luxury and bespoke experience driven, need more accessible options as entry points for wine drinkers

Replicating Judgement of Paris today still viable as comparing wines to benchmarks has value, with democratized media, expanding to collectors are well as trade could be useful; trade and media tend to like more restrained styles vs collectors

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As the birthplace of wine and the vinifera grape species, Georgia (the country), has wine deeply embedded in its culture. Yet, having survived conquest by three empires, fine wines are not the current norm in Georgia, where the Russian Communists focused on quantity over quality. Irakli Gilauri is launching Gilauri Wines to change that and to give wine collectors all over the world a chance to taste and connect with the best of the Ancient Terroir that is his home country of Georgia.

Detailed Show Notes:

Irakli’s background: public company CEO (Bank of Georgia, Georgia Capital), wine collector for 20 years, took UC Davis winemaking courses

Mission: to make a fine wine from Georgia that showcases the original terroir of wine

Georgia (the country) wine history

• The birthplace of wine, 8,000 years ago
• Where vitis vinifera originated (the broader South Caucasus region)
• Located between the Caucasus Mountains, Black Sea and Caspian Sea; between Russia, Turkey, and Azerbaijan
• One of the only biodiversity hotspots with a mid-temperate climate
• Main wine region Kakheti (Eastern Georgia), ~85% of grapes grown there, similar to Napa as it sits between 2 mountain ranges
• Main grape is Saperavi, closest to vitis silvestris, one of the original vinifera grape varieties
• Wine is embedded deep in Georgian culture, people believe grapes and wine allowed it to survive 3 empires (Persian, Ottoman, and Russian) and keep their language, script, and faith

The “oldest wine cellar in the world”

• ~40k old bottles, from the early 1840s, including First Growth Bordeauxs
• Collection of the Russian Romanovs (originally housed in St Petersburg)
• During WWII, Stalin moved the cellar into three places, including one in Tbilisi
• Georgian government is authenticating the wines and will auction some off

Gilauri Wines

• Started w/ 10 grape varieties (incl Saperavi, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot) in 5 locations, needed to conduct research on mapping terroir to deliver top quality because the Communists only cared about quantity
• Started in 2022, but first vintage will be 2024, 2022 and 2023 wines will not be released as the quality was not high enough
• Has the potential to produce 75k bottles, but 1st vintage will only be 1,800 bottles (1,200 Saperavi, 600 Chardonnay), with the rest bulked out
• Winegrowing is very different from the Georgian norm; focused on quality (e.g. - mixed Guyot pruning with only 1 cane, cover crops, green harvesting, 500L barrel fermentation, cold maceration for aromas (which cannot be done in traditional qvevri)
• Saperavi clonal material from Italy, Georgian nurseries have too much virus

DTC focused brand; in order to share with fellow wine lovers, not enough for retail

• US, UK, EU, Switzerland available
• In US, also producing a Vine Hill Ranch Napa Cabernet with Nigel Kinsman at Wheeler Farms, and can use that license to import and sell Georgian wines DTC; Napa Cab as the sister wine to Georgian Saperavi
• Has conducted blind tastings of top New World and Old World wines to compare with Gilauri’s “Ancient World” wine
• Allocations of 1st Georgian wines Dec 2026, 1st Napa wines Spring 2027
• Vanessa Conlin MW coming on to help promote the wines in the US
• Join the allocation list at Gilauri.com

Wine, food, & travel go together

• SommTV producing a cooking show for Georgian cuisine, which is a mix of Asian, European, and Middle Eastern influences
• Will have a free private concierge to organize wine trips to Georgia
• Trying to get access to “Stalin Cellar” for list members
• Loyal clients will also have access to 4 bedroom house in Georgia

Expected pricing: <$200 for the Saperavi, <$100 for the Chardonnay; want more people to taste the wines over time

Wine and public companies have similar business models, both require roadshows to sell wine or the stock; have brokers or distributors to market to investors or accounts; and you have analysts or critics who rate the company/product

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With 143 years of history, Wente Family Vineyards is the US’s longest continuously family owned and operated winery, even producing wine through Prohibition. Aly Wente, Chief Revenue Officer, discusses how Wente leverages its rich history to re-launch historic brands, connect with younger consumers, and embed the messaging in social media and hospitality to differentiate itself.

Detailed Show Notes:

Aly’s background covered in prior episodes, but she is now in charge of all revenue vs marketing and hospitality previously

Wente Family Vineyards is the longest continuously family owned and operated winery in the US

• Based in Livermore, which competed w/ Napa in the late 1800s for quality wine, but benefited from a railroad that went into San Francisco
• Known for Chardonnay, originally planted in 1908, cultivated the “Wente Clone,” which underpins ~75% of California Chardonnay
• 1st to varietally label wine post Prohibition to use transparency to promote the quality and authenticity of the wine
• Sauvignon Blanc Clone 1 is also a “Wente Clone” and is what much of New Zealand SB is based on, originally from Chateau d’Yquem from cuttings brought back by Charles Wetmore, CA’s 1st Agricultural Commissioner

Wente acts as a historian of CA wine, e.g. - its SB is named Louis Mel after one of the original farmers of SB in CA

The re-launched Cresta Blanca brand has deep ties to history

• Was Charles Wetmore’s original winery and ties to his vision for quality
• 1st CA wine to win on the global stage, winning the 1889 Grand Prix in Paris, 87 years before the Judgement of Paris and put CA wine on the map (pre-Prohibition)
• The wine label was inspired by an original late 1800s barrel wood carving of a wine goddess

Changed branding from Wente Vineyards to Wente Family Vineyards to highlight the family element, with 5 generations of knowledge passed down from one generation to the next

Younger consumers don’t always start with history, but they are eager to learn

• They look for value, authenticity (Wente uses the family to do that), transparency (Wente is working on a new project to highlight this more), and sustainability (may be table stakes vs a purchase driver)
• Anything but Chardonnay (“ABC”) movement has been picking up steam, especially with younger consumers. Wente working on counter positioning to make it cool again, led by Aly and her sister Niki including a social video spoofing a Hilary Duff quote that “only old men drink Chardonnay”

Organic social media is the #1 priority, Wente has undergone a big evolution with social

• Aly and Niki use @wine_sisterss to test social content and themes outside of the core @wente account
• Hired 2 social media interns - did a contest for the internship, social growing significantly

Using history in hospitality - always testing and learning

• Launched “5 Generations of Wente” tasting to tell the story with each glass
• Redid wines in the tasting room to tie back to history of Wente and Livermore
• Cresta Blanca cave tours start with a museum of old winery items through historic caves

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