The Name ‘Gnarly Vines’:

To produce great wine, a vine has to suffer. Old, gnarled vines survive inhospitable growing conditions by developing deep, complex root systems that twist and turn through rock and soil in search of water and nutrients. These low-yielding vines produce smaller, more concentrated grapes, resulting in a more complex, intense and memorable wine.

To say that the best wines come from gnarly vines is not a slogan – it’s a fact.

Gnarly Vines Philosophy

Wine is first and foremost about enjoyment. Sounds obvious, but too often wine ‘experts’ tell people what they should and shouldn’t like. At Gnarly Vines, we’ll turn you on to what we like, but encourage you to trust your palate and draw your own conclusions.

We have an adventurous, open-minded approach to wine and celebrate its diversity. We consider wine to be an integral part of the dining experience and appreciate the array of flavors and sensations that are created when wine is paired with food.

There’s more quality wine being produced today than ever before. To whittle down the number of choices, we focus on what we believe in – small-production, handcrafted wines made by uncompromising winemakers who are responsible stewards of the earth. Most importantly, we won’t put a wine on our shelves unless we actually like it.

Brian Robinson, Gnarly Vines’ Founder and Owner

Brian, a Fort Greene resident, has over three decades of experience as a wine specialist. His passion for wine was ignited while living in France as an exchange student in 1989. After returning to the States, Brian began studying and collecting wine on his own. He launched his formal wine career on Bastille Day in 1997 when he became the Director of the Wine Auction Department at Phillips Auctioneers. He has also served as the lead wine specialist for Christie's and as the East Coast Director for Winebid.com.

Brian has led many private and corporate wine-tasting events, including an Introduction to Wine Pleasure as well as an eight part series at the Penn Club called France versus The World. In 2005, Brian received his Diploma from the Wine and Spirit Education Trust and holds a Bachelor of Science in Economics from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.