Brian Robinson, Gnarly Vines’ Founder and Owner
Brian, a Fort Greene resident, is the founder and owner of Gnarly Vines, a brand new, exciting, boutique wine shop where he resides.
He has over a decade 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 be became the Director of the Wine Auction Department at Phillips Auctioneers. He has also served as the lead wine specialist for Christies 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.” He is also a partner/board member at the Tasting Room, a critically-acclaimed restaurant with an award winning wine list. Before opening Gnarly Vines, Robinson served as The Tasting Room’s Wine Director and CFO.
In 2005, Brian received the prestigious Diploma from the Wine and Spirit Education Trust where he previously earned the Higher Certificate with Distinction. He also received a Bachelor of Science in Economics from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
To counterbalance some of his wine interests, Brian is also the head coach of the Masters swim team at Chelsea Piers and regularly competes in open-water events.