Orin Swift Cellars Opens A Stunning Expansion Of Its Tasting Room, With Divine Surprises
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At the ripe age of just 24 years young, Dave Phinney had the idea to combine his father's middle name (Orin) and his mother's middle name (Swift) - merging strongly to found Orin Swift Cellars in 1998. The move came after working at both Robert Mondavi Winery and Whitehall Lane, both experiences proving to leave an indelible mark on Dave, and set him up for big things to come in the wine space. Little did he or the wine world know - with Orin Swift Cellars - a mogul was born.
Courtesy of Definition Films for Orin Swift Cellars
The first major success for Dave came in the form of growing The Prisoner Wine Company to an 85,000 case winery and selling the company in 2010 to Huneeus Vintners, owners of Quintessa. Holding onto the Orin Swift Cellars name and many labels within the arsenal, this setup Dave and his team for a push to grow OSC to the next level. The next major achievement came when E&J Gallo Winery acquired Orin Swift Cellars in 2016, creating a lifelong partnership alongside the brilliance of Dave as winemaker and creative director of the brand. Together they have grown Orin Swift Cellars to a brand known for excellence in and on the bottle: with brilliant imagery on the labels and luscious wines that speak to the elegance of Napa Valley vineyard sites. With the tasting room in St. Helena's expansion, a new wave of wine tasting experience is born.
Dave has designed an entire concept experience that veers from the standard tasting format, inspired by “rock, paper, scissors,” the universal game of American youth. To introduce visitors to the captivating wines of Orin Swift and the stories behind its labels, its three public wine tasting experiences include Rock, Paper, and Vault, named for the eighty-year-old bank building it will newly inhabit. Behind a private closed door of the all-new addition, the most discerning customers can find the most exclusive offering of the “Scissors” experience, where cell phones will be checked upon entry. All of the new tasting experiences can be booked on the Winery's website here.
Courtesy of Definition Films for Orin Swift Cellars
Rock Tasting Experience: $45 per person (parties of 1-4 guests) - Let us introduce ourselves. Join us for a standing tasting as we walk through a diverse range of wines that have come to define the Orin Swift style. Offered daily.
Paper Tasting Experience: $60 per person (parties of 2-6 guests) - Take a seat, you’re in for a ride. This tasting goes deep into our most artistically crafted wines and the stories that inspired their creation. From labels to liquid, this is the perfect way to experience the world of Orin Swift. Offered daily. 90 minute tasting.
Scissors Tasting Experience: $125 per person (parties of 1-10 guests) - Hard to find, impossible to forget. Hidden away from the main tasting room, this intimate space provides you and your party a private opportunity to indulge in extremely rare, limited production Orin Swift wines crafted exclusively for Scissors. These are the most ambitious wines we’ve ever made. Unique labels, untold stories and unexpected experiences all designed for our biggest fans and most discerning wine lovers. Please note, due to the highly personalized experience, reservations are required.
Vault Tasting Experience: $80 per person (parties of 2-8 guests) - In its first life, the vault used to hold the bank’s most valuable assets. In this experience, we invite you to explore a variety of perfectly aged magnums or library selections (sometimes both). Take your time and immerse yourself in the space as you savor some of our greatest hits and most beloved bottles. This experience is offered Friday-Sunday.
All tasting experiences can be reserved via Tock.
Photos Courtesy of Definition Films for Orin Swift Cellars
MK: You’ve created and grown some of the most coveted brands to be purchased in all of the wine industry. Why was it so important for you to stay on at Orin Swift after the monumental acquisition by E&J Gallo?
DP: Following Gallo’s purchase of OSC, which I look at as more of a partnership than a purchase, I have been blessed to be able to stay on and continue to be involved in all aspects of the brand. Gallo has surrounded me with amazing teams at every level. From production to sales and marketing and, of course, at the new tasting room. It has been an amazing journey over the past seven years, and I have learned so much and been given nearly complete and unfettered control of the brand I founded and still treat as if it were my own. I look forward to many more years at OSC and can’t wait to see what we can accomplish next!
MK: How will the re-design of the Orin Swift tasting room allow you to offer new hospitality experiences?
DP: The entry level tasting experiences – rock and paper – are located closer to the entrance. Vault is located in a private room in the back, and Scissors on the back patio, allowing visitors to dive even further into the OSC universe, both in terms of taking in the décor and the content of the more immersive experiences themselves.
Perhaps the most exciting aspect of the tasting room re-design was our ability to offer a unique tasting experience for all levels of consumers. We designed the tasting room to unveil its layers the deeper you look and the further back you go into the space. By having three different offerings – called Rock, Paper, and Scissors – we are offering something for everyone! For example, those that prefer a more casual and affordable tasting could opt for Rock, all the way up to a highly bespoke, unique one-on-one experience in our adjacent Scissors room.
MK: Are there any new wines in the Orin Swift pipeline that you’re excited and able to spill the beans on?
DP: There are several new wines, at all levels of our tasting experiences, and further wine offerings will be rotating in and out constantly, so we can always surprise and delight the customers, but I won’t ruin the surprise, you’ll just have to come visit us to find out!
MK: If you could jump in the DeLorean and go back to give advice to the 1997 Dave Phinney, what would you tell him?
DP: If I were to jump into the Delorean and go back in time, I would tell myself to get more sleep and exercise because this is going to be a marathon not a sprint!
MK: Did you learn any “inside baseball” from your time working at Robert Mondavi Winery that shaped your success as a winemaker?
DP:: At Mondavi, I learned the importance of hard work, attention to details and being a good teammate. The crew I worked with took me in and taught me those skills, and many others, that may seem obvious but are often overlooked.
MK: When you’re out at dinner do you start with: a martini, other cocktail, champagne, white wine, or go right to the red wine?
DP: As I’m getting older, nearly every meal starts with a large glass of water. I know, boring...but it quickly turns to bubbles or white wine and then, of course, any red wine that I haven’t made so I can enjoy it without thinking about what we could have done better!
MK: What is one place you’d like to own a vineyard where you don’t currently own one?
DP: That’s an easy one: on a beach in Hawaii. Probably wouldn’t make great wine, but I’d be happy!
MK: With all you’ve accomplished, how do you keep yourself fired up to go out there and continue raising the bar?
DP: To me, the beauty of winemaking is that, like golf or fly fishing, you never really master it, you just have some days that are better than others. That is what keeps me hungry. It’s the desire to have more of those better days and challenge myself to grow, learn and hopefully exceed what we’ve done in the past. That is what excites me and the team, we create and thrive in the very pressure we’ve created for ourselves!
