Curated blind wine tastings & stories that sell.
—— THE SHINER TASTINGS : BLIND WINE EXPERIENCES THAT STRIP AWAY THE LABEL AND LET THE WINE SPEAK FOR ITSELF. SAMPLE WINE WITHOUT KNOWING THE VARIETY,LABEL, PRICE OR ORIGIN. WINES ARE THEN DISCUSSED, EXPLORED AND REVEALED.
—— THE ESTATE & VINTAGE STORY STUDIO : WE UNCOVER THE PEOPLE, PLACES, AND STORIES BEHIND GREAT WINERIES, THEN TURN THEM INTO COMPELLING STORIES THAT CONNECT WITH CUSTOMERS.
THE SHINER TASTINGS
The wine before the label. A different kind of wine tasting
- What happens when you taste the wine before the label tells you what to think?
- The Shiner is an intimate tasting experience built around finished wines that sit outside the usual spotlight — second labels, alternative cuvées, surplus parcels, experimental wines and other releases that rarely receive the attention given to an estate’s headline bottle. There is no grand cru hierarchy to follow. No famous label to impress you
- No tasting sheet telling you what you are supposed to think. Instead, we taste the wine. Then we uncover where it came from, why it exists and what it might become.
T
CREATING UNFORGETTABLE WINE EXPERIENCES
Each tasting is built around wines selected for their character, provenance, sense of place and ability to challenge expectations. The aim is not simply to identify what is in the glass, but to explore what the wine is saying before the label tells us what to think. The Shiner Tasting may take the form of private tastings, hosted events, wine dinners or carefully curated sessions for groups who want to approach wine without the usual assumptions.
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WHERE GUESTS TASTE WITHOUT BIAS
Estate & Vintage remains the sourcing and curatorial foundation behind the tastings, providing access to wines that might otherwise remain beyond the usual channels of distribution. The wines, themes and format change regularly. Each tasting is an opportunity to encounter something unfamiliar, taste without preconceptions and discover the wine before the label.
DISCOVER HIDDEN DEPTH AND SEE WINE ANEW
It is wine tasting without the usual shortcuts. A chance to encounter remarkable wines with fresh eyes, challenge your assumptions and discover what a wine might become before you know where it comes from.
“ In the wine industry, a shiner is a bottle of wine that has been fermented, aged, and bottled—but leaves the winery without a label. Because the bare glass bottle reflects light, it appears shiny.”
Whose tastes and curiosities are we hoping to indulge?
UNCOVER HIDDEN CHARACTER / RETHINK WHAT MATTERS
Wine Enthusiasts.
For people who enjoy discovering wines beyond the obvious names.
Hospitality.
- For restaurants, hotels, clubs and wine-led businesses looking for distinctive wines and new ideas.
Private Groups.
A deliberately different format for private dinners, clubs and corporate gatherings.
THE STORY STUDIO
The Estate & Vintage Story Studio.
—— Your wine already has a story.
—— We uncover the one worth telling..
We uncover the stories your customers, visitors and trade partners will remember — then turn them into commercial strengths.
- The right story can turn an unfamiliar producer into a name people recognise, remember and seek out..
- It gives a wine context beyond the label — creating a human connection that can influence how it is experienced, discussed and shared.
- From a tasting room conversation to a sommelier’s recommendation or an importer’s portfolio presentation, that story becomes part of the way your wine travels through the world.
How a story might benefit your winery?
Every winery has a history. Few have a story that people actually remember.
At Estate & Vintage, we go beyond the usual language of terroir, tradition and passion. We spend time with the people behind the wine, ask the questions that don’t appear in the brochure, and uncover the characters, places, quirks and moments that make an estate genuinely distinctive.
Then we turn those discoveries into an original E&V story — something your customers, visitors, sommeliers, importers and trade partners can actually remember and talk about.
IT MAKES YOUR WINERY MEMORABLE
Wine can be difficult to differentiate.
A vineyard, a grape variety, a vintage and a tasting note can tell someone what a wine is. A great story can tell them why they should remember it.
The unusual detail. The eccentric winemaker. The family history. The difficult decision. The forgotten vineyard. The strange discovery.
Those are the things people repeat.
IT GIVES YOUR SALES TEAM SOMETHING TO TALK ABOUT
A good story becomes a sales tool.
Give your importer, distributor, sommelier, restaurant team or wine merchant something more interesting to say than:
“It’s a beautiful expression of the terroir.”
Give them a story they can tell across a table, at a tasting, in a restaurant or to a customer standing in front of the bottle.
IT MAKES YOUR VISITORS PART OF THE STORY
A winery visit shouldn’t end when the tasting does.
A compelling story can create anticipation before the visit, enrich the experience while guests are there, and give them something to take away afterwards.
The result is not simply:
Visit → Taste → Leave
but:
Discover → Experience → Remember → Share
FINDING THE STORY BEHIND THE WINE
Estate & Vintage spends time with the people behind wine and hospitality — walking the vineyards, lingering over old photographs, listening to memories and asking the questions that rarely find their way into a tasting note or company brochure.
We look for the unexpected detail, the eccentric character, the forgotten episode and the small human moment that gives a place its soul.
Then we turn those discoveries into beautifully crafted stories — stories that can be read, shared, remembered and, sometimes, brought to life around a table with a glass of wine in hand.
Who is it for?
Winemakers, wine estates, brands, merchants and wine tourism businesses who need distinctive stories to attract visitors, customers and wine lovers.
The Problem
Wineries often repeat familiar claims about tradition and sustainability instead of sharing the specific people and moments that make them memorable.
The Value
Vineyard Stories creates original profiles that reveal the people and moments behind wineries. Winery owners can use each story to reach new audiences and inspire tastings, dinners, and books. Read a sample story to see how one visit can uncover what makes a winery memorable.
What makes it different?
The landscape is crowded with generalists; this product wins by positioning as an ‘editorial partner’ rather than a ‘content vendor,’ focusing on proprietary, high-value narratives.
YOUR STORY — TURN IT INTO AN ASSET
Your story is valuable because it can keep working long after it has been told.
We help you translate it into distinctive content and experiences that strengthen the way your wines are presented, understood and remembered.
FOR IMPORTERS & DISTRIBUTORS
Make your portfolio easier to understand, remember and talk about.
FOR EVENTS
Build tastings, dinners and experiences around the stories behind the bottle.
FOR YOUR VISITORS
Create a deeper connection between the person, place and wine.
FOR RESTAURANTS & SOMMELIERS
Give the people serving your wine a story worth telling at the table.
FOR YOUR WEBSITE
Give customers something original to discover beyond the usual winery description.
FOR YOUR SALES TEAM
Give them memorable stories they can use in conversations and presentations.
THE STORY PORTRAIT — A CLOSER LOOK
Discover the process, the deliverables and the possibilities.
Chronicles of the Cork: Chivalric Tales in the Wine World.
To ride alongside Neil Phillips is to chase the roaring, effervescent wind, where the grand herald of Prosecco DOC transforms every simple gathering. Read.
To partake of Maeli is to tilt at the mundane with a chalice of volcanic gold. Read.
To drink of Aquilaia is to heed the sovereign call of the Etruscan eagle, soaring high above fields of untamed crimson soil. Read.
To lift a glass of Parés Baltà is to toast the dual sorcery of wise enchantresses and a living earth. Read.
Aitken Pearson / Founder.
- FdA International Wine Business Plumpton College. WSET 1,2,3.
- I independently curate and organise The Shiner Tasting — a different approach to discovering wine, centred on tasting the wine before its identity, provenance or price is revealed. I work with producers, estates, collectors and trusted wine contacts to uncover previous vintages, estate-held wines, library releases, small-producer parcels and bottles rarely encountered through conventional channels.
CONTACT ME