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After he sold the brand to Huneeus Vintners, Phinney kept busy with Orin Swift. The Prisoner appeared on Wine Spectator's Top 100 list multiple times. Zinfandel was blended with everything from Petite Sirah to Cabernet Sauvignon and Charbono, bottled with the striking image of a Francisco Goya sketch. The wine grew rapidly, from 385 cases to 85,000 cases in 10 years, foreshadowing the popularity of red blends today. Phinney founded Orin Swift Cellars in 1998 when he created The Prisoner, a popular Zinfandel-based wine he made from purchased grapes. We have great sales, but they wrote the book about it." They have amazing vineyards and amazing facilities, and it's something we don't have. "I get to continue to foster the brand along with Gallo and make it better, through their vineyards and facilities. "I look at this as a long-term decision," explained Phinney. "You don't get to be Gallo by doing the wrong thing."Īll signs point to Orin Swift growing after the transaction. "I always had a high respect for ," Phinney told Wine Spectator. Phinney has known the Gallo family for years, purchasing grapes and barrels from them. Despite not owning its own winery facility, Orin Swift's current annual production stands at 100,000 cases. "Dave has been really successful in making world-class wine, and we think we can provide resources for him to make even more outstanding wine," Roger Nabedian, senior vice president and general manager of Gallo's Premium Wine division, told Wine Spectator. The acquisition includes the brand, inventory and St. Neither side would disclose a purchase price.
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Gallo announced that it has acquired Phinney's company, Orin Swift Cellars. Each label is an evocative expression of art that leaves a heart-skipping impression.Winemaker Dave Phinney has a knack for making delicious, stylish wines with memorable labels and attractive price points but also for understanding wine's business side. The creative (if slightly disturbing gothic and grunge) style of their labels encourage you to rethink wine through a different lens. He sets his sights on small lots within the most coveted vineyards while ensuring that only fruit of the highest quality makes it into the final blend. Sourcing for the Orin Swift family takes Dave across the state of California, with special interest in the Napa Valley, Sonoma County and Santa Barbara area. With two tons of zinfandel and not much else, he spent the next decade making wine for others as well as himself and grew the company to what it is today. So in 1998 he founded Orin Swift Cellars Orin is his father’s middle name and Swift is his mother’s maiden name. A few more years of university led to graduation and eventually a job at Robert Mondavi Winery in 1997 as a temporary harvest worker.ĭavid decided that if he was going to work this hard, it would eventually have to be for himself. During that time, he was introduced to wine, how it was made, and got hooked. The history of Orin Swift Cellars dates back to 1995 when, on a lark, David Swift Phinney took up a friend's offer and went to Florence, Italy, to spend a semester “studying”.