Tony Goldwyn Encourages Wine Lovers To Explore Taste With Firstleaf
Long-time wine enthusiast and celebrity actor, writer and director Tony Goldwyn has teamed up with a personalized wine company.
Firstleaf wine club has announced their first celebrity partnership with the Scandal actor, which includes a digital campaign and a limited edition bundle of wines.
"First of all, I like drinking wine, and I've had an evolution myself in the development of my own wine tastes," Goldwyn says. "When they first approached me, I was intrigued by the way that they do things. A lot of people can get overwhelmed or intimidated when trying to figure out what they like in wine."
Firstleaf works with patented technology, expert winemakers and a WSET-certified wine concierge team to help build an exact wine profile for each member of the Firstleaf wine club. This club starts with a quiz to begin the personalized selections of wines, and they really work with consumers to uncover their tastes.
"What Firstleaf really does is they really drill down on your specific tastes, what you like and don't like and then really curate the wines they give you," Goldwyn says. "There's a flow of communication with their sommeliers, with their wine concierges so that they discover what you really like and don't like, and as your wine tastes develop, in a very data driven way, they discover what each person likes."
The survey starts with questions of flavors and foods, and each bottle you liked or didn't like, they discover what specifically it was about the wine that you liked or didn't like, and then they send you options to find out where your specific tastes lie," he says.
Goldwyn says that the company really develops a relationship with each member. "Because there's a relationship and a facility of giving feedback of what you're liking or not liking, they can also suggest wines that might be a little bit out of your comfort zone that you'd really like," he says.
"You can also explore in a way that feeds comfortable to you," Goldwyn says. "It's having this back and forth with Firstleaf that takes out the intimidation factor, and that's really what attracted me to the company."
"You can also explore in a way that feeds comfortable to you," Goldwyn says. "It's having this back and forth with Firstleaf that takes out the intimidation factor, and that's really what attracted me to the company."
The process of going back and forth with Firstleaf has helped Goldwyn really better understand his own preferences with wine. "After about two or three back and forths with them, I discovered some really great stuff," he says. "Last night, I drank one of the bottles they had first recommended to me, and it's been six months (since he started working with them on figuring out his preferences.)."
Goldwyn really appreciates their return policy. If members do not like any wines, they receive credit for those wines and don't have to pay for them. "They'll just replace it if you don't like it," he says.
Firstleaf is offering a limited edition bundle of wines that Goldwyn picked out with Dr. Marinda Kruger, Firstleaf's head of winemaking. Goldwyn selected: FogBreak 2021 Grüner Veltliner (Monterey County, California), which is crisp and minerally with just a touch of fruit; Les Bottes à Terre 2022 Grenache Blanc (Paso Robles, California), which is a dry Grenache with a nice depth and body with floral and fruit notes; Wisdom Point 2021 Rosé of Grenache (Piekenierskloof, South Africa), which is a balanced rosé that's not too sweet with subtle citrus notes and a clean finish; Gradino di Pietra 2022 Heritage Red Wine Blend (Terre Siciliane IGT, Italy), which is an everyday drinkable red with red fruit on the nose and warm notes of vanilla and caramel; 1/3 WA 2020 Syrah (Columbia Valley, Washington), which is a bold Syrah with a bit of spice with a dry finish, and Contre-Jour 2021 Red Blend (Minervois AOC, France), which is an intriguing French red that is earthy and spicy with beautiful tannins.
"My hope is that with our partnership, more people can let go of their intimidation of wine and discover that it's a fun exploration," Goldwyn says.
