About
Welcome to Bottivino, an online platform dedicated to the Italian Wine experience.
My name is Paul Robinson and I have been navigating the world of Italian wine as a sommelier for over 15 years. During that time, I have discovered the keys to a lasting education requires context to help reveal the sensory experience in the glass. Learn a little about the locals, their everyday cuisine, regional grapes and vinous aspirations, a few particulars on climate and geography, and the stage is set for an authentic Italian wine experience. There is a substantive connection found between food, place and fermented grapes in Italy, Bottivino is meant to bring you there.
On this platform, retail & education come together in the form of curated monthly wine subscriptions Passaporto, Orma and Mercato, where a palpable sense of place, people and culture of winemaking is explored each month.
You can also simply shop for wine in my Online Store, Bottivini, a tightly curated selection of 40+ labels reflecting a wines and producers I have been working with over the years.
The best way to get started is to reach out for a chat about your palate.
Bottivino literally translates to “wine barrel”, yet this term carries a much deeper meaning for me. During a trip to Italy in 2016, I met a 7th generation barrel cooper from Asti-Monferratto in western Piemonte. After touring his modern facility, I was invited to visit the old factory down the street where everything is done by hand. It is here I first laid eyes on large casks referred to as ‘Botti Grande’. Crafted from steam-bent staves, foraged reeds, 00 flour (believe it or not) and ash, these wooden giants are used to gracefully age structured wines from some of the most prestigious producers in the world. Think of large casks like these as sculptors, polishing edges while imparting little onto the core identity of a wine. The background photo you are looking at is the floor of the old factory, with hand-drawn measurements to mark the beginning of the process. I am moved when in the presence of a finished botti grande, where art converges with time, and results are impossible to measure or forget.
I have been in the hospitality business for over 2 decades, beginning at the fashion photography house Splashlight Studios in NYC, where I managed events and the day-to-day hospitality program for over 5 years. I eventually pivoted to private events full-time at Hudson yards, an acclaimed boutique private events company by Danny Meyer. Here, I helped to lead large-scale galas and dinners for the MoMa, MET, NYPL, Frick, and numerous private clients. My love of service and hospitality grew exponentially during this time and wine began to play a greater role in my pre-service meetings.
After a particularly meaningful trip to Italy, I decided to take the plunge and pursue certification as a sommelier through the Court of Master Sommeliers. I found a program in San Jose teaching CMS certification by David Glancy and other Master Sommeliers. Once certified, I transitioned into restaurants, first in Yountville at Cantinetta Piero and then to SF, where I led an extensive wine and cheese program at Chiaroscuro Ristorante. Over the next several years I developed a deep love for Italian culture and cuisine under the guidance of Chef Alessandro Campitelli.
I returned to NYC for family reasons and joined Del Posto, a mecca for Italian dining at the time. I expanded my knowledge old Barolo, Brunello, and countless spirits, cordials and digestivi. After Del Posto, I decided my fine-dining career was at its end and found New York Vintners, a local wine retailer specializing in an a riotous approach to wine education. The approach was to deliver quality education in a party-like atmosphere where all ceremony and fancy sommelier-ing is thrown out the window. I soon was given the opportunity to create a program of my own, leading educational rare wine tastings into the most important winemaking regions in the world. This would seed the idea for amyfuture business.
CA beckoned my return and i’ve spent the last 5 years building Bottivino for clients across the Bay Area and Washington. I am currently a certified sommelier through the Court of Master Sommeliers and a member of the ruling council of the Cavalieri del Tartufo e Dei Vini di Alba - SF Bay Area chapter. I live in Oakland and run Bottivino full-time.
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