Welcome to Vintuba.com
Vintuba, a site for the wine drinker who has a thirst for the journey of discovery, not just the destination of an empty bottle. Vintuba is about the adventure of wine; the pleasure of sharing and enjoying it with friends. So join us as we meet the people, swirl and sip and feel the passion that makes the world of wine so unique and special. Who knows you might even learn something!
A word about ChrisO: “The everyman’s wine snob”
Hi I’m Christian Oggenfuss and I have been lucky enough to spend my entire life immersed in all things culinary and vinous. I am a next generation wine consultant, marketer, and consumer brand-builder. I have had the fortune to indulge these passions for the last 15 years as a wine marketer, educator, retailer, publisher, and as an emphatic direct-to-consumer consultant to the California Wine Industry.
Since the young age of eight, when I started helping out at my families gourmet grocery, wine store and catering business in Zurich, Switzerland, I have found myself surrounded by people who live not only to eat, but also to drink and savor flavors from different cultures around the world.
Oddly enough it was while working in film production that my passion for all things epicurean was truly ignited. As a result I moved back to Switzerland to rejoin the family business and to take advantage being able to travel to the wine producing regions of Tuscany, Burgundy, Alsace, Champagne, Rhone, Priorat and Piedmont, all the while enjoying the best that the regions had to offer. I was inspired by the power food and wine has to bring people together, inspired by the creative chefs and winemakers and their culinary combinations and pairings, and inspired by exploring the world and its cultures through eating and drinking. There was no turning back.
I worked closely with my father building the wine and catering side of the business and In 2002 I launched into the restaurant business when I opened a dual concept wine bar and retail wine shop. My passion has always been working closely with those new to wine and wine lovers alike, educating them and helping them on their journey of discovery.
I am fortunate to have learned from, and formed relationships with, winemakers, Masters of Wine, wine educators, sommeliers, and chefs, from around the world and I feel lucky to count so many talented professionals as my dear friends. For me, there is nothing more rewarding than eating, drinking, and indulging with family and friends.
In 2007 started on a path to gain a formal wine education and enrolled in The Wine & Spirits Educational Trust to study towards earning my Diploma in Wine and Spirits, which I attained in 2009. I am now a 2nd year MW student in the Masters of Wine program with the Institute of Masters of Wine in London. I am a card-carrying member of the Wine Century Club, a Certified Wine Location Specialist, and an all around wine geek.
Along the way I have been a marketer and brand builder for wine brands including; Stags’ Leap Winery, Etude, Beringer Vineyards, V. Sattui Winery, Benziger Family Winery, PlumpJack Winery, and CADE Estate Winery.
My other passion is for the world of social media and its power to connect like-minded passionate people! There is always a new wine to be discovered and new friends to be made.
Cheers,
Christian aka ChrisO
A word about JonM: “The wine snob’s every man”
JonM (aka Tonto) is a longtime beer enthusiast and renaissance man currently dipping his toes into the world of wine and liking what he is discovering. Jon is an entrepreneur, and bakery owner, St. Louis Missouri. He brings a unique perspective and humor to wine education. Jon has been instrumental in bringing some half-baked ideas to Vintuba.
A Word about CatherineS: the “Other Woman”
Catherine has just completed the Wine & Spirits Education Trust diploma program and tries hard (sometimes) to hide her love of the geeky side of wine. While she will admit to carrying piles of wine books around in her car – just in case – she will easily laugh at herself too. Catherine has dragged hoses around a winery cellar, and now handles wine accounts for a Napa Valley marketing firm. Catherine is a monthly wine columnist for the St. Helena Star and has also published in International Wine Review, Women & Wine, and The Napa Valley Register, among other places.
A Word aboutJayO (Or YurgO): the “Old World Old Man”
Hails from Switzerland where he started his wine discovery back when polyester was high fashion. An example of the saying that „you can take the boy out of the country, but…“he can come up with a minority (some say contrarian) opinion on just about anything. An avid traveler fluent in German and Mediterranean languages, he does best after a petit blanc. He works in a highly respected Napa winery as wine educator and prepares for his WSET diploma.
In closing:
We look forward to a long journey that has no end and knows no bounds and would like to share with you with one of our favorite quotes:
“I drink it when I’m happy and when I’m sad.
Sometimes I drink it when I’m alone
when I have company I consider it obligatory.
I trifle with it if I’m not hungry and drink it when I am.
Otherwise I never touch it – unless I’m thirsty.”
- Madame Jaques Bollinger
Global #PortDay 2012
This day is an opportunity for not only producers, but wine educators, geeks, blogs, mainstream media, and the general public to put down their Cabernet and Chardonnay and join in a global celebration and education centered around Port.