The beginnings of Orin Swift Cellars may be traced back to 1995, when David Swift Phinney, on a whim, accepted a friend’s invitation to spend a semester “studying” in Florence, Italy. He was introduced to wine at that time and became fascinated with the process of making it. After a couple more years of school, he graduated and got a position as a temporary harvest worker at Robert Mondavi Winery in 1997.
He started Orin Swift Cellars, named after his father’s middle name and his mother’s maiden name, in 1998 after deciding that if he was going to work this hard, it would eventually have to be for himself.
E&J Gallo, fascinated by David’s wines, quickly snatched Orin Swift in 2016. He’s launched six of Phinney’s wines in the UK through Great Western Wine in an effort to spread the Orin Swift story outside of the US, including the sumptuous white Mannequin.
Orin Swift Mannequin Chardonnay begins with flavours of ripe Bosc pears, lemon meringue, and white flowers. A mid-palate of French pastry, fried plantain, and ripe stone fruit is followed by yellow peach, honeydew, and wet stone. A seam of acidity elevates the finish, with flavours of butterscotch and lemon pith.
Food pairing ideas: Tuscan style grilled veal.
Did you know? When asked what came first, the wine or the label, in case of Mannequin fit was a song that came first in the case of Mannequin: Nicki Minaj’s Roman’s Revenge and the line ‘You at a standstill, mannequin’. Phinney remembers thinking about the mannequin’s purpose in representing human form to showcase clothing. ‘Clothing, much like wine, evolves over time to reflect trends, nature and creative whims, yet the mannequins always remain static’ he says in the interview with The Drinks Business.
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