Today we’d like to introduce you to Anish Patel.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
The story starts years ago when I developed a passion for wine while living and making many trips to Spain. After starting my career as an investment banker, I was in an automotive accident, which left me with a broken spine and in a hospital bed recovering for six months. Those 6 months took me on a journey of reevaluating what I wanted to focus on, physically, mentally, spiritually, and socially; one of the things that came out of this period was a desire to jump into my first foray in wine. Five years on, my brand, Tinto, is focused on making the highest quality natural wines and bringing sustainability, transparency, and unpretentiousness to the industry. We’re growing like crazy, making some waves, and I’m enjoying the ride!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The road hasn’t been the easiest. The two bigger challenges have been related to dealing with big distributors and entering the natural wine world.
A few years ago we had just signed on with one of the largest alcohol distributors in the country and had been told they needed a large amount of wine. So I increased production to meet their demand, but our contact at the distributor was let go and the order was downsized to a fraction of the original. That combined with COVID-19 lockdown restrictions which prevented my grassroots marketing efforts nearly left us bankrupt. But we weathered the storm and the business came back stronger than ever!
The next big challenge was entering the natural wine world. After releasing my first vintage I was turned away by retailers and merchants countless times and told it was specifically because I am not a European with my own vineyard. This was jarring at times because the natural wine community is usually known for being welcoming and counter-establishment, Unfortunately, there were and continue to be a lot of gatekeepers trying to make it more of an exclusive club. Being an outsider means constant rejection and limited opportunities, yet the brand keeps growing, we’re finding the right partners and more and more folks tell us how much they love what we do!
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
I own and operate – Tinto Amorio, we’re an artisanal natural wine producer based in Los Angeles. I started Tinto with a desire to make the best natural wines from California, and to bring more transparency, sustainability, and less pretentiousness to the wine industry. Made by my family and friends, we’re a small operation making some early waves with our semi-carbonic reds and skin-contact orange wine.
I really enjoy that everything about our brand and wines is built around what we love. I love orange wines and coferments, and experimenting so that’s exactly the kind of wines we make. Every label also has its own story and is created in-house, and the wax on each bottle is hand dipped by family & friends – the whole brand is a labor of good vibes and inspired action.
Some things that set us apart are that Tinto is the only South-Asian-owned natural wine brand in the U.S., and we share 5% of proceeds back with our local food banks.
Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
We just dropped our latest release of vino, check them out, and let’s shake up the industry together!
Pricing:
- Bheeyo – Orange Wine -$29
- Monje – Orange Wine – $32
- Jajaja – Glou Glou Red Wine – $45
Contact Info:
- Website: drinktinto.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tintoamorio/
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@tintoamorio
Image Credits
Personal Photo – Eunji Paula Kim
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