Episode 154: Matt Murphy and Mark Porembski: Unwritten Wines

In Episode 154 of the Mr. Wine Guy Podcast I had the privilege of sitting down with Matt Murphy and Mark Porembski, Owner and Winemaker of Unwritten Wines out of Napa Valley, CA.

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This is the only dual guest podcast this season which is exciting because I've done interviews like this in the past where you get to hear 2 different pespectives of the same brand and in the case of Unwritten, from an Ownership and Winemaking standpoint.

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Unwritten was launched in 2014 as a passion project between a handful of guys either involved in wine, or passionate about wine, that collectively wanted to come together and create something unique in an industy that it seems like today is growing at a faster pace than ever.

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In this episode Matt starts off by talking about his life growing up around his grandfather who was an Italian immigant that migrated to Ellis Island from Northern Italy and who had a passion for cultivating the land from orchids, fruit trees, to eventually grapes.

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Matt continues to talk about his work in tech and how he eventually linked up with Randy Wigginton, (number 6 employee of Apple in 1976) and Isaac Pirolo with an idea to create a brand around their shared passions in wine.

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Mark jumps in and talks about how he had absolutely no wine background growing up and instead was studying poetry in Boston visiting local restaurants and enjoying different wines with friends from time to time.

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Mark and Matt collectively talks about how they got connected at a private tasting at Acme Fine Wines in St. Helena for Mark to eventually become winemaker, the creation of Unwritten, the inspiration behind the name and how in their first year they only started the with a 50 case production.

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Mark also talks about what it's like to make wines alongside his wife Jennifer Williams with their personal brand Zeitgeist, and Mark's creation of Band of Vintners which supports local winemakers that make the same incredible, yet affordable wines mostly distributed for "by the glass" sales in restaurants.

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As Matt quoted and I think is fitting to close this intro, "Life is unwritten.  It's your journey to forge and create and do what makes you happy and don't hold back." 

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Cheers 🍷

 

To follow Unwritten Wines on Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/unwrittenwines/

 

To sign up for Unwritten's mailing list, receive allocation opportunities, or to purchase wines: 

https://unwrittenwines.com/store/

https://unwrittenwines.com/cabernet-sauvignon-subscription-wine-clubs/

 

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