The Wine Guy Tom Gilbey: ‘I’m 54 – Exactly The Wrong Age To Be A Social Media Sensation’

The wine world has long had a reputation as being stuffy, pretentious and exclusionary – but a new generation of oenophiles are working to change that. A prime example? Tom Gilbey, the curly-haired, charismatic wine lover who soared to social media fame for his tongue-in-cheek Instagram and TikTok videos: think wine tastings in ice baths, top reds under £20 and best Savvy B in Aldi. But it was his London Marathon experience, which involved blind tasting a different wine at every mile, that really propelled Tom to viral fame. 

It’s not all fun and silliness, though: Tom has some serious credentials. Wine is in his roots. The Gilbeys were the first British family to buy a Bordeaux Chateau in 1875, and founded Gilbey’s Gin – using Camden Roundhouse as a delivery hub. And Tom has spent the past 35 years working in the wine trade, starting his career at Jascots before launching his own sales business, The Vintner, and going on to host wine tasting events. 

Tom’s Instagram account – which he runs alongside his son, cameraman Fred – took off somewhat by accident, but he’s going with it nonetheless, using his platform to share wine tips in an accessible, light-hearted way. This September, you’ll find him back on tour with Fred, just in time for the updated paperback version of his book Thirsty, a memoir-meets-wine-guide. We hear more about his journey below, plus some top tips for choosing wine in shops and restaurants.

Tom Gilbey On Making Wine Fun And Becoming An Accidental Social Media Star

What was your journey into the wine world?

Thirsty tells the story of my family history and wine – from my dad opening up a wine bar and my first journey to France, and having a glass of Saint-Amour aged 16. And then it goes through how I went to uni and started working for an Australian winemaker. I was sort of scrubbing tanks for him aged 22, and I went from there to work for a very traditional wine company in London called Jascots. I did 13 years there, and then thought: I just want to set up my own thing. I wanted to sell more fun wines. That’s where The Vintner came in, and then Covid happened. I sold The Vintner and started a wine tasting business, and that is what has morphed into this ridiculous thing now – tours, social media, all sorts of stuff. 

Tell us about your book Thirsty…

I wrote the book initially and included all of the wines that I’ve loved throughout my life – some of which you just can’t really get anymore. So the publishers said, for the paperback, can we actually just choose the wines that people might be able to get and find? So we changed the wines at the back and made it a little bit more useful. But the stories stay the same. 

How are you finding your new life on social media?

I mean, I’m 54 – exactly the wrong age to be a social media sensation. But it amazes me how much people want to know about a subject. I talk about my journey that is continuing in wine, and quite often I end up talking in a way that I have to have a word with myself because no one in their right mind really knows what a yuzu tastes like. Us wine people generally talk to each other in a language that nobody understands, so it’s really made me try and chuck all of those words and thinking in the mincer to come out with some stuff that we can actually talk about. I’ve met the most incredible people. People stop me in the street and go, you’re that guy, and you made me buy a Muscadet. 

(c) Luke Michael James

Your son Fred is a big part of it all – how do you find working together?

It’s fun and very fitting for him. It’s something that we’ve both fallen into, and we fight and we laugh. The tour is the first time that people really saw him, because he’s never on camera, he’s behind it.

Who do you admire in the wine world right now?

There’s a woman who writes for the Financial Times who is basically the queen of wine, Jancis Robinson – she’s written every book that you should read about wine. And there’s a guy who I think is great called the Wine Wally, he’s called Liam and he literally describes himself as a wine wally, someone who – before he started – only knew he liked wine. He builds this feeling that you can follow him and not be an expert.

If you had £10 to spend on a bottle of wine at the supermarket, what would your go-to red and white be?

If I’ve got £10, I would choose a supermarket-owned label wine. No big brands. My go-to red would be Sainsbury’s Maipo Cabernet Sauvignon Red Wine, which is utterly rock ‘n’ roll. It’s delicious. And actually, let’s do another Sainsbury’s. They do a white wine called Gemitster Shatz, it’s what you’d call a field blend – absolutely delicious. Both of them are just under £10. 

Any tips for choosing wine in a restaurant?

Set your budget. There are two types of restaurants: one where you just get a wine menu, and the posh one when you’ve got the sommelier and the wine waiter. If you’re not going posh, there are key wines that, as an owner of the restaurant, I know you’re going to choose and I will make a big margin on them. They are prosecco, New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, and Argentinian Malbec. A good restaurateur will get good examples of those. A good restaurant will also have really good house wines. So where people say go for the wine number two – no, the house wine is great. And go for Spain and Portugal. 

What’s one bottle you’ll always have at home?

A Pinot Noir from California. It’s a red wine that I can serve chilled, it’s delicious and it goes with everything. The one I love is a Waitrose wine and it’s called OFS Younoa Loach Vineyard, and when it’s on a deal it’s £10. Not on a deal, it’s £15.

Is there a great food and wine pairing you’ve discovered recently?

Yeah, but it’s going to be really weird. The best food wine pairing I’ve ever had is a sherry, which is a Manzanilla sherry. It’s made in this particular town in the south of Spain, and it’s a very dry, slightly salty sherry. Have that with some jamón ibérico. It’s the saltiness and the fattiness and the whole thing is just amazing. 

What are two myths you’d like to debunk about wine?

• Sulphites give you hangovers – no, they don’t. What gives you a hangover is drinking too much alcohol.
• Good wine doesn’t give you a hangover. It’s just about the amount you have. Drinking a load of good wine, you’ll have a great time, but you’ll still suffer. 

Thirsty (Vintage Publishing) is out now in paperback