Today I am joined by Shawn Valbrun who came down from Brooklyn, New York. We met about a year ago at a wine event and ever since then have stayed connected. He is currently launching his wine brand this year called Elevyn Cellars. I decided to bring Shawn to one of my recent favorite greek restaurants in Ft. Lauderdale, FL called Theo's Estiatorio. We go into detail in regards to his wine brand, music career, gaming career, food, wine and much more.
As we wine and dine at the restaurant, we end up ordering some delicious food and a 2022 Boutari Assyrtiko. Boutari is considered one of the top leading Greek wine companies and is located in Megalochori, Santorini (southwestern part of Santorini). Assyrtiko is an indigenous grape varietal to this area and it is one of my faves because it tends to be highly acidic with strong citrus notes coming through giving us some nice minerality and texture.
Tune in now as we pair this delicious bottle with some dips, sardines and fried calamari and dive deep into conversation.
1:50 - Introducing today's wine, Assyrtiko
2:45 - Tasting notes with Shawn
3:22 - Pairing highly acidic wines with oily foods
4:03 - Elevyn Cellars
6:30 - Shawn doesn't really eat food
8:40 - First five varietals
11:11 - Fashion is a passion
11:25 - Target audience for his wine brand
12:45 - You don't know what you don't know
14:00 - Safe space for everybody
17:00 - Brand launch 2026
17:40 - Shawn's music career
19:05 - Olives are a no for us
20:15 - Gaming career