About Bottivino
Located in the Bay Area of California, Bottivino is a Wine Events & Retail business by sommelier Paul Robinson. Paul creates distinctive wine experiences delivered to your home or business.
Tasting events are practical and intimate, with a guided presentation and discussion to help light the way. Events take place in your home for family & friends, or your business to help foster team-building or client gifting.
The Online Retail Shop is a tightly curated selection of around 50 labels of Italian wine. The shop features monthly educational subscriptions, broadening your education and appreciation of authentic Italian wines.
About Paul
I have been in the hospitality business for over 2 decades, beginning at the fashion photography house Splashlight Studios in NYC, where I managed events and the day-to-day hospitality program for over 5 years. I eventually pivoted to private events full-time at Hudson yards, an acclaimed boutique private events company by Danny Meyer. Here, I helped to lead large-scale galas and dinners for the MoMa, MET, NYPL, Frick, and numerous private clients. My love of service and hospitality grew exponentially during this time and wine began to play a greater role in my pre-service meetings.
After a particularly meaningful trip to Italy, I decided to take the plunge and pursue certification as a sommelier through the Court of Master Sommeliers. I found a program in San Jose teaching CMS certification by David Glancy and other Master Sommeliers. Once certified, I transitioned into restaurants, first in Yountville at Cantinetta Piero and then to SF, where I led an extensive wine and cheese program at Chiaroscuro Ristorante. Over the next several years I developed a deep love for Italian culture and cuisine under the guidance of Chef Alessandro Campitelli.
I returned to NYC for family reasons and joined Del Posto, a mecca for Italian dining at the time. I expanded my knowledge old Barolo, Brunello, and countless spirits, cordials and digestivi. After Del Posto, I decided my fine-dining career was at its end and found New York Vintners, a local wine retailer specializing in an a riotous approach to wine education. The approach was to deliver quality education in a party-like atmosphere where all ceremony and fancy sommelier-ing is thrown out the window. I soon was given the opportunity to create a program of my own, leading educational rare wine tastings into the most important winemaking regions in the world. This would seed the idea for amyfuture business.
CA beckoned my return and i’ve spent the last 5 years building Bottivino for clients across the Bay Area and Washington. I am currently a certified sommelier through the Court of Master Sommeliers and a member of the ruling council of the Cavalieri del Tartufo e Dei Vini di Alba - SF Bay Area chapter. I live in Oakland and run Bottivino full-time.
