A few of Revelshine’s founders, reveling in the shine of a few sips of their wine. Photo: Instagram//Revelshine
People like to drink. All sorts of celebrities have been cashing in on that fact in recent years — Ryan Reynolds and Aviation Gin, George Clooney and Casamigos, Nick Offerman and Lagavulin Offerman Edition Single Malt, The Rock and Teremana Tequila, Matthew McConaughey and Wild Turkey Longbranch Bourbon all spring to mind — and Shane Dorian, Donavon Frankenreiter, Salema Masekela, and the Gudauskas brothers are the most recent group to dip their toes in the alcoholic beverage game. Their drink? A wine called Revelshine.
You may remember a few years back when Mick Fanning, Joel Parkinson, Josh Kerr, and Bede Durbidge fired up Balter Brewing, which eventually sold for an ungodly amount of money to CUB, a certifiable beer company giant, with beers like Corona, Stella Artois, Victoria Bitter, Strongbow, and even Budweiser under its umbrella. It was a great financial decision for a few guys with some cash in the bank at the tail end of their professional surfing careers.
Wine, however, might be a tougher market to break into, since wine drinkers are generally a little more discerning than beer drinkers. But Revelshine is already picking up steam, with products on the shelves of over 500 retailers.
Although Dorian, Frankenreiter, Masekela, and the “Gudangs” are listed as co-founders, it’s not just them stomping on grapes. They are, in fact, just a fraction of Revelshine’s list of founders, but nearly everyone involved is deeply invested in the action sports world. Others include Adrian Ballinger, a big mountain climber and skier, Michelle Parker, and snowboarding legend Jeremy Jones to name a few. Headed up by Jake Bilbro, a fourth generation winemaker from Sonoma County, Revelshine’s target market is wine lovers with an appreciation for the outdoor lifestyle. Bilbro, “created Revelshine with the hope of bringing wine beyond the boundaries of the traditional table in as sustainable manner as possible to celebrate the beauty of the world and people around us.”
The people involved with Revelshine are a big part of what sets it apart from more traditional wine brands. It uses slim, eco-conscious aluminum bottles that, according to the brand, are 15 times lighter than glass and a little better for taking off the beaten path.
“Our vessels eliminate single-use waste and the guesswork that often comes with choosing high-quality wine, all while lessening our impact on the planet,” reads the brand’s mission statement. “Revelshine is committed to producing high-quality wines that are sustainable and environmentally friendly. So whether you’re hiking, camping, or simply enjoying a picnic in the park, Revelshine’s first-to-market vessels takes wine to new places and creates new traditions beyond the boundaries of the dining table — all with a sustainable focus and an outdoor spirit.”
See more about Revelshine here.
