The 6:30am Call That Sparked a City Wine Rescue
It was an early morning call that would set the tone for an extraordinary day. At 6:30am, wine seller Tom Gilbey received an urgent warning from a whistleblower: a major City property firm was going into liquidation, and £50,000 worth of wine stored in their cellar – for which Gilbey had not yet been paid – was about to be seized.
For a moment, Gilbey froze in his Hammersmith office. The solution was audacious but clear: he had to drop everything, race across London, and reclaim his stock before the liquidators could formally take control. Using an entry code provided by his contact, Gilbey and his team broke into the cellar while the sounds of the liquidators working upstairs filled the air.
By 7:15am, they had arrived on the scene. By 8:30am, the entire £50,000 consignment had been successfully rescued. This high-stakes dawn raid is just one of the many gripping anecdotes that fill Gilbey's fascinating new book, proving that life in the wine trade is far from sedate.
A Life in Wine: From Family Dynasties to Social Media Stardom
Tom Gilbey is no ordinary wine merchant. He is a popular social media figure dedicated to demystifying wine and dismantling the snobbery that often surrounds it. He is as content with a humble glass of 'chicken wine' (La Vieille Ferme) as he is with a fine Chablis.
His credentials, however, are impeccable. Gilbey grew up surrounded by the trade in his parents' wine bar, and his family name carries significant weight in the industry. His story begins in 1857 when his ancestors, Alfred and Walter Gilbey, started importing 'good, cheap plonk' from South Africa.
The family business, W. and A. Gilbey, expanded rapidly:
- Within three years, they supplied 20,000 customers.
- Within a decade, they had a shop on Oxford Street and a gin distillery in Camden.
- They were on their way to becoming a great British drinks dynasty.
However, as with many family firms, succession issues arose. Gilbey notes the pitfalls of employing the eldest son regardless of his capabilities. By the time Tom's father joined, the company had been absorbed into the drinks giant Diageo, and he was "merely a number on an HR form".
Proving His Mettle and Capturing the Joy of Wine
Tom Gilbey's own business acumen shone through early in his career. In his first job selling wine, he bolstered a £9,000 salary with a 10% commission, achieving remarkable sales figures:
- First Year: £700,000 in sales
- Second Year: £1.3 million in sales
- Third Year: Made a partner in the business
His new book, Thirsty, channels his infectious enthusiasm from his TikTok videos onto the page, resulting in a narrative filled with laugh-out-loud moments and genuine heart. Readers are taken on a journey to Beaujolais in a Citroen CX with his family, to his first date with his wife, and introduced to the growers and makers behind the world's finest bottles.
The book argues that the true magic of wine lies not just in its taste, but in its power to evoke memories, transport our senses, and bring joy to our everyday moments. Combined with Gilbey's extensive yet accessible knowledge, the result is a full-bodied read that, in wine-tasting terms, "has really got legs".
