Elevyn Cellars with Shawn Valbrun

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 28:30 - Trying mediterranean dips with the wine 33:33 - On & off camera 34:22 - Shawn continues to try dishes 37:50 - Man of many hats 38:40 - Sardines and calamari  40:45 - Meeting at Avaline 41:51 - Ties to France, left bank Margaux 43:15 - One of his introductions to wine 46:30 - James Suckling event 47:50 - Shawn's nugget of knowledge for the people     Today's wine: 2022 Boutari Assyrtiko    Restaurant: Theos Estiatorio 1826 E Sunrise Blvd Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304   Connect with Shawn on IG, TikTok & YouTube @foundshawn   Connect with me on IG @sipandgrowpodcast   Get your FREE Wine Aroma Wheel at https://stan.store/nicoledipasquale    Check out my Italian Wine Guide at https://stan.store/nicoledipasquale