Colorful doesn't even
begin to describe Eddie Gilbert, Wine Manager superstar here at Bounty Hunter Rare Wine & Spirits. He’s been called an acquired taste by some of his closest friends, and when you get to know him, you’ll understand exactly why (and why one could see it as a compliment).
Born in New York and raised in Granada Hills in Los Angeles, Eddie learned from an early age that his strength was in being an independent thinker. He’s one smart cookie who not only graduated with a BS in Human Organization and Development from Vanderbilt University, but was invited back for a Masters Degree in Organization, Leadership and Education. His academic path was exceedingly positive, but his inextinguishable zeal for life’s pleasures (food, music, and exploring new cultures) tugged him away from a very good job at one of the nation’s biggest talent firms.
While in Los Angeles, Eddie dabbled in the culinary arts. Then, being the “jump in with both feet and figure out how to swim” type of guy he is, Eddie auditioned for a show on the Food Network. He won the part and
cooked his heart out (simultaneously earning a rap as the season’s resident villain, but that’s a whole other story). Post production, Eddie took a vacation to Napa. It was on this trip that he and his then-girlfriend (now wife) decided to go all in and move to the epicenter of fantastic food and wine.
Eddie admits, “I really enjoy wine, but I had absolutely no interest in working in the industry,” and with a shrug offers “that was [wife] Kit’s arena and her idea.” Fate had other plans though, and Eddie was soon lured into the fold via a local SEC football group where another Bounty Hunter employee just so happens to be a regular.
He came aboard as a Wine Scout, but it is his writing acumen and talent for buying wine that make him a shining star. For the last two years his title has been “Wine Manager,” but his role has morphed into sales, strategizing, buying, e-commerce, email and ensuring the continuity of the Bounty Hunter voice. When he’s not a part of the strategy sessions, his days are packed with tastings, writing, buying, tastings and more tastings. It’s enough to make no two days similar, and keep him on his toes.
From finding the perfect wines for our catalog to making the right buys with your palate in mind, Eddie’s always working on something big. He’s like a poster boy for the Chinese proverb, “Be not afraid of growing slowly, be only afraid of standing still.”
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