How do you start a wine making partnership with Sarah Jessica Parker? It turns out, all you have to do is ask - as long as you have an award-winning wine brand and savvy business partners with years of experience. In this special episode, we have the pleasure of speaking with New Zealanders and business partners Tim Lightbourne and Rob Cameron of Invivo - where Rob is the winemaker and Tim is the director. After getting their degrees in physiology and one of them starting a pain relief cream business (not a joke), these childhood friends found themselves at a pub in England and hatched the plan for Invivo wines. Years of sweat and grit got them to where they are today, with an internationally known and distributed wine brand, and collaborations with Graham Norton and Sarah Jessica Parker. And in case you think these are just names slapped on the labels, Tim and Rob ensure that Norton and SJP are directly involved in the blending of their wines. Listen in to hear about their fascinating story, how storytelling is at the center of what they are trying to create, and learn more about their motto “Break Dumb Rules.”
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Show Notes
Special Episode! Meet the (Wine) Makers #12: Tim Lightbourne and Rob Cameron of Invivo! (And their Collaboration with Sarah Jessica Parker) 00:00
We are so excited for you to meet Tim Lightbourne and Rob Cameron of Invivo Wines. Tim who is the Director of Invivo, and Rob, who is the winemaker, are childhood friends who have created an award winning wine brand, and have partnered with Sarah Jessica Parker to create wines that are available throughout the world. So, stay tuned to hear more about their story, and how these two came together and collaborated with Sarah Jessica Parker.
Introduction to the Interview with Tim Lightbourne and Rob Cameron of Invivo Wines! 00:33
Hello, and welcome to The Wine Pair Podcast! I’m Joe, your sommelier of reasonably priced wine, and for this special episode, I am on my own as my wine pairing partner in crime is busy making cakes for her Baby Cakes micro-bakery, which by the way you can learn more about if you head over to her website lovebabycakes.com.
Now, as a quick orientation to our podcast, what we usually do in each episode is learn about, taste, and review two to three wines that are reasonably priced, which means under $20, and should be easy to find. However, for this special set of episodes, we interview people who are involved in actually making wine. Because part of what we want to do with our podcast is to educate ourselves and you on different aspects of wine knowledge in a fun, entertaining, and unstuffy way, even fun and entertaining as Decanter magazine has called our podcast, and that is what we are doing today!
A small plug before we get to the interview with Tim and Rob - if you like what you are hearing or are interested in hearing our other “regular” episodes, please subscribe to or follow our podcast so you can hear more - especially since you are only getting one half of The Wine Pair Podcast in this episode! You can also go to our website thewinepairpodcast.com to send us a note or subscribe to our newsletter, you can follow us on Instagram at The Wine Pair Podcast, and, if you like what you are hearing, you can even leave us a nice rating and review, we won’t mind!
Ok, let’s get to the interview with Tim and Rob
Interview with Tim Lightbourne and Rob Cameron of Invivo Wines 02:02
Hi Tim and Rob - and welcome to The Wine Pair Podcast.
We are so happy and honored to have you with us, and we are really looking forward to learning more about you both. I have to admit, this is the first time we have interviewed folks involved in winemaking with a story like yours, and I don’t usually talk to more than one person, so take it easy on me. I am super interested in finding out more about how this all got started, how you went from childhood friends to starting your own global wine company, and how you got involved with Sarah Jessica Parker
Well, without further ado, let’s jump in - and let’s start with a little bit about you, your background and how you met, and the journey that led you into founding Invivo Wines.
Interview Questions:
- Tell us a little about the two of you - your backgrounds, how you met, and how you decided to start working together?
- Was winemaking and starting a winery something you had planned for and pursued, or did it "find" you?
- Did you have a mentor, or someone who taught you the ropes?
- What do you think defines you as a winemaker and makes you and your wines special?
- How did you get involved in making wines with Sarah Jessica Parker? What made her interested in working with you specifically?
- How much influence does Sarah Jessica Parker have on the wines you make?
- Tell us about a few of your latest releases and what makes you excited about them.
- Do you lean more towards the art or the science of wine (or both)?
- What is next for you? Where do you go from Sarah Jessica Parker?
- If we were to invite you to Sunday Night Dinner (a tradition in our Italian American family), what of your wines would you bring and why?
- How can people find your wines and follow you (your website, social, etc.)?
Outro and How to Find Tim Lightbourne and Rob Cameron of Invivo Wines 36:51
Thank you very much for listening to our interview with Tim Lightbourne and Rob Cameron of Invivo Wines and we hope you will take the time to learn more about them, their wines, and their partnership with Sarah Jessica Parker
Just in case you are worried about memorizing all the website or email to get in touch with them, don’t worry, you can find out all of this information on our website thewinepairpodcast.com in our show notes for this episode. But so you have it, here again is the information about how to find out more about Tim, Rob, and Invivo Wines
Website: https://invivoxsjp.com/, https://invivowines.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/invivoxsjp/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/InvivoXSJP/
Email: iwantsjp@invivowines.com
And, we hope you will subscribe to our podcast The Wine Pair Podcast and follow us on Instagram, and visit our website at thewinepairpodcast.com where you can reach out to us and sign up for our newsletter, and you can also reach out to me at joe@thewinepairpodcast.com if you want more information, and we look forward to hearing from you!
But for now it’s time to go, and as we like to say, life is short, so stop drinking shitty wine.
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