She loves a good story, and of course, a glass of good wine. Fellow enthusiasts of the grape are welcomed to follow her social media accounts with her signature greeting, “Hello wine lovers!”. Georgia Panagopoulou, aka @wine.gini, is a digital wine marketer, and one of the most followed wine influencers on Instagram. Despite only having launched her account in 2017, Georgia has managed to amass an impressive 112,000 followers since. But how did she manage to do so? In an industry as intimidating and complex as wine, Georgia’s success comes down to not just her passion for wine, but also her authentic and easy-going persona, which shines through with each effortless post that she makes.

Georgia succeeds in cultivating wine content that is unique and informative, and keeps her followers engaged with her conversational approach. She consistently expresses her interest by genuinely listening and responding to their comments, feedback and insights. In return, her followers appreciate her snaps from all around the world of vineyards, cellars, wine and fine dining experiences and harvesting sneak peeks. When she’s not globe-trotting, Georgia’s followers also enjoy her tasting and reviewing of excellent wine options from her terrace in Athens.

Any wine aficionado will be hooked after one scroll through @wine.gini. Utilizing her respected social media presence, Georgia works as a brand ambassador for numerous wineries and institutions, promoting only the best bottles for her astute followers. She also works behind the scenes, where her multi-faceted background in engineering, wine and digital marketing help her to implement strategies based on the distinct features of each winery.

Despite the irrefutable passion and knowledge that Georgia exhibits for all things wine, such a career was not always what she had anticipated. After graduating with a Master’s degree in Chemical Engineering, Georgia spent four years in marketing and sales positions in Athens’s food sector. Unsatisfied with the path she was on, Georgia left her life in Athens behind and headed for Santorini to work as a brand ambassador for GAIA Wines over the summer season. Santorini was the turning-point of Georgia’s career. Here, on the most popular Greek Island and the foremost wine region in Greece, is where she fell in love with the communication of wine.

In 2017, Georgia applied for a Master’s degree in wine management. The degree offered her the opportunity to travel to 30 wine countries across the globe, gaining professional insight into the wine market and meeting with a vast network of wine producers, businesses and other industry professionals. With the commencement of her Master’s in sight, Georgia decided to create an Instagram account to illustrate what she described as a life-changing experience, and with that, @wine.gini was born. Jet setting from continent to continent, Georgia was able to fully immerse herself in the world of wine, getting a taste of what each region had to offer. Of the 30 regions she visited, Georgia was quick to name South Africa, Georgia, and of course, her home country Greece as her personal favourites.

During her travels, Georgia noticed a gap in the communication of wine – the lack of a more personal, human element. When compared to other niches, the wine industry is particularly conservative, and so redefining how it can be communicated is no easy task. Realizing that most of the existing wine content consisted of photographs of bottles on their own, Georgia sought to do something different. She wished to become one of the faces of wine for her millennial generation – an authentic human touch that would make the industry more fun, approachable and above all, social.

In an ever-expanding digital world, the question shouldn’t be, why should wineries utilize social media?, but rather why wouldn’t they? Georgia emphasizes the opportunities available to wineries when they delve into the digital: building a loyal audience, growing their reputation and generally having a much higher chance of finding buyers, restaurants, e-shops and importers that want to work with them. However, this is merely the first step in creating a significant brand. According to Georgia, a winery’s road to success is paved by the power of a great story.

Drawing on Joseph Campbell’s famous template, “The Hero’s Journey”, Georgia urges wineries to observe and retell their story in much the same way as films and novels do. Draw your audience in, create the feeling of anticipation that makes your winery the next must-see, and above all, be authentic. Georgia notes that the biggest mistake wineries make when communicating their brand is being excessively vocal on their awards. The emotion behind a winery, its distinct personality and voice which connects the audience to the essence of what they’re all about, is equally as important. A good wine is one thing, but a good wine with an intriguing backstory are the two elements that must combine to form a truly memorable brand.

Georgia has worked with some of the world’s most iconic wine brands. The most refreshing part of her work is its diverse nature. She loves that she can be working with a winery in the States one week and jetting off to Portugal the next. A collaboration Georgia is particularly proud of was with Château Minuty, one of the foremost high-quality rosé producers in Provence, averaging approximately 6 million bottles per year.

In 2019, Minuty approached Georgia with a request for her to assist in the design and campaign of the M de Minuty Rosé limited edition bottle. Georgia travelled to Saint Tropez, where she acted as the primary link between the Minuty brand and acclaimed Barcelona-based visual artists, Zosen Bandido and Mina Hamadao. Inspired by a delightful summer along the French Riviera, exceptional Mediterranean food, and the fresh and fruity essence of M de Minuty wine, the team was able to create an abstract, eye-catching bottle, typified by scatterings of light and bright shapes.

As a lover of a good story, Georgia is especially drawn to projects which involve travelling to family-owned wineries. Thus, another collaboration that Georgia holds high on her list of achievements was her coverage of Zonin1821’s “Gastronomy Experience” – an exclusive three-day event in Tuscany. Alongside top sommeliers from around the globe, Georgia acted as the “Instagram journalist” for the event, capturing the unforgettable food and wine experience. The event included a visit to Pasta Martelli, a Masterclass with word-renowned butcher Dario Cecchini, truffle hunting at Savini Tartufi, a visit to Amedei chocolatiers and wine tasting at estates Castello di Albola and Rocca di Montemassi.

Georgia’s story is an inspirational one, especially for aspiring businesswomen. She realized that her passion lay with wine, committed herself to building up her expertise on the subject, and eventually became one of the top 10 Instagram wine influencers. Having attained such a title all on her own, @wine.gini actively supports women’s entrepreneurship, and hopes to encourage more women to find their niche, follow their dreams, and believe in the potential, knowledge and power that they possess.

This has been one of the best years for Georgia’s business. Being at home in Athens instead of travelling has given her the chance to produce high-quality content for wineries, who have been sending her bottles to taste and market on her Instagram page in the bucket loads. But what’s next for @wine.gini? This is a question that not even Georgia herself can answer with certainty. Georgia only wishes to keep enjoying the journey she is on with wine, growing her business as she uses her knowledge to assist more wineries in the telling of their stories.

When asked what it is she loves most about what she does, it should come as no surprise that Georgia responded with, “Wine, of course. Wine combines history, people, travelling and food… it is a super wide subject, and you never stop learning”.