Ian Blackburn is Founder at Learn About Wine, one of the earliest wine education platforms on the internet, launched in 1995. In this episode, Ian shares how a college trip to Napa Valley with Robert Mondavi sparked a lifelong passion that eventually became a 30-year business with over 120,000 followers.
Ian walks us through how he built Learn About Wine from a personal hobby site into a full education and events brand, producing intimate classes, large-scale wine dinners, and virtual experiences. He also opens up about surviving the 2008 recession by selling 5,000 Groupons in a single day and what it took to teach that class nearly 100 times in one year to honour every redemption.
Beyond the wine world, this conversation is packed with lessons for any entrepreneur building an education-led brand, from staying true to quality and reputation over decades to why passion is the ultimate competitive advantage in an AI-driven world.
Whether you are in wine, marketing, or building your own knowledge-based business, Ian’s story is one of curiosity, consistency, and earned credibility.
Takeaways:
- Ian launched learnaboutwine.com in 1995, before most wineries had websites
- A college visit to Napa Valley with Robert Mondavi sparked his passion for wine
- He chose entrepreneurship over a stable career job to build his own path
- Selling 5,000 Groupons in one day helped the business survive the 2008 recession
- Learn About Wine now has over 120,000 followers built entirely on reputation
- Offering multiple product formats keeps the brand relevant across different audiences
- Protecting reputation and customer care has been the biggest long-term growth driver
- Connecting passion to your business makes it easier to survive difficult moments