Meet our founder
Federico Fanelli
Founder & wine buyer, Swirl
Federico has served more than 500 restaurants across Japan, including luxury hotels and Michelin-starred establishments, and has shipped to over 10,000 individual customers through online sales. Every wine in our cellar is one he chose himself, visiting family makers around the world.
Read his full profile →
Our mission
Our mission
Our name comes from the swirl of a wine glass, the small motion that releases every aroma. We chose it because wine, like that motion, opens up endless layers when you take the time.
For us, wine is more than a drink. It's a way to slow down, to connect, to make ordinary evenings memorable. One bottle leads to a new conversation, a new friendship, a new chapter.
Our mission is to widen that world: to share the stories behind the wines, and to use wine as a bridge between people and places.
How Swirl started
Swirl was founded by Federico Fanelli (Italy) and Ryan Walker (UK).
As a boy, Federico was taken to Piedmont by his father, who bought wine in bulk straight from the wineries and bottled it at home — so he grew up with wine always close at hand. Ryan fell for California Cabernet on his first trip to Napa ten years ago and never looked back.
The idea was simple: build a place where wine lovers, beginners and connoisseurs alike, could enjoy good wine on equal footing. Like the friendship behind it, Swirl is about people sharing a bottle, learning something, and walking away with a story.
That's why Swirl is more than a shop. The Wine Quiz, the Wine Club, the events: every part of it exists to make wine easier to enjoy and easier to talk about.
What only Swirl can do
Every wine on Swirl has passed our own tasting bar. We import directly from family wineries around the world, and we work hard to build relationships, not just transactions. Every bottle comes with the story of where it came from and why we picked it.
Beyond strict quality control, we work as your personal sommelier: matching wines to your taste with breadth and care. For individuals: the online shop, the Wine Quiz, the taste-matched monthly Wine Club, pairing events, and an active community. For trade clients: hand-selected suggestions, regional and food pairing notes, and full after-sales support. The same care reaches everyone, from a first-time taster to Tokyo's top hotels and restaurants.
Wine lovers are friends in waiting
Swirl started from a simple wish: a place where wine lovers, the curious newcomers and the seasoned drinkers, could all gather.
We host tastings and food-pairing events at hotels and restaurants, and share wine and winery stories on social. The goal is the same: somewhere wine lovers can find each other.
New wines, new friends. Come share a glass with us.
