ABOUT US
The Grape Cycle Story:
The Grape Cycle came to fruition because of 2 factors – our passion for everything wine and the desire to build robust operational and sales strategies for estate wineries. We designed the foundation of our company based on the same standards that our estate wineries follow when producing wine. Our mission and business model we stand by emulates the daily attention, love, and quality that is adhered to when producers are working within their grape cycle. Just as producers devote care and precision to their winemaking process, we bring that same level of commitment to the business side of an estate winery. Both cycles require focus and intention to move the grape from vine to glass successfully.
We start with good relationships. We are your partner and your biggest advocate. We work tirelessly to increase your market share and grow your brand. This effort includes the long-standing, reliable connections we have built within the distribution network over the past 20 years.
Your estate winery does not have to travel this road alone. And at the end of our journey, we'll raise a glass (or 2) to the prosperity of your winery's legacy.
Meet George Sparks
Founder & Wine Navigator
After 20 years of living and breathing the industry, I realized there was a need to address the operational aspect of the wine industry efficiently and affordably. With distribution consolidating and sales managers not having the time for all their producers, essential business functions were not getting the attention they needed. As a result, unnoticed gaps and missed opportunities led to a lack of market growth in the U.S.
Guided by the desire to partner more personally and effectively with producers, I founded The Grape Cycle.
My Industry Background
I've spent two decades leading sales teams for one of the largest distributors in the country and serving in leadership roles at a prestigious wine importer. Throughout this time, I managed more than 100 growers at once and learned every facet of navigating producers through the U.S. import and distribution landscape.
My expertise includes:
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Strategic planning for long-term brand growth
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Sales development and trade outreach
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Consumer marketing
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Compliance and regulatory knowledge across U.S. and global wine regions
These experiences helped grow an expansive portfolio of wine brands across the country.
Where It All Started
My journey began in Lake Tahoe, where my love for the outdoors led me to the only Five Star/Five Diamond restaurant on the lake. It provided the perfect setting to begin my foray into the wine world, the elaborate list of wines carefully sourced from around the globe provided me with a template to study. When I wasn't working, I spent my time pulling information from the likes of Jancis Robinson, Hugh Johnson, and Kevin Zraley.
This passion carried me to San Francisco, where I became Beverage Director for a high-end hotel, refining my palate, judging panels, and shaping a leading wine program. I later managed two additional properties before transitioning fully into distribution, importation, management, and marketing. How it all started is an integral part of my journey into the wine industry.
Why "The Grape Cycle”?
Outside of wine, I've always been drawn to cycling—its rhythm, endurance, and steady forward momentum. Those qualities mirror the vineyard's own cycle of growth, harvest, and renewal, making it the perfect metaphor for the work I do with growers and ultimately inspiring the name The Grape Cycle.
