Aphrodise is a Luxury Sparkling Rosé Wine co-founded by Frank Schilling and Gabi Petrylaite, a couple based in the Cayman Islands. The brand was born in 2023 out of the couple’s need for finding a celebratory bubbly that catered to a wide social circle, from Gen Z to boomers.
“I’ve spent a lifetime discovering wine across all continents and it was always bothersome that my friends lavished in champagne, yet I just couldn’t drink it because of its gamey finish and the way I felt afterwards,” said Schilling, founder of the Mykonos Cayman restaurant. “It became frustrating when I needed to start stocking large quantities of bubbly for celebratory brunches at my new fine dining restaurant in the Cayman Islands,” he said. “Faced with the tight availability of Champagne and the poor taste of alternatives, I made it my mission to curate a better product to market.”
Aphrodise is a dazzling sparkling Rosé that highlights the varietal character of northwestern Greece’s noble Xinomavro grape variety, and each cuvée “is a celebration of youth, conviviality, and the height of carefree luxury,” notes Petrylaite.
Images provided by Aphrodise
The brand is quickly growing across the US, and is available in Tennessee, Florida, New York and Los Angeles, and abroad in Spain, Greece, the United Arab Emirates (Dubai and Abu Dhabi). The brand recently hosted a beautiful event with Atelier Des Ors during the Monaco Boat Show.
“People are delighted to discover Aphrodise because everyone generally has the same reaction after drinking it, that they don’t feel that champagne headache—they don’t have that hangover,” said Schilling. “They have a few glasses, and they feel great the next day. The grape is very forgiving. And it’s sparkling.”
They’re venturing into cultural realms like fashion, film and TV. They will be rolling out Aphrodise in the upcoming season of the Sex and the City reboot And Just Like That, alongside over 50 shows on Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime and Apple TV. “Stars like Vin Diesel, Tina Fey, Steve Carell, Kiera Knightley, Halle Berry, and Chris Hemsworth are going to be in scenes with Aphrodise,” said Schilling.
Images provided by Aphrodise
“Whether they’re at a bar, or a dinner party—even if it’s like a romantic moment between a couple and they share a glass,” said Petrylaite. “So, in the next two to three years, Aphrodise will have a lot of these TV moments.” Aphrodise is becoming a go-to drink, culturally. “It takes on a life of its own,” said Schilling. “It’s interesting because of how good you feel after just the recovery factor of this. It’s chasing the sun where beautiful people are having the most beautiful times.”
The brand has sponsored VIP events at music festivals in Los Angeles and Miami with DJs like Solomun and Dom Dolla, as well as socialite events in New York and the Hamptons, weddings in Las Vegas and The Restaurant Association Gala at the Savoy Hotel in London and New Years Eve with Sam Blacky at Mykonos Cayman.
Images provided by Aphrodise
Aphrodise is carving out a category of its own in the sparkling rose space. “It’s very special,” said Petrylaite. “It’s special because of the way it makes you feel. It’s made with a grape variety that’s very non-standard. It’s what’s inside and, and the brand and the feel and the color and all the things you allude to that make it so delightful and well received.”
Schilling adds: “We wanted to create a brand, do something that brought people together for joyous moments. It’s a celebratory drink, where it’s fun to toast with people for good times.” You’ll always get ‘cheers’ from Aphrodise.
Images provided by Aphrodise
Presented by APG
