How This Former Google Exec Built a $55 Million Blockchain Wine Marketplace That’s Shaking Up the Fine Wine Industry
Staff Writer • 2025-04-21
Alfonso de Gaetano turned a collector’s frustration into Crurated—a members-only platform connecting top producers to buyers with blockchain-backed provenance. Now, he’s changing how the world buys, stores, and drinks fine wine. A Google Career Paved in Bordeaux and Burgundy Before he was disrupting the centuries-old fine wine trade, Alfonso de Gaetano was busy leading strategic partnerships at Google across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. But behind the boardrooms and business decks, he was also a passionate collector—one who spent 20 years curating rare wines and traveling to meet producers. The deeper he went, the more broken the system looked. “Fine wine is one of the few luxury sectors where access is limited, authenticity is uncertain, and the product degrades with every move,” de Gaetano says. “That had to change.” So in June 2021, he launched Crurated, a blockchain-powered wine platform aiming to overhaul how fine wines are distributed, authenticated, and consumed. The Problem With Today’s Wine Market? Everything Moves—Including the Fraud In traditional wine distribution, access is built on legacy relationships. If you didn’t buy a bottle last year, chances are you’re not getting one this year. That puts new collectors at the mercy of the secondary market—where prices are inflated and provenance is murky. And unlike luxury goods like Ferraris or handbags, wine is alive. Every transfer risks oxidation or heat damage. One bad shipment can kill a $10,000 bottle. “I’ve opened counterfeit bottles. I’ve opened oxidized bottles. It’s not just disappointing—it reflects badly on the collector and the winemaker,” says de Gaetano. Blockchain as a Sommelier’s Secret Weapon Crurated solves this through direct-to-consumer sales and blockchain-backed traceability. Producers ship their bottles straight to Crurated’s warehouse in Burgundy, where they’re securely stored. The wine stays put until the buyer decides to drink it or have it shipped. Every bottle is assigned a digital certificate using blockchain to verify its authenticity and full history—from vineyard to cork. Think of it as a permanent, fraud-proof wine passport. And while blockchain is critical to Crurated’s backend, it’s not the headline pitch. “We don’t lead with tech,” de Gaetano explains. “We lead with access, quality, and trust. Blockchain just makes those things bulletproof.” $55 Million in Sales. 10,000 Members. And Zero Storage Fees. Since launch, Crurated has quietly grown into one of the fastest-moving players in fine wine. With 10,000+ members, the platform has generated €55 million in revenue—mostly through word of mouth and a strong reputation among elite collectors. Crurated offers a tiered membership model, starting with a free Explorer tier and scaling up to exclusive allocations. Unlike traditional wine storage services, Crurated doesn’t charge fees until buyers decide to ship their wines. “No one else is doing this,” says de Gaetano. “We want to eliminate the friction around collecting—without compromising on quality or provenance.” The Vintage That Defines Crurated When asked which wine vintage best represents Crurated’s journey, de Gaetano points to 2021—a year marked by harsh weather, low yields, and exceptional quality. “It was a challenging year for producers, but what survived was extraordinary,” he says. “That’s us. We launched in the middle of a pandemic, but what we’re building has aged beautifully.” Not an Investment—A Better Way to Drink While Crurated's model naturally brings liquidity to fine wine, de Gaetano pushes back against calling it an “investment platform.” “Wine is made to be consumed,” he says. “But it should be consumed at its best. Our job is to preserve that potential and give people the confidence to enjoy it.” With expansion plans underway—including new warehouse hubs and partnerships with Michelin-starred restaurants—Crurated isn’t just shaking up the wine world. It’s setting the table for a future where technology enhances tradition, not replaces it. And that, according to de Gaetano, is worth raising a glass to. Explore Crurated: https://www.crurated.com Follow the Stonks Go Moon Podcast for more founder stories.
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