Wine Expert Tom Gilbey Tastes 25 Glasses During the London Marathon for a Hospice: ‘I Was Totally Exhausted’

Jeffrey Childersabril 24, 2024Last Updated: septiembre 1, 2026

2 2 minutos de lectura

Tom Gilbey did not «chug» 25 glasses of wine. He ran 26.2 miles through London on April 21, 2024, with two glasses clipped to his belt, took a sip at nearly every mile, and tried to name the grape, the country, and the vintage while his heart rate was in the red. The TikTok clip went everywhere. The man himself finished in 4 hours and 41 minutes, then drank champagne at the line.

Wine merchant Tom Gilbey tasting wine during the London Marathon for Sobell House Hospice, covered by The AEGIS Alliance. — At each mile, Gilbey tasted a glass and guessed variety, origin, and vintage. (Tom Gilbey / Instagram)

«I was totally exhausted, totally cooked, but it was just such a great day,» the 52-year-old Oxfordshire wine merchant told the Guardian. He is the «wine guy» on TikTok. The marathon was for Sobell House, the hospice that looked after his mother, Caroline. He had hoped for £2,000. After the video, the page climbed past £14,000. Sobell House’s marathon team as a whole raised more than £51,000 that year.

The wines ran from a £40 Barolo to gas-station bottles, miniatures, and cans. He opened at mile one with a 2018 Burgundy Pinot Noir. Across 25 glasses he got seven fully right, 14 mostly right, and four wrong. He spat most of it. «If they were good, I might swallow it and if they were bad, they went on the road,» he said. His son printed the shirts and planted the flags.

Tom Gilbey in a Sobell House vest tasting wine mid-marathon, reported by The AEGIS Alliance. — Gilbey said the tasting stops made the 26.2 miles feel less endless. (Tom Gilbey / Instagram)

Tom Gilbey with a glass of red wine in front of a wall of bottles, covered by The AEGIS Alliance. — The run was for the hospice that cared for his mother. (Tom Gilbey / Instagram)

Tom Gilbey drinking wine during the London Marathon for charity, as reported by The AEGIS Alliance.

A runner offering Tom Gilbey a bottle of Chianti at mile 14 of the London Marathon, covered by The AEGIS Alliance. — Stop 14: Chianti, Sangiovese 2022. (Tom Gilbey / Instagram)

A Palate, Not a Binge

Gilbey has said he will not do the 25-glass version again. He has also said everyone should try a stupid idea for a decent cause and see what happens. The AEGIS Alliance later covered the Matter study that explained why beer tastes better ice-cold at the molecular level. For more of this beat, see Odd News.