A Truly Delicious Team.

Head winemaker for Cupcake Vineyards Adam Richardson found the perfect spirits partner in Master Sommelier Doug Frost. The combined expertise, enthusiasm and achievements of this pair has produced the perfect result: Cupcake Vodka.

The Collaboration

Adam Richardson, the winemaker behind Cupcake Vineyards and International wine director for Underdog Wine Merchants, has been making wine professionally for more than a dozen years. Adam launched Cupcake Vineyards in 2008 with four California varietals. He has added ten more varietals by traveling to the best varietal-specific regions of the world and collaborating with local winemakers. With partnerships in France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Argentina, Australia and New Zealand Adam has one-by-one perfected each Cupcake wine. Now, Adam brings his experience into our new category: Vodka. He has again found the perfect partner to help him create a product with all the promise and quality of Cupcake: Doug Frost, a world renowned spirits expert.

Doug wanted to work with Cupcake, he says, “Because I had an enormous respect for their winemakers and what they had done in the wine sector. I was thrilled to get involved in Cupcake Vodka. I knew that Cupcake had a lot of integrity in their brand, and they would do this right. They get that, they are winemakers and they are willing to do the work to produce the real thing.”

Adam Richardson

Native Australian Adam Richardson is an accomplished and passionate winemaker. He takes great pride in crafting premium artisan wines that reflect unique regional terrior. He has extensive experience making wines on five continents and has worked 20 harvests around the globe over the past fifteen years. Richardson received his winemaking degree from Charles Sturt University; Australia’s leading wine and food science school. While still in school, Richardson began a series of winery jobs, starting out doing cellar work and running a crush pad, and eventually being named winemaker at Oakridge Estates in the Yarra Valley. After leaving Oakridge Estates, Adam moved on to craft fines wines at other notable Australian wineries, and finally moved to California in 1998 where, over the years, he worked with super-premium wineries such as Rancho Zabaco, Anapamu Cellars, MacMurray Ranch and Mirassou. Adam is currently the head winemaker for Cupcake Vineyards, International Director of Winemaking for Underdog Wine Merchants, and heads the Global Octavin Artisan Winemaking Team. Richardson also recently launched his own wine label, Chockstone by A.T. Richardson. When he’s not making wine, Adam enjoys the outdoors and an adventurous lifestyle. Adam lives with his wife and they recently welcomed son and daughter twins. And at the end of his adventure-filled days, he always relaxes with a glass of wine.

Doug Frost

Doug Frost is a Master Sommelier as well as a Master of Wine. He is one of only three people in the world to have achieved these combined distinctions. His knowledge and his accomplishments have earned him a reputation world-wide as a spirits expert. Doug is also an author releasing his first book, Uncorking Wine, in 1996. Doug has published multiple books since and still writes about wine and spirits for many publications including the San Francisco Chronicle, the Underground Wine Journal, Drinks International, Practical Winery & Vineyard, Wines & Vines, Wines & Spirits, Cheers Magazine,SanteMagazine, and Epicurious.com and is the beverage columnist for the James Beard award-winning food section of the Kansas City Star, as well as Hemispheres Magazine, Missouri Life and Fine Cooking. Mr. Frost lives with his wife and two children in Kansas City, where he spends his spare time listening to his massive punk rock and weird music collection.