Ben Parsons to leave The Infinite Monkey Theorem

Canned wine pioneer Ben Parsons is to step down from his role as winemaker at The Infinite Monkey Theorem, the Denver-based urban winery he founded in 2008.

As reported by Wine Spectator, Parsons, who will remain a shareholder in the winery, is keen to swap city winemaking for a vineyard-based job in the countryside.

“Infinite Monkey has been my passion and has been super exciting, so I want to find something that has the same bang, but with more of a focus on out-and-out winemaking and getting back into the vineyard again,” Parsons told WS.

Yes, we canned! Parsons was early to catch on to the canned wine trend at The Infinite Monkey Theorem

Born in Kent, Parsons cut his winemaking teeth in New Zealand then headed to the University of Adelaide to study oenology.

He founded The Infinite Monkey Theorem in Denver’s River North Art District in 2008 with the goal of opening up wine to a broader audience.

Parsons was ahead of the game with the launch of his canned wine collection in 2010, with the format recently exploding in popularity both in the US and the UK.

In 2016 Parsons expanded the brand with the opening of a Texas winery in Austin in 2016, which relocated to a larger facility in East Austin this April.

With the rise of English sparkling wine having happened while he was living in the US, Parsons is toying with the idea of returning to Kent to make English fizz.

“I was born in Kent, and the sparkling wine world is blowing up there. There are a lot of cool projects, and there are some that are not entirely connected to wine that I have been approached about,” he told WS.

“I’m able to travel anywhere in the world and really pursue my passion, which has always been winemaking. That’s really what I want to get back to,” he added.

Cellar master Tim Carron will keep things moving at The Infinite Monkey Theorem following Parsons’ departure and is due to launch a canned wine spritzer this month. A new TIMT urban winery in Dallas is also on the cards.