EXECUTIVE WINE SEMINARS
800-404-WINE; ewswine.com
We’re not speaking here to the serious, over-the-top wine geek. You know who you are; you have a cellar full of d’Yquem and Latour already, and wait by the mailbox for Christie’s wine-auction catalogues every season. No, this is for the restaurant drinker or Sideways fan who’s been thinking about assembling a modest stash. Howard Kaplan and Robert Millman, the founders of Executive Wine Seminars, have been in the business for 25 years, offering courses and tastings at all levels. They also act as consultants to retailers and Fortune 500 companies, and write a weekly wine column on the renowned Robert Parker’s Website. Their consulting business to civilians is reasonably priced. For the buyer looking to spend perhaps $2,000 on a “starter” cellar, they’ll conduct a thorough telephone consultation for $200, and provide a shopping list with hints on where the best prices are. For the enthusiast with deeper pockets, committed to spending five figures or more, in-home visits are billed at $100 per hour, and also include detailed recommendations and advice. Cheers.