The Modern Wine Line by Charlie Adler I often get asked at my wine tastings what I do for a living.
Wine tasting is a very small part of the wine business.
Most people in the wine trade work for or own an importer, distributor or retailer. If you want to get into the wine business, the easiest way is to contact existing companies, but there are a small minority of people who love to take a risk and jump into the wine importing business. Yanni came to this country from Athens, Greece in 1975, graduated with a degree in computers from American University in 1982 and got a solid job after graduation working as a systems analyst for the Federal government. After Yanni's partner faced rejection from 4 Greek restaurants, he decided he didn't have a stomach for the business and sold his interest back to Yanni. Luckily, the fifth prospect purchased the wine, and with a little persuasive goading by the New York importer, Yanni purchase an additional 100 cases of Greek wine, and the rest is history.