WINE AND SPIRIT EDUCATION FACULTY
Our instructors are experts in the wine & spirits industry, with professional backgrounds in wine making, restaurant, retail and wholesale sales, and wine competitions. Many of our instructors hold WSET and other certifications, and advanced degrees in education and business.ADAM CHASE
DIRECTOR
Adam Chase, Director, Grape Experience
- Nominated for the prestigious WSET Educator of the Year in 2008, 2012, 2017 and 2018 and winner of this honor in 2012
- Leads the organization’s programs in the San Francisco Bay Area and Boston
- Over 15 years’ experience in the wine industry as an educator, retailer, and consultant
- Former Associate Dean of Wine Studies at Copia, Napa, California
- Associate with the Institute of Wine and Spirits, holding the Honors Diploma certification from London’s Wine and Spirits Educational Trust.
- Expert focus on Southern Hemisphere wine countries and Pinot Noir
- Instructs spirits and sake courses and has a special interest in the Scotch Whiskys
- MBA from Harvard University and a BA from Brown University
MARINA GIORDANO
Marina is a WSET Certified Sake Educator and a Diploma of Wine and Spirits candidate. She also is a Certified Specialist in Wine with the Society of Wine Educators and has the Advanced Sake Professional title with the Sake Education Council. Marina has spent significant time in Japan studying sake production in multiple regions with officials of the National Brewery Council. Marina is also an EMMY Award winning television director and for the past 22 years she has been with Boston’s WHDH Television’s 7 News. She lives in Southborough, MA and has her BS from Emerson College.
MICHAEL PERRY
Michael Perry holds the Diploma in Wine & Spirits and is a Certified Educator for the WSET. He has his Sommelier Certification from the Court of Master Sommeliers, and is a Certified Wine Educator and Certified Spirits Specialist with the Society of Wine Educators. Michael has over 30 years experience in hospitality, spending over 20 years working as a chef before moving into food and beverage management. As a wine educator for the past 10 years, Michael’s approach to wine and wine education is keeping in mind that wine is first and foremost a source of enjoyment, especially in a setting with good food and friends. Michael serves as the Director of Food and Beverage at a private club on the peninsula. He is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York.
ERIKA FREY
Erika’s passion for wine was cultivated in the vineyards of the Finger Lakes, NY and Sonoma County, CA. Erika’s wine career today is based in the Boston area with work in wine retail, marketing and education. Erika earned her WSET Diploma in 2014 and became a WSET Certified Educator in 2016. She also earned her WSET Level 3 Certificate in Sake. Erika is a graduate of the Boston University Wine Studies program and is also a Certified Sommelier. Her thirst for wine knowledge continues as she works through the French Master Level courses offered by the Wine Scholar Guild for whom Erika is an authorized provider. Erika is also a travel enthusiast and has led trips to vineyards in Italy.