Adam Chase

Adam Chase leads Grape Experience and its programs in Boston and the San Francisco Bay Area. Formerly the Associate Dean of Wine Studies at Copia in Napa, California, Adam has worked in the wine industry for 12 years as an educator, retailer and consultant. Adam is an Associate with the Institue of Wine and Spirits and holds the Honors Diploma certification from London's Wine and Spirits Educational Trust. Adam has a background in advertising, branding and marketing and as such has worked with multiple wine companies and their agencies to improve sales and brand image.  Adam has a particular focus of knowledge on Southern Hemisphere wine countries and on Pinot Noir. Adam also teaches spirits courses and has a special interest in the Scotch Whiskeys.  He holds an MBA from Harvard University and a BA from Brown University.

Elizabeth George

Elizabeth George is a WSET Certified Educator who developed her taste for wine as a hospitality student at Cornell, through wine classes but even more so, boisterous bus tours throughout the Finger Lakes vineyards. When her first job in IT sales sent her to Australia, she became enamored with the local wine industry and decided to change career paths. Beginning with cellar door sales at a small vineyard, Elizabeth's wine journey led her throughout Australia, Europe and the US while working for large distributors and small importers in Manhattan and Melbourne. She completed the Wine and Spirits Education Trust's Diploma and is currently the New England regional manager for Broadbent Selections. Partial to Aussie reds, cool-climate pinots, Champagne and German Rieslings, Elizabeth is intoxicated by wine's flavors, history and culture and her favorite pastime is sharing wine with others.

Brett Marcy

Brett Marcy is a WSET Certified Educator based in New England. An erstwhile beer brewer, Brett has dedicated the last seven years to the wine trade. From stints in retail to portfolio management for Southern Wine & Spirits, he’s worked in many facets of the industry including two working vacations to help with “crush” in Napa Valley and McMinnville, Oregon. Brett joined Frederick Wildman & Sons in June 2009 and serves as the importer’s East Coast Profile Account Manager with responsibilities in the Boston, Rhode Island and Chicago markets. He has toured the wine regions of France and Spain extensively and believes there’s nothing more refreshing after a four hour wine tasting than cold beer. Brett comes from Ohio and has broad experience teaching all levels of wine classes.


Zach Pace

Zach Pace is a San Francisco-based wine educator specializing in restaurant operations, purchasing and consulting. With more than a decade industry experience, he is highly involved with the local food and wine scene. He holds the Diploma in Wine & Spirits and is a Certified Educator for the WSET as well as a Certified Wine Educator with the Society of Wine Educators. He is currently Wine Director for noted San Francisco restaurant Foreign Cinema Restaurant and operates Pace Food & Wine, a full-service wine consultancy.

Nick Poletto

Nick Poletto is the New England sales representative for importer Kobrand.  Nick was one of the first WSET Certified Educators in the US and now teaches in the WSET programs with both Grape Experience and Johnson and Wales University.  He has worked in the wine industry as both a winemaker and a wine seller and has experience not just in the US, but also living and working in Italy and New Zealand.

Mikaela Sullivan

Mikaela Sullivan has taught wine classes across the United States and has been prominent a major wine festivals. Prior to her current work as a marketing manager for Constellation's Icon Estates Division, Mikaela was Wine Education Manager for COPIA, the American Center for Food Wine and the Arts in Napa, California.  She holds a wine MBA from the University of Bordeaux.