Wine Bio

Wine marketing and sales with smaller importers and distributors. Wine coordinator for the annual WPSU Wine Celebration. The second Annual 2010 Penn State WPSU Wine Celebration will take place Sunday, September 19th, 2010 from 1pm to 5pm at Penn State's Penn Stater Conference Center adjacent to Penn State's main University Park campus. Last year's festival had over 300+ premium wines from around the world represented here in Happy Valley. The Annual Penn State WPSU Wine Celebration benefits Penn State public broadcasting - www.wpsu.edu If you're an importer, winery or distributor interested in reaching a highly desirable wine and income demographic on a home football weekend in Happy Valley with lots of Penn State alumni, please contact me at wpsuwine at psu.edu to discuss showcasing your wines and brands.

In May 2010, I sat the WSET advanced certificate as a first step towards an MW. I enjoy wines from around the world, but my specialty and focus is wines from France, Italy, Spain, Argentina, Chile, Germany, eastern Europe, CA, OR and WA.

Within France, I focus on Rhône, Languedoc-Roussillon, Provence, Loire, Alsace, Burgundy and Bordeaux wines. Spain's up and coming regions of Jumilla, Yecla, Rueda and Penedes along with its historical Rioja and Ribera del Duero regions are key favorites of mine. I have conducted numerous Italian tastings covering all regions from: Lombardy to Sicily (Mt. Etna), Piedmont, Lazio, Veneto, Liguria and quite enjoy the southern Italian/Sicilian whites and reds: Aglianico, Mascalese Capuccio and Mascalese Nerello.

My initial training was in French/Italian and economics/business and banking with JP Morgan Paris in the late 80s, early 90s. After graduate studies at Penn State and the University of Delaware in strategy, entrepreneurship, technology and international business, I presently work in business development and market research with start-ups and early stage companies with Pennsylvania's Ben Franklin Technology Partners.

My initial interest in fine wines started during summers in the 1980s in London, England and working outside Philadelphia at Jean Pierre's Restaurant with Maître Cuisinier de France (Master Chef of France) Jean Pierre Tardy, the former Le Bec Fin executive chef who trained in Les Baux de Provence at L'Oustau de Baumanière. Working with Maître and Sommelier Jean-Marie Courmier at Jean-Pierre's was an excellent introduction to fine French and Californian wines.

I honed my wine interests after university in Paris, France with friends and colleagues from JP Morgan Paris where I learned about France's wines and wine regions. We often tasted French regional wines over lunch or after hours at the le bar Rubis behind Place Vendôme's Place du Marché St-Honoré.

In 2006, my wife and I toured Italian wine and food country in Lombardy, Tuscany and Lazio. In fall 2009, we toured the Rhône/Provence/Languedoc wine regions.

In fall 2010, we will be touring Bordeaux wineries. I plan to attend different Salons des Vins des Vignerons indépendants in 2010. Stateside, I look forward to attending VinItaly in NYC in 2010. Tentative plans to tour northwest Spanish wine country are set for fall 2010.

I welcome wine and food colleagues to contact me here or via LinkedIn @ http://www.linkedin.com/in/liberti