About Roger

Here are highlights from my career in the wine trade:

• Wine is not an accidental career path: It was a conscious and deliberate choice!  I sought out the world of wine when I received an MA in international affairs from Johns Hopkins. My working life has been dedicated exclusively to the wine business, and I have experience at the import, wholesale and retail tiers. Over the years, my passion for this business and my fascination with wine have not lessened.
• Most recently, I set up and managed Millesima USA, the U.S. affiliate of Europe's leader in direct sales of fine wines to consumers via mail order and the Internet. Millesima is headquartered in Bordeaux, France and is one of the largest buyers of classified growth properties. The firm is a specialist in the sale of wines on an en primeur (futures) basis.
• I held a variety of sales and marketing positions, and lived in many cities, working for importer Frederick Wildman & Sons. I last served as Senior VP-Marketing and traveled extensively to wine producing regions to taste the new vintage, meet with the company's suppliers, and visit the vineyards and cellars of other wine producers.
• As one of the first American Masters of Wine, I have been active in wine education and as a speaker at wine conferences, festivals, and private clubs. I led the formation of the Institute of Masters of Wine (North America) and served as its first president.
• In addition to my current projects as an educator and consultant, I have been an international wine judge at numerous competitions in Argentina, Turkey, Portugal, and China.
• In 2019, I partnered with a wine trade veteran, Martin Sinkoff, to provide business development services to wineries seeking to enter or better their presence on the U.S. market. To learn more, www.sinkoff.com
  

For many more details including published articles and testimonials,

together with a CV in French, click on the link below:

LinkedIn Profile of Roger

Tasting the new vintage from barrel in Burgundy

prior to making buying decisions. For many years, I looked after an extensive portfolio of wines from all districts of Burgundy.

Judging at the 2014 Beijing Wine Expo. In recent years I have also been a judge at major competitions in Argentina and Turkey.These events are not only a test of critical tasting faculties, but also wonderful learning experiences.

In the vineyards of Colomé, in the far north of Argentina, 

at well over 6,000 ft. above sea level.

I first traveled to Argentina in the mid-1990s as an importer. At the time, U.S. consumers had little awareness of Argentine wines. Now, Malbec in particular is a known quantity to most wine drinkers.