Henry A. Ponzio, Ex Retailer and Wine Lover

Thirty years in the wine business. Twenty eight years as a creative retailer bringing new and innovative techniques to the selling and merchandising of wine through education, enthusiasm and passion for wine and the people selling it, buying it and those creating the food and the environment in which to enjoy it. Tasting and evaluating wines from around the world on a daily basis. Traveled to California, Oregon, Washington, New York, Spain, Alsace, Portugal, many parts of Italy and France, continually on a quest to find for my customers "The Wine They Wanted before They Knew They Wanted It".

This was the mission of Suburban Wine & Spirits (one of the largest and most popular New York State Wine Shops) and a staff of 14 people educated and nurtured through travel, constant tasting and evaluating the wines of the world. Suburban was renowned for its wine education seminars, mega store tastings, wine diners and passion for bringing to its customers all the value and all the diversity the world had to offer in wine at all levels of price and quality.

Extensive experience especially in the wines of Italy, Australia, California, France, with a broad exposure to wines of Spain, Portugal, Chile, Argentina Germany, Alsace, Greece and good knowledge of New York State and Long Island Wines.

As A. Waugh once said "I spit so you can swallow." This is has always been and still is my mission.

Len Gulino, Wine Educator, with 20+ years of wine tasting, travel, and writing experience, became a full time wine professional in 2002 after a successful career in corporate information technology. A strong advocate of the "drink the wine you like" philosophy, Len encourages students in his wine tasting classes to be open-minded to all wines, and he receives great satisfaction when the wine "light bulb" goes off for a first-time wine taster.

Having taken classes and been certified with the Culinary Institute of America in Napa Valley, the Rare Wine Company of Sonoma, and the Society of Wine Educators, he has taught for numerous educational organizations and private groups since 1988, and has instructed hundreds of budding wine lovers in the five S's of wine tasting... and much more! To further his knowledge of wines he travels regularly to the major wine regions of Europe, South America, and the U.S.

Tickets: $50 ~ $100/person, reserve 4 and save 15%. Seminars are held in the intimate setting of our Tasting Room and are subject to cancellation if minimum reservations are not met. Please reserve in advance by emailing tastingroom@chamard.com, by calling 860.664.0299 or purchase tickets through www.localwineevents.com. Private Wine Seminars are also available.