Peter Marks, mw, Sr. Director of Wine and Food, COPIA: the American Center for Wine Food and the Arts

Peter Marks, is Senior Vice President of Wine at Copia: The American Center for Wine, Food & the Arts, and is responsible for all wine programs, including wine education, restaurant and retail wine sales.

Marks is one of only 24 Masters of Wine residing in America. The prestigious Master of Wine (MW) title is bestowed by the Institute of Masters of Wine (IMW) in London. The IMW promotes the highest level of educational achievement for the wine industry, culminating in the internationally recognized MW qualification, which Marks received in 1995. That year he also became the first American to receive the Madame Bollinger Foundation Award, which is bestowed annually to the MW candidate with the highest tasting score.

Before joining Copia, Marks was the Chief Wine Merchant at Wine.com, a wine Internet retailer serving more than 40 states, where he oversaw a team of wine experts who tasted and selected all wines for the site. For 15 years prior, Marks was Director of Wine for the upscale Draeger’s Supermarkets located in San Mateo, Menlo Park and Los Altos, California. In 1985 and 1986, he also hosted a weekly live television show called Meet the Winemakers that was sponsored by the Napa Valley Vintners Association.

Marks graduated from the University of California at Davis in 1976 with a B.S. degree with highest honors in Food Service Management, and he attended a number of enology and viticulture classes that piqued his interest in the subject of wine and complemented his desire to work in the food service field. He held positions as a chef and manager with restaurants upon graduation until he entered the retail wine trade in 1981.

Marksis a member of the Society of Wine Educators. He teaches wine classes independently and is an industry consultant. He is the Education Coordinator for the Institute of Masters of Wine tasting exam in the United States, is on the Board of Directors of the Napa Valley Wine Library, judges at many international wine competitions and he also assists with many charitable fundraisers throughout the year.