Lily Peterson, Wine Educator, COPIA: the American Center for Wine Food and the Arts, Napa, CA

Throughout my life wine has been a focal point. Its social and anthropological weight sparked my interest through its traditional value as a part of my family meals. I was fortunate enough to become introduced to wines of the world when I began managing a small wine selection for a gourmet market in Wilmington, N.C.

After three years of developing the wine program and tasting events, I set my sights on NYC. I landed at Best Cellars in Manhattan, where I worked in their retail location and focused on private events and tastings.

After falling in love with Italian wines, and everything that was Italian, I spent a summer in Italy studying the wines of Italy at Apicius Culinary Institute in Florence. It was there that I realized that I needed to be close to the vine and quality wine production area.

The Napa Valley was the clear choice, as it is truly the epicenter for quality wine production in the United States and a place where I could continue my Diploma studies through the Wine and Spirit Education Trust at COPIA.