About Us
What is Elevate Your Tastes?
In February of 2016, "Elevate Your Tastes" started as a hobby platform to casually share wine reviews with friends and family. It was something used here and there until January 2019 when we really set out to fill in the missing link between people looking for recommendations on what to buy and people asking about when's the next wine tasting event.
We are here to Elevate Your Experience.
Where are we based?
We are based out of the Washington, D.C. Metro area.
We are a registered Limited Liability Company in Virginia.
Owner & Operator
My name is Vincent Moten but you can call me Vince. I am a huge fan of wine and all the intricacies involving the wine industry. I began my career as a sales representative for a distributor in DC during the summer of 2013. Prior to, there was no knowledge of the differences between beer, wine, and liquor except for the fact that they taste different. Also, I had no idea how any of these processes actually occurred.
Once I started really learning my sales role, there were classes required to take my understanding to an entirely new level that made wine specifically very exciting to me! In this process, the option to take an exam outside of what was required turned out to be the best decision I could've ever made. The results were a passing grade for my WSET Level 2 Wine & Spirits class! Wine & Spirits Education Trust (WSET) is an internationally recognized organization that specializes in the education and advancement of understanding all components to the alcohol beverage industry. Through many classroom hours and at home study time I felt a significant connection with needing to know more, so selling the wine would be easier. This accomplishment occurred in February of 2014.
Then it became apparent that I was "The Wine Guy" to all of my friends and family. The passion for this plant and process became an extension of my arm. I started doing very amateur-ish wine tasting events at a few of my relatives' homes with lots of very positive feedback. I used that to cultivate more education and experience under my belt.
Time goes by and one day in, I believe August of 2015, I got the chance to taste Veuve Clicquot's wines with winemaker Delphine Laborde. We proceeded to try the yellow label, rose, vintage brut, vintage rose, and then we got to La Grande Dame Blanc 2004. This was a pivotal moment in my life. I have the actual winemaker of such a world renowned and prestigious wine in front of me. All I wanted to do was engage to see if I was onto something. We got to LGD 04 Blanc and my first thought was "wow." My second thought was, "This is incredible!" I proceeded to tell her, "I believe this wine is aromatic and silky smooth" and there was so much more I couldn't yet articulate but Delphine was ecstatic with my responses and said, "Yes! Yes! Exactly!" That was when I knew I had something special to contribute to this industry.
In 2018 I enrolled in WSET Level 2 Spirits course and passed. In 2019 I enrolled in WSET Level 3 Wine looking to challenge myself more than I ever have to increase my knowledge. This was an extremely intense period for me but I was ready for it. I studied for hours on end and completed several tastings which allowed me to hone my craft. This was an incredible time of growth for me as I learned a lot more than I could've imagined and all I wanted to do was learn more.
I passed tasting with distinction which made me feel great! My instructor informed me that I had the best tasting notes out of all the students responses he read that night and so that was a little pat on my back. I fell short on the theory but I know exactly where my shortcomings were so I'm ready to resit for the exam this year!
In the meantime, hopefully this was insightful and gives you an indication that I am very passionate about this industry. I look forward to helping people feel confident in the exploration of wine consumption, pairings, and/or tastings. Can't wait to assist you and your group of friends/family at the next Fine Wine Tasting!
How can we help?
We bring the glassware, the wine, and you just invite the people! Whether you are having a function at your place and want to have a girls night for wine OR you want to have some drinks with the fellas; we will curate an experience for everything in between!
Programs will range from the casual wine night to a premier tasting.