About us

We are a small, family-owned company that is passionate about representing small, family-owned, quality-driven wineries with outstanding wines and compelling stories. We take pride in being a champion for these families and wineries while working and partnering with our distributors in the markets where our wineries operate

Vineyard with rows of grapevines leading to a distant hill and a clear sky.

How we are unique

Our passion is being a champion for small, family-owned wineries with unique stories and are fanatical about producing superior quality, expressing their special terroir. I started The Educated Grape 5 years ago in the heart of the pandemic, a time that presented never-before-seen challenges for the wine industry (along with many other industries).

I chose to start a business in such a challenging selling climate because I identified two challenges that small wineries were facing:

Capturing greater share of mind with wine buyers and distributors
Introducing restaurants and wine shops that are seeking producers with great pedigree and authenticity

We started working with 3 wineries in February of 2021, who we still work with today, and have grown our representation to 12 amazing producers from California, Oregon, and Washington.

Get to know our wineries

working closely with our wineries

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Man with glasses and a gray blazer smiling and holding a glass of red wine while sitting on a wooden chair in a cozy room with a bookshelf and houseplant in the background.

George Staikos

PRESIDENT & FOUNDER

My professional career started in the hospitality industry in the late 1980’s, having worked 12 wonderful years developing award-winning wine programs for Four Seasons Hotels (Washington DC, New York City, Santa Barbara), as well as Hilton’s only AAA Five Diamond hotel (Hilton Short Hills in New Jersey). These experiences helped me to realize that my love of wine would become my new career path.

The next 20 years of my career were dedicated to the wine industry, directing and helping to grow the distribution and sales of family-owned wineries in the finest restaurants and retailers across the country. These wineries included iconic producers in both Napa Valley and Sonoma County; Jordan Vineyard & Winery, Quintessa, Faust, and Ramey Wine Cellars. Helping to grow these brands in many of the nation’s top markets was especially meaningful, working with high-integrity families and legendary winemakers driven by quality.

For 25 years, I have been a professional member of the Chaine des Rotisseurs, a worldwide food and wine society. I serve as the Grand Echanson (or Wine Director) where my main focus is leading and organizing the annual Young Sommelier Competition, now in its 25th year. Working with some of the most talented sommeliers in the country and providing a competitive opportunity for them to develop is a great passion of mine and an opportunity to help support the next generation of our industry.

A woman with curly brown hair and hoop earrings smiling at the camera while holding a glass of red wine, sitting in front of a stone wall.

Erin Mosier

REGIONAL WINE SALES MANAGER

Erin first started her journey in the wine world over 20 years ago. Most recently, she was the Fine Wine Manager for Empire Distributors in North Carolina. In this role, she specialized in brand management, grew distribution and sales of fine wines to restaurants and retailers alike, introduced new brands to the market, thus creating a brand awareness that drove consumer spending and organized private wine events for collectors. Little did she know that her environmental science degree from the University of Montana would pay off in the long run when she entered the wine world. Her inner science-nerd loves learning about the nuances of the soil, the bugs, the land, the climate, the terroir that makes a wine what it is.

A Certified Specialist of Wine and Sommelier, Erin is a lover of all thing's food, wine, and science. It may have started from growing up in a family of great cooks or summer’s spent catching fireflies in the north woods, but these passions only intensified after years in the hospitality industry and exploring some of the world’s best wine regions. It may have all started with food and wine, but a passion for a personal connection remains her favorite part of wine because it evokes memories and brings people together.