“Quality wine and spirits add a special kind of flavor to life. They should be accessible to everyone no matter your palate, budget, or level of wine industry know-how.”
About Adam Linet
Chief Wine Enthusiast & Founder
At age 26, Adam Linet left his career in PR and advertising research to follow his love of wine. A bartender and server through college, he never thought the beverage industry would be his ultimate calling, but here he’s been ever since.
After starting out selling Long Island wines at New York City farmer’s markets, Adam quickly moved to grow his expertise progressing through multiple levels of the Wine and Spirits Education Trust (WSET) at the International Wine Center. From the markets, he went to retail where he was exposed to a whole host of new labels and distributors.
Today he owns and operates boutique retail store, Vino Fine Wine & Spirits, which specializes in small-production wines and spirits. Its unique wines and expansive variety has made it consistently voted one of the top wine shops in New York City.
Adam is down to talk wine any time.
Q&A with Adam
Why do you love wine?
It brings a lot of things together—food, family, friends. It’s very communal. People like it and make memories from it. I have a lot of fun being a part of that.
Do you know everything about wine?
One of the things I love about the wine industry is that it’s always evolving. So, no, definitely not. There’s history, geography, agriculture—so many elements that affect each vintage. I’m constantly learning and tasting. It’s great.
What’s your advice to people who are trying to discover their palate?
Don’t let wine intimidate you. Ask questions. Sometimes it’s easier to start with what you don’t like and work back from there. My tastes are always changing, so it’s a good idea to keep exploring even if you think you’ve found “the one.”
What’s your favorite thing to drink?
Anything bubbly. I’m also a situational drinker, so it depends where I am. Irish pub? I’ll have a Guinness and a shot of Irish whiskey. Steak house? A different wine than I would choose at a backyard barbeque.
What else inspires you about wine and spirits?
I travel a lot. And I think it’s so wonderful how food and beverage is such an integral part of life in other countries. It’s more deeply a part of the culture in places like Italy and Spain. They’re very focused on the importance of community and drinking local wines, eating local produce. It’s inspiring to me.
What made you start The Vino Company?
I know there are a lot of people who are in the restaurant industry, for example, who know about food but might not know how to create a complementary wine list. It’s something that could have a huge effect on the business. And since it’s expensive to hire a full time sommelier, I knew there was a need for it. Also, people are busy. Who doesn’t want to outsource some of their responsibilities if they can?