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About the Wine Elite
Sommelier Jörn Kleinhans' Wine Elite Society was launched in 2010 as a forum for advanced wine appreciation, offering weekly tasting seminars and socials for individuals with casual or deep interested in the key wine styles of the world.
In 2012, after retiring from a career in investment management, and with much demand from attendees of public tasting events, Jörn launched the Wine Elite Sommelier Company, with a comprehensive suite of services tailored to corporate and private wine tasting events, as well as special wine consulting or investment needs. The Wine Elite Sommelier Company have since worked with the majority of Fortune 500 corporations, executive teams, luxury hotels and special event venues to create entertaining and educational wine tasting events.
The Wine Elite is known for a systematic and objective approach to advanced wine tasting and appreciation, often employing a special blind-tasting method to teach the essentials of wine to audiences of all backgrounds.
The Wine Elite Sommelier Company works with corporate and private clients, as well as top restaurants and hotels to deliver first-rate event experiences with any wine theme. With a nationwide network of certified sommeliers and years of experience, The Wine Elite Sommelier Company is the only firm in the country with the capability to reliably execute important events that must be successful, at any time and place. Our main programs are the restaurant and special event suites of turn-key services. We can also handle any special wine situations that are difficult to solve.
The Wine Elite Society remains Southern California’s premier wine tasting experience. Our society is dedicated to blind-tasting the highest quality wines, at the best price, in a friendly and fun dinner setting. We specialize in expensive and mid-range wines from all over the world, offering a unique experience for those looking to step outside the familiar world of California wines.
Our unique philosophy and tasting methodology enable newcomers and connoisseurs alike to advance quickly in their knowledge of wine, at a small fraction of what it would cost to try the wines anywhere else. Newcomers can expect to learn what to look for when tasting unfamiliar wines, how to objectively assess a wine for quality, and how to navigate a sometimes confusing market to find the best values at any price level.
Members enjoy great food, quality networking opportunities, and a welcoming social atmosphere. Several of our partner restaurants have award-winning chefs who provide four-course food pairings for our structured wine flights. Membership is free, with no obligations—we ask only that you keep any RSVPs accurate. We look forward to seeing you at one of our upcoming events!
Jörn Kleinhans, Public Speaker on Wine and Certified Sommelier
Wine expert Jörn Kleinhans is a Certified Specialist of Wine located in Newport Beach, California. His main interest lies in advanced and objective wine appreciation.
Jörn is a national authority on Sommelier-Guided Wine Tasting Experiences. Most speeches and events are delivered to Fortune 500 corporations at hotel-based offsite meetings and conferences, often including live tastings for all attendees. Thousands of people have enjoyed these systematic presentations that address corporate objectives for education, high-end entertainment and building of social skills.
In addition to holding the CSW certification with the Society of Wine Educators, Jörn is a Certified Sommelier with the the Court of Master Sommeliers, and is regularly appointed as a wine judge, panel moderator and festival wine director.
Since founding the Wine Elite Society -- now the largest high-end wine appreciation forum in California -- Jörn has conducted hundreds of formal wine tastings for thousands of wine students and corporate executives since 2010. A significant following has developed around public tastings in Orange County, Los Angeles and San Diego.
Jörn's blind-tasting methodology has clarified the principles of wine for many intermediate wine students and has deepened, or at times redirected, the interest of long-time connoisseurs. His events have received critical acclaim by several publications, including the Orange Coast Magazine, the OC Register and the Newport Beach Independent.
In addition to the planning and execution of complex wine events, Jörn also utilizes his close working relationships with a large number of certified sommeliers and culinary organizations across the United States, has direct access to professional wine specialist resources nationwide, and is in partnership arrangements with many Southern California hotels in the Ritz, Hilton, Intercontinental, Marriott, Hyatt and Joie de Vivre families.
Signature event formats include:
# Keynote Speaker on Wines of the World, and the Philosophy of Wine
# Sommelier Panel Discussions (with our team of partner sommeliers)
# Fully Sommelier-Guided Wine Dinners including Customized Discussion
# Region- or Grape- Specific Wine Seminars with Q&A;
# Wine Etiquette Training Presentation for Staff and Executives
# Social Tasting Receptions with Staffed Walk-Around Stations
# Team-Building Events with Blending or Blind-Tasting
# Custom Corporate and Private Wine Tasting Events
# Wine Personalty for Event Entertainment
# Learn about Wine: Classes and Wine Trade Certification Courses
Jörn Kleinhans, a CFA charterholder and former Fulbright scholar with a professional investment banking background, holds graduate degrees in finance and mathematics, and serves as the Vice Chairman of Board on the Board of Directors at the American Red Cross in Orange County. His former career in high finance allows him to speak to executive groups of the best American corporations at the same level.
You can learn more about Jörn's professional background on his LinkedIn profile.
Key Clients and Partnerships
We maintain ongoing client relationships with, e.g., the Ritz-Carlton, JP Morgan, House of Blues Special Events, Live Nation, Boeing, Warner Bros, PIMCO, Merrill Lynch, Visa Inc, Smart & Final, MassMutual, Edwards Lifesciences, Aids Reseach Alliance, American Red Cross, The Patina Group, and many more.
We are the national go-to resource for luxury concierge companies and their discriminating clients in high finance, travel and show business. Call us now at 310 467 5582 to discuss YOUR project.
