The Boardroom Wine Protocol
A 90-minute practical masterclass for the moment the wine list lands in your hands: read the room, set a discreet budget, and order with composure.
Associates · Rising executives · Client-facing teamsDiscuss a programMobile wine & spirits education, thoughtfully composed
Wine brings people into the conversation.
Bespoke wine programs for firms, private clubs, and individuals who value substance, hospitality, and a beautifully considered experience.
Made for the moment Every detail adapts to your guests.
Leading law firms
Private clubs
Family offices
Curious collectors
The program, reimagined
Education with the ease of exceptional hospitality.
From a single landmark evening to an ongoing series, each engagement is created from a blank page and shaped around your people.
Club & Member Experiences
Varietal deep-dives, pairing dinners, and seasonal series shaped around the club calendar, with enough rigor for collectors and warmth for newcomers.
Country clubs · Private clubs · Member societiesDiscuss a programPrivate Cellar Education
Discreet, highly personal guidance for collectors and curious hosts, from cellar strategy to confident service and unforgettable private tastings.
Individuals · Families · Private officesDiscuss a programDual-host delivery
Boardroom instinct meets sommelier mastery.
Charter & Vine brings two complementary perspectives to the table: the executive judgment to read the room and the technical fluency to make wine feel clear, useful, and memorable.
Founding Partner · Corporate General Counsel
John C. Petrolino
John brings 25 years of experience as a corporate General Counsel in the pharmaceutical industry. At ease in the boardroom and in conversation with senior executives, he understands the unspoken dynamics of client dinners, professional boundaries, and decisions made under pressure.
As co-host, John asks the questions others may be thinking, tests wine advice against real-world business situations, and keeps the conversation moving naturally throughout the evening.
25 years as General CounselPharma executive perspective
Certified Sommelier · Educator
Donaciano “Donny” Betancourt
Donny leads Charter & Vine’s curriculum and in-room instruction. A Court of Master Sommeliers–credentialed educator, he brings a decade of restaurant experience and an active adjunct teaching background at Rutgers University to every session.
His approach turns technical knowledge into calm, useful instincts—how to read a wine list, communicate with a sommelier, recognize a flawed bottle, and host without losing the conversation.
10+ years in wine serviceRutgers adjunct educator
Conversation, not a lecture
John’s appreciation for wine creates an engaging interplay with Donny’s instruction. Together, they make room for candid questions, practical scenarios, and the kind of exchange that keeps guests involved from the first pour through the final conversation.
Explore the curriculumWhat sets us apart
The room is the curriculum.
Knowledge matters most when it changes what you do next. Every detail is tailored to the people, pressure, and purpose of the gathering.
Fluency over performance
The goal is not to sound like a sommelier. It is to make a clear choice, ask a useful question, and stay present with the people at the table.
Built around real scenarios
Programs begin with the room: a client dinner, a member event, a milestone, or the precise moment confidence tends to disappear.
Handled end to end
Wine curation, educational materials, stemware guidance, pacing, and facilitation are coordinated into one considered experience.
Flagship curriculum
Executive presence, beyond the boardroom.
The Boardroom Wine Protocol replaces tableside panic with a practical decision framework. Four wines make the lessons tangible while realistic scenarios keep the focus on judgment, hospitality, and professional boundaries—not memorizing grapes.
- Read the table politics and understand the host’s role
- Decode a wine list and avoid common pricing traps
- Signal a budget discreetly to the restaurant sommelier
- Navigate presentation, cork etiquette, and flawed wine
Start with a conversation
Tell us what you’re imagining.
Share a few details and we’ll reply with initial ideas and thoughtful next steps—typically within two business days.
Discreet, personal, and entirely tailored