Jessica Sculley, Director

Jessica Sculley holds the WSET Diploma, is a certified WSET educator, and is the founder and director of the Commonwealth Wine School.  A lifelong educator, she was able to pursue her studies in wine after a long career as a math and science teacher, and founded Commonwealth Wine School to help create an environment that fosters excellence in teaching for the wine community.  Jessica cares deeply about building and supporting the community by bringing together students of all backgrounds, from novices and enthusiasts to professionals and serious scholars.  In addition to teaching a variety of wine courses and programs, Jessica also consults across the region and offers tours to wine regions throughout the world. 

Roz Angoff

Roz Angoff has been a wine lover all of her adult life.  In 2004, after a successful career in software sales and marketing, Roz succeeded in making her passion into her profession.  She began her wine studies at the Boston University Elizabeth Bishop Wine Studies Program and followed it with an immersion in French Wine studies.  Roz achieved the designation of French Wine Scholar followed by Master level programs in Bordeaux, Champagne, Burgundy, Rhone, Loire, and Alsace.  She continued her studies at the University of California at Davis and through the Wine and Spirits Education Trust.   She has traveled extensively through Europe, South America, New Zealand, South Africa and the US to understand wine and wine cultures around the world. 

Originally trained as a chemistry teacher, Roz has focused her professional life on wine education.  She previously taught the wine program at Southern New Hampshire University Culinary School and continues to lead many public and private consumer tastings. 

Adam Centamore

With more than two thousand classes and events under his belt, Adam has been sharing his love of wine, cheese, and culinary travel with students and clients for over a decade. A professional food & wine educator, he's certified in both wine and cheese through various organizations, and years of working at world-renowned cheese purveyor Formaggio Kitchen honed his love for curd culture and fine foods, He's a member of the International Association of Culinary Professionals, where his first book, Tasting Wine & Cheese - An Insider's Guide to Mastering the Principles of Pairing, was a finalist for Cookbook of the Year. He's also a culinary travel writer with stories in Saveur Magazine, Culture Cheese Magazine, WGBH, and other print and online publications. Adam loves to eat, drink, and learn! He can be reached at adam@eatdrinklearn.com, or through his website, www.eatdrinklearn.com.

Adam Chase

Adam Chase, is the President and founder of Grape Experience Wine and Spirit School and Commonwealth Wine School’s WSET Director. Grape Experience is one of the most honored and recognized provider of wine, spirit and sake programs for the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET). Adam and Grape Experience been nominated four times for the prestigious honor of WSET Educator of the Year and won the award in 2012.  Adam leads Grape Experience's  programs in the San Francisco Bay Area, Nevada and Boston. Formerly the Associate Dean of Wine Studies at Copia in Napa, California, Adam has worked in the wine industry for over 15 years as an educator, retailer, and consultant. Adam is an Associate with the Institute of Wine and Spirits, holds the Honors Diploma certification from WSET and is a WSET Certified Educator. Adam has a particular focus of knowledge on Southern Hemisphere wine countries and on Pinot Noir.  He holds an MBA from Harvard University and a BA from Brown University.

Noell Dorsey

Noell Dorsey is a wine professional who has worked in the wine and hospitality industry for almost twenty years. She was part of the opening team at Island Creek Oyster Bar working in various roles before taking over as Wine Director in 2015. There she continued to sustain the major emphasis on wine education and hosted many events, wine seminars and tastings. This included the VineMasters series hosting wine authors that featured Eric Asimov, Terry Theise and David White.  After leaving ICOB she worked on Nantucket as a sommelier at Afterhouse Wine Bar and helped curate the new bar program at Moona Restaurant in Cambridge, MA. She is currently Cellar Manager at Skinner Auctions as a part of the Fine Wines and Rare Spirits Team. Noell is a certified sommelier and holds a Level 4 certificate from Boston University’s Elizabeth Bishop Wine School. She participated in Vinitaly’s International Academy Italian Wine Ambassador program led by Ian D'agata and Stevie Kim and in 2018 was invited to take part alongside a panel of wine experts at the Collisioni Festival in Barolo. She loves all things Italian wine (especially Italian whites) as well as wines from Germany and Austria but her desert island wine will always be Champagne. 

Erika Frey

Wine education is Erika's thing.  Not only is she a prominent teacher in the Boston area and beyond, but she is also an eager student.  She has earned over 25 certificates in wine, spirits and saké from the Wine & Spirits Education Trust (WSET), the Court of Master Sommeliers, the Wine Scholar Guild, the Society of Wine Educators, Boston University, and the San Francisco Wine School.  Erika is extremely well versed in classic wine regions like France, Italy and California, and she is very well known for introducing students to her favorite up-and-coming regions such as the Finger Lakes of New York, Croatia and the Republic of Georgia.  When not teaching or tutoring, Erika manages a boutique wine shop called Winestone in Chestnut Hill, MA.  She is also one of the directors of the Boston Sommelier Society.  Follow Erika's wine journey on Instagram @winewitherika.

Marina Giordano

Marina is a WSET Certified Sake Educator and has her Wine and Spirits Diploma with WSET. She has also completed the Sake Scholar Course, Japan Sake and Shochu Academy and has the Advanced Sake Professional title with the Sake Education Council. She is a Certified Specialist in Wine with the Society of Wine Educators. Marina has spent significant time in Japan studying sake production in multiple regions with officials of the National Research Institute of Brewing. Marina is also an EMMY Award winning television director for 7 NEWS at Boston’s WHDH-TV.

Erica MacKenzie

Erica MacKenzie is a lifelong wine enthusiast, who has worked in wine retail, sales and education for over 10 years. Her first experience in wine stemmed from an internship in Florence, during which she also studied Italian Wine under a former Tre Biccchiere judge for 6 months. The rest, as they say is history since then she has pursued levels 2 & 3 with Boston University’s Metropolitan College Elizabeth Bishop Wine Resource Center, the Italian Wine Specialist through the North American Sommelier Association and the French Wine Scholar.  

She is currently working towards her wine educator certification through the Society of Wine Educators. She is happiest discussing new plans to explore forgotten vines in Turkey, and making her way through Italy and Austria’s wine regions. 

Michael Meagher

Michael Meagher is one of 269 Master Sommeliers in the world and the Principal of Sommelier On-Demand Hospitality Services. He serves as a member of the Board of Directors for the Court of Master Sommeliers, Americas where he is the Co-Chair of the Ethics and Professional Responsibility Committee. With over 20 years of experience in the hospitality industry, intermingled with a Bachelor’s degree from Harvard University, an Associate’s degree from the Culinary Institute of America, a Master’s degree from the University of Adelaide in South Australia, and the Diploma from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust in London, Michael has a rich depth of experience from around the globe that he shares with each bottle he opens and every glass he pours.

On the academic and trade front, Michael has been published in a number of sources, including the academic Journal of Culinary Science and Technology, the Guild of Sommeliers and trade publication The Somm Journal, while also having his pursuit of the Master Sommelier Diploma featured in the book Dark Horse: Achieving Success Through the Pursuit of Fulfillment. In addition to writing, speaking and consulting roles, he serves as Chairman Emeritus of the Board of Directors for the Boston Sommelier Society.

Susan L Richards, RDN, MS, MBA

Susan Richards has had a lifelong love of wine and has traveled the globe learning about wine through tours and tastings with the hope of someday turning her passion for wine into an encore career. In 2018 Susan began to make that dream a reality and while still working full time in healthcare she completed the Wine Spirit Education Trust (WSET) level 2 Award in Wine and Spirits and level 3 in Wine. Susan also began working part time for the Tasting Company, running wine tastings, and Westport Rivers Winery as a wine educator and salesperson. In 2020 Susan achieved the Certified Specialist of Wine credential from the Society of Wine Educators.

Today, Susan is a sales consultant at Vino di Vino and as a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, is the Food and Wine Advisor to Suvie, a Boston based food company. Susan has published over 30 articles for the Suvie website and in their magazine “Recette”. Susan also continues to work for the Tasting Company and Westport Rivers Winery.

Jo-Ann Ross

Jo-Ann Ross, lifelong wine enthusiast, took a hobby and turned it into a career as a Wine Educator. In addition to holding a Diploma of Wine and Spirits from Great Britain’s Wine and Spirits Education Trust (WSET), she also holds Certified Wine Specialist and Certified Spirits Specialist credentials from the Society of Wine Educators.  Jo-Ann proudly brought Wine Scholar Guild’s Italian Wine Scholar™ and French Wine Scholar™ programs to Massachusetts. Various wine regions, such  as Bordeaux, Napa Valley, Languedoc, and Rhone Valley,  have partnered with Jo-Ann to provide educational programs for staff and customers of retail stores and restaurants. An avid traveler to wine destinations,  Jo-Ann always brings this firsthand appreciation of a region’s wines to her  multi-sensory presentations.  With over 30 years of professional speaking experience, she delights wine industry professionals, as  well as corporate and private audiences at numerous venues. One of her lifelong goals is to visit all 20 of Italy’s regions; she’s been to 14!!  www.jrosswine.com

Janice Rudenauer

Janice began her adventure in the world of wine while living in San Francisco, and working in advertising and marketing. With a distinct allergy to wine, she would carefully taste the fabulous wines her colleagues were raving about, and noticed how wine enhanced food, mood, and was always an interesting topic to discuss. Bacchus was kind and Janice overcame her allergy through it all.

Since that time she has pursued wine education several ways, including travel and formally with Boston University completing through Level 3: Mastering Wine. She is currently pursuing becoming a Spanish Wine Scholar through The Wine Scholar Guild. Janice will be assisting educators, and focusing on marketing Commonwealth Wine School's curriculum and extracurricular wine activities for the professional and enthusiast alike.

Kim Simone, Manager

Kim Simone is passionate about wine and making it accessible, engaging, and fun. With a career of almost two decades in the wine business she most recently was the Corporate Sommelier for the Legal Sea Foods restaurant group where she assisted Master of Wine Sandy Block curate the wine lists for multiple restaurant concepts and developed educational materials for their staff. She is also the founder of Vinitas Wineworks, a wine consulting company that works with retailers and wineries. She spent many years working for Martignetti’s Liquors as a wine manager, helping people select that perfect bottle of wine and going off on long wine tangents with some of her favorite customers. Previous teaching locations include the Boston Center for Adult Education, numerous adult educational programs in the Boston Metro area, and at the Boston Winery. Her winding career path has included a stint selling wine wholesale for Ruby Wines, hosting an AIRBNB Experience focusing on the beverage culture of Colonial Boston, and teaching at Boston University. In addition, she and colleague Mark Lenzi currently co-host the Franklin Wine Club and the podcast The Wonderful World of Wine. Kim holds Level 3 certificates through both the WSET and the Elizabeth Bishop Wine School, is a Certified Specialist of Wine, and attained the distinction of both French Wine Scholar and Spanish Wine Scholar with Highest Honors from the Wine Scholar Guild. She has a Masters’ Degree in Gastronomy from Boston University and a BA from Colgate University. In addition to wine, Kim is an avid reader and home cook, keeps bees, and bakes amazing sourdough bread.

Seema Tikare

Born in India, raised in the deep South, and having lived in Germany, France and Mongolia, Seema has always lived in deeply food-centered cultures.  She learned over the years that wine represents the essence of food, farming and family. 

As Alexander Dumas said, “Wine … it is the intellectual part of the meal.”  She came to wine as a second career, having worked on international poverty reduction programs at the World Bank and the United Nations as well as at non-profit organizations.  Wine is as much an intellectual engagement as it is a sensory journey.  Wine has brought all my passions together – travel, food, people, deep learning and the possibility to integrate it into all aspects of Seema’s life. 

Having graduated from the Boston University Wine Studies programs in 2018, Seema continued to travel, learn, write and teach.  It has been her pleasure to enjoy wine with those who love it, introduce it to those who don’t yet and to join many people on their exploration of varietals, regions and methods of making wine.

Gianluca Quieroli

After being an international tax consultant for almost 20 years, Gianluca made a career switch and joined the wine industry 5 years ago. Originally from Italy, he is now based in the Boston area where he owns and runs Wine Empire, a fine wine retailer. Gianluca holds a law degree, a Master in Accounting & International Tax, and speaks fluently three languages. He also dedicated himself to many aspects of the wine world: tasting events, writing, wine education. He became an Italian Wine Ambassador & Educator (through Vinitaly International Academy) in 2019 and is a certified French Wine Scholar, American Wine Expert, Bordeaux & Burgundy Specialist, Sherry Wine Specialist, holds the WSET Diploma & currently a MW candidate. In 2021, he launched in the U.S. the first Italian Wine Maestro Certification.