Howard Bernstein

The first wine I remember having (besides Mogen David) was a glass of Bolla Valpolicella a girlfriend's father gave me when I was seventeen. I learned about beer distributing imports in Southern California in the early 80's. I learned about liquor bartending in Israel, Northern England & South Australia. Began my wine education picking the 1991 harvest in the Barossa Valley of Australia. Arrived back in Detroit(where I was born) in 1992 and that's where I started in the retail wine & gourmet food business. Moved to Des Moines, Iowa in 2000 staying in the business in the process and opened my own wine shop, Casa di Vino in July 2004. I love wine and food and all the fun things that go with it. I've travelled through close to forty countries over the past twenty years learning about and enjoying the food, drink, history and culture of each of the places I've visited. Although I believe there's a time and a place for everything, I probably have more Aussie Shiraz and Italian wines in my collection than anything else. It's all good though.