Traveling wine educator, party hosting, classes, corporate events, private sommelier service for special events and tastings in your home or venue.

drinking wine should be about pleasure not being stuffy

Custom Wine Party.com offers a variety of services such as:

Private Cellar Tasting - Brad offers private cellar management services as well as private tastings in your own cellar for you or your small parties. Brad pours from your private collection and brings plenty of glasses for any additional guests. 

Wine Tasting - Wine tasting parties come in various themes such as: old world vs new world, Italian wines, a flight, grape varieties etc. Parties can be hosted in your home or at your favorite venue. Booking includes sommelier pre-event planning consultation, all glassware for the event and private sommelier service for parties up to 12 people and event clean up. Please inquire about larger parties.  

Pre-event consultations are conducted in person or over the phone. Brad helps the host plan the event based on the wine experience of guests and the type of party desired by the host.  He will choose the wines for the event and the host is responsible for the purchase. In the state of Pennsylvania this is required by law. Many party hosts prefer to have their consultations at the wine store and use the opportunity to get a private lesson on wine buying for all occasions and meal pairings. Brad can also offer food pairing suggestions for your event.

How much does the wine cost? Brad will select excellent wines for your event based on his informed training and palate and based on the hosts budget. For a party of 12 expect to purchase 8-10 bottles of wine. He will carefully select these wines to serve any hosts budget starting at $15 per bottle, $20.... $50 and up. If you have the opportunity to participate in one of his blind tasting events you will learn that price does not identify quality in wine. Choosing really good wine for every palate and budget is a learned trade of a sommelier. 

Brad is well known for his exceptional cooking. Ask about his food catering for an additional fee. 

The day of the party, Brad will bring plenty of glasses so that each of your guests can compare 2-3 wines at a time, covering about 8-10 wines for a party of up to 12. Guests will develop a deeper palette and find that they like more variety than they may have first thought. These parties are fun, educational, classy and stress-free for the host. The depth of education relies on the host and their preference for the theme event. Brad will set up wine service (and food if that additional service is purchased) and will pour, educate and entertain. Afterwards he takes all the glasses with him. 

Payment is due at time of booking. Choose from one of our event themes or create your own. Either way your booking includes a private pre-event planning consultation and purchase list of wine, all glassware for the event and service for parties up to 12 people with Brad for a flat rate of $250. Please inquire about larger parties.

Sommelier Service at Weddings - Brad will be happy to consult on the menu and choose the perfect pairings of beverages for your guests. Please inquire about price of sommelier service at your wedding.

Blind Tasting Fundraisers - Raise money for your favorite charity by hosting a blind tasting event. Your booking includes a private event planning consultation with Brad. Flat rate of $250. covers sommelier pre-event consultation, all glassware for the event and service for up to 12 people. Please inquire about larger groups.

Private Shopper - Have you ever wanted your own private friendly sommelier with you while you shop for wine. Many people ask for this service. Please inquire about price.

Dinner Party with Sommelier and Chef - This is your opportunity to have a James Beard nominated Chef (9 times) and acclaimed restaurateur Damien Heath cooking in your kitchen and certified sommelier Brad Doerr pouring wine and drinks and serving your guests all in the comfort of your own home. Damien and Brad shop for all food and wine, they prepare the meal in your kitchen (they bring extra wine glasses for your guests), they pour wine and other beverages to your guests while Damien cooks, Brad serves the guests and they leave your kitchen clean and tidy. Please inquire about price.

Don't like wine? No problem, sommeliers are trained experts in all alcoholic drinks. Consider a whisky tasting party, cocktail party, beer etc. 

Locations

Pennsylvania
Maryland
North Carolina (The Outerbanks)
Park City, Utah

 Certified sommelier by the Court of Masters, Brad has extensive knowledge of grapes, regions, vineyards, viticulture, wine service, purchasing and wine list construction, restaurant operation and the skill to assist guests in the choosing and enjoying of fine wines. While he calls himself a wine geek, he is not a wine snob. He believes that everyone can enjoy wine regardless of their economic standing. Their is a bottle for every wallet and palate. He enjoys selling wine so much that he can often recite from memory the bottles that his guests ordered from their visit in past years. "I remember it, because I enjoy selling them the experience." 

Brad has extensive knowledge of PA wine stores, Fine Wine & Good Spirits and the Chairman’s Selection. He maintains a strong knowledge of the inventory at the West Shore, Hershey and Harrisburg locations and calls himself a chairman selection hound, as he peruses the listing weekly. He studies the wine inventory and cross references with upcoming sales for purchasing closeout and deeply discounted quality high-end wines for his party hosts. His comments were aired on NPR-National Public Radio-about the efficacy of wine buying through PA state run stores and its benefits for restaurant owners programs, wine lists and private consumers

He is a longtime subscriber and avid reader of Wine Spectator and stays abreast of current trends in the wine market. He is the resident sommelier for the Wellsville Winers wine club who conduct monthly blind tastings and purchasing forums. 

"I’ve sold and poured wine to first time wine tasters and to elite celebrities. I’m not a stuffy sommelier but instead a friendly knowledgeable sommelier who’s focus is on the guest having a great wine experience."  Brad has helped customers choose wine all over the country in high end restaurants to the comfort of their homes. Since 1998 Brad has worked private parties and sold wine during the Sundance FIlm Festival in Park City, Utah. Brad has chosen and served wine to U.S. Presidents, corporate executives, celebrities, new years eve party goers, newlyweds, large dinner parties and small intimate events in private homes

In 2014 Brad tested up to the next level in the worlds most prestigious Court of Masters passing another round of the notoriously difficult exams known as the world's toughest exam. Imagine blind tasting wines and  then identifying them.That's just one component in addition to the theory and service. Imagine a theory exam with questions about any wine, from any vineyard, made at any time, anywhere in the world. The exceptionally difficult exam is documented in the film... SOMM . Brad is presently studying for the elusive Advanced level as their is always more to learn.