We were lucky to catch up with Leslie Frelow recently and have shared our conversation below.

Leslie, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

The Wine Concierge is an online wine store that features women and minority brands. We have the largest collection of women, black, latinx wines that are owned or made by women and minorities. We started the store in 2020. We were inspired to feature BIPOC wines as a result of the murder of George Floyd and the discovery that Blacks only represent one percent of the wine industry.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

The Wine Concierge is a minority owned and woman-owned businessfounded by Leslie Frelow, who previously worked several years in the public policy industry for public and
non-for-profit organizations. Following her passion, Ms. Frelow s beginnings with her
wine focused business Vino 301 Wine Concierge started in January 2013 with regional
wine tours and special events programs.

She holds a Level 2 Award in Wines and Spirits (WSET). Encouraged and inspired by
her industry peers, she has had the honor of participating as a judge in regional wine
competitions, which included the 2019 Maryland’s Governor’s Cup and Maryland’s
Comptroller s Cup.
Ms. Frelow has also discovered ways to celebrate minority owned winemakers, and
connect with like-minded wine enthusiasts through the podcast, The Swirl Suite,
hosted by Sarita Cheaves, Tanisha Townsend, Glynis Hill, and Ms.Frelow. The podcast
(https://www.swirlsuite.com/),which features engaging interviews with wine
professionals such as Melissa Schulte of Black Ankle Vineyards, Eric Turner of Hip Hop
Juice Box, Burnie Williams of Chats Wine & Liquor, and wine makers at the Essence
Wine Festival, serves as an inspiring resource for established and aspiring wine
entrepreneurs.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

We opened The Wine Concierge as a result of Covid. Prior to COVID, we hosted Maryland wine tours and tasting events. We no longer could provide tours during the height of the pandemic and we needed to generate income. We started offering virtual wine tastings in early April 2020. They became a big success. We realized that people were going to drink wine regardless if you offered a tasting class, so we established the online wine store in 2020 to fill a need in the marketplace. In 2022, we offer both – the wine tours and the store.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

Word of mouth and Google searches. Both businesses are virtual. We invest a lot in Google search ads and SEO. We encourage our customers to rate our services. We have over 300 reviews. I think positive reviews is the best advertising for us and motivate people to contact us.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.thewineconcierge.co
• Instagram: @thewineconciergeclub
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/thewineconciergeclub
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/leslie-frelow
• Youtube: The Wine Concierge

Image Credits
me