IMW

Biography

As one of the first two resident American Masters of Wine (1990), Joel Butler, MW has had a long and varied career in the wine industry.

Born in Denver, Colorado around mid-century, Joel Butler graduated from Stanford University, and also received a Masters Degree in European History from the University of Colorado. Shortly after graduation from Stanford, he returned to Europe in the fall of 1972, spending many months visiting wine producing regions, participating in the harvest in Burgundy, and gathering information for an industry organization his father represented.

This experience, following on that of attending university in Italy and living within a "wine" culture, led him to return to California in the spring of 1973 and enter the wine trade. He began his career with a noted retailer in the San Francisco Bay area, gaining an extraordinarily wide range of experience with wines from all around the world. From this start, Butler subsequently became a wine importer, worked for other retailers in the Bay area as a Buyer/Manager, as well as working as sales manager for a small but vibrant Bay area distributor/importer. More recently, he was the wine buyer for a key Bay Area restaurant/retail store. Throughout his career, Butler has also acted as a consultant, his wide range of experience greatly appreciated by many colleagues and clients. He has also been a highly regarded wine judge, with experience at the International Wine Challenge in London, the Decanter World Wine Awards, various Australian Show judgings, the San Diego National Wine Competition, the Banco d'Assagi and VinItaly competitions in Italy, San Francisco International Wine Competition and the California State Fair.

In 1977, Butler started writing professionally on wine for VINTAGE magazine. Subsequently, he wrote for WINE COUNTRY, FRIENDS OF WINE, THE INTERNATIONAL WINE CELLAR and the LOS ANGELES TIMES and the INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY of London, to name a few. He began making wine (non-commercially) in 1980, and has since produced many award-winning wines at the California State Fair and Orange County Fair.

Becoming one of the first two Americans to pass the rigorous Master of Wine examination in 1990 on his second try, Butler fulfilled a goal that was several years in the making. He is President of the Institute of Masters of Wine, North America, Ltd., coordinates the annual North American seminar program and also is an instructor for the Wine & Spirits Education Trust (WSET) courses offered at COPIA in Napa Valley and in Seattle,WA. He is currently a partner in WineKnow LLC, a wine education provider, and working on a book while doing some consulting.

Butler's outside interests include photography, music and reading, as well as historical research. He has one daughter, Karin.