About Us

In 2007, three wine industry insiders sat down to discuss the possibility of creating an event in South Florida that would become one of the most influential wine events in the country. They concluded that a unique and first class competition would be the best choice. After all, South Florida is one of the three largest wine consumption markets in the country. Additionally, one of the largest distributors in the country is based there, and many wineries look to South Florida to discover wine drinking trends. Over a few glasses of American wine, the shape of what would become the American Fine Wine Competition, with its high quality small panel of non biased judges, was crafted and molded. The brainchild of Shari Gherman and Monty and Sara Preiser, the first event was held in 2007.

Shari Gherman, President, is a certified Sommelier and has been involved in the wine industry for over 25 years. Her experiences in virtually every aspect of the industry, including marketing, distribution, supply and advertising, have combined to form a unique background. Through the American Fine Wine Competition, Shari has established a vehicle to raise money for wthy causes, and has melded her love for wine with her drive to give something of value back to the community.

Monty and Sara Preiser reside full time in Palm Beach County, Florida, and spend their summers on the west coast where they have a home in Napa. They honed their wine skills as they traveled the country while Monty practiced law for 20 years, and for many years were wine columnists for The Boca Raton News and other publications. They are now the principal wine writers for Sallys-Place.com, one of the Internet's largest travel sites with over 5.5 million readers. They own Creative Professional Programs, a company devoted to continuing education for professionals in conjunction with fine wine & food instruction. The Preisers have served as judges for a number of wine c ompetitions from east to west coast, are frequent guest commentators on wine radio shows, and now publish the most comprehensive guide to Napa Valley wineries and restaurants titled, appropriately, The Preiser Key to Napa Valley.