Monopole Wine

MONOPOLE WINE offers hand selected, high quality premium wines at competitive prices, with an emphasis on educating the consumer. To this end we host special wine tastings and classes, and a wine bar with daily tastings of wines in our inventory. Our highly trained staff is here to help you discover wine, find what you're looking for to fit any occasion , and make recommendations you can bank on. We encourage our customers to explore and learn about different wines from around the globe, in order to engender an appreciation for different tastes, cultures and foods. We want our customers to come back based on our integrity, trust, and passion for wine, as well as our great pricing, and fun and informative wine tastings. Finally, we are part of a community, and believe in working with other businesses, organizations, and individuals, not only to stimulate business, but to make life, work, and community more enjoyable. Peter Nelson is originally from Seattle and came to Southern California for Law School after earning his degree in French. He caught the wine bug in 2001 after he took a UCLA extension class on wine taught by James Yobsky, then from the Wine House. He worked for a short time at various retail wine stores, including Red Carpet, Heritage Wine Company, and Chronicle Wine Cellar. He was also inspired by his friend Jeff Zimmitti opening Rosso Wine, with its commitment to quality and specialized selection. In 2005 he started his own business hosting wine tastings at various locations, including the Armory Center for the Arts, all while continuing to practice law. In 2008 he taught the wine program at the Cordon Bleu California School of Culinary Arts. Then in 2010, with a clear goal of bringing quality driven, high-end wine to Pasadena, he and co-owner Hiro Tamaki started MONOPOLE WINE. Peter has visited every major wine region in France, Italy, and the United States, as well as important wine regions in Germany and Spain. He is an Advanced Sommelier with the Court of Master Sommeliers, and is presently preparing for the Master Sommelier exam, having passed the theory portion in 2014. He holds an Advanced Certificate WSET (Wine & Spirits Education Trust), and is also a Certified Wine Educator (CWE) with the Society of Wine Educators. Working the 2002 harvest in Sancerre has also added to his understanding of this sometimes elusive drink. He has practiced law for over 25 years, and is now devoting most of his time to MONOPOLE WINE. He speaks French and Italian, and is always eager to share what he can about selecting, drinking, or exploring new wines. After completing his Criminal Law Degree at Keio University in Japan , Hiro Tamaki came to the United States to further his advanced education studies in California. First stop was the University of San Francisco where Hiro received a Master of Arts in Education. He then moved to Los Angeles, where he completed a Masters of Public Administration from USC. While working as an Executive with Shiseido Cosmetics Company, he began to take notice of the fine wines which were served at private corporate functions. Taking this newfound interest to heart, Hiro began attending wine tastings at Martin Weiner's Los Angeles School of Wine. This led to the long road of achieving his credentials as a Certified Wine Educator (CWE) as well as earning an Advanced Diploma from the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET), where he passed with distinction. He teaches wine classes in Japanese and has engendered an avid Japanese customer base in the Los Angeles area. He frequently visits Napa Valley and other wine regions in California, and now focuses his professional and personal time at MONOPOLE WINE with the goal of sharing his passion for balanced and terroir-driven wines with customers and friends. Hiro also is an avid cook who brings Japanese culture and cuisine to bear in his love of wine and wine and food pairing.