Saturday, April 29, 2006: Posted 8:26 p.m. PST

There are many who feel knowledge of the finer things in life reflects arrogance, and is often frowned upon, labeled and mistrusted. Then there are the rest of us who work hard (or not), but feel knowledge is the key to making our purchases satisfying, competent and above all, "enjoyable". The many years I worked in the Hospitality industry I would have to say the concept that kept me there revolved around being able to help people have a good time.

A very wise hotel owner once told me a little story about why he was in the industry and his description has always resonated with what I call the essence of being a gracious host. "Marc", he said, "When people walk through our doors they have made a conscious decision to come in and spend some money. Whether it is a hotel room they seek for the night, a banquet for an occasion, or a good meal and a refreshing cocktail they are usually happy and ready to spend their hard earned money. In no other industry are your sales focused on an audience that is only looking for a good time. It is true they only expect some good food and drink or a restful night's sleep. These are expectations that are easy to meet and we should all have a good time while we facilitate our guest’s desires. That is why I look forward to coming here every day".

From that perspective we feel it is a noble cause to help people make wise choices that they will, above all else, enjoy and remember that joy.

As a corporate chef opening new restaurants, I often found myself in front of a room full of new service staff speaking about the menu and the wine list. Attempting to educate a roomful of gracious hosts I was often asked what is the best way to learn about wine. I answered then the same way I do now - DRINK IT!

We hope to help the public by offering curious oenophiles an avenue to develop their hospitality prowess and wine purchasing experiences. Through our seminars on wine tasting, food and wine pairings, vintage ratings, winemakers style trends and "I don’t buy that”, a satirical commentary on unscrupulous marketing activities, our staff will develop purchasing confidence among all who participate.

Informed consumers drive the marketplace to produce results for the consumer. Lack of education about a product facilitates the ability for producers to bring to the marketplace less than their best efforts and deters newly adventurous wine buyers from continuing to expand their knowledge.

Enobytes welcomes the opportunity assist the wine buying public. Hopes and dreams are not often spoken about in conjunction with procuring a bottle of wine. Why not? Don’t we all hope it will be fantastic? Don't we all dream it will be the find of a lifetime?

I do and that is what Enobytes is all about - helping you realize your hopes and dreams. Find the wine values worthy of celebration without suffering through the wines that would only be good if you were throwing them on the open wounds of your enemies. Believe me there are wines out there that are that bad and we will not stop until we have warned you about every one.

Welcome to Enobytes!

Marc Hinton