Ken Pettus resides & works in New York City as a WSET Level 2 certified sommelier, wine & spirits educator and enthusiast. With 15 years experience in the wine industry, He’s currently a consultant for E&J Gallo in Metro NY for 9 years as well as the founder of Unwine101. Unwine101 is a series of events that celebrate the rich diversity of black-owned wineries while combining the joy of wine tasting with the excitement of food, art, music, karaoke, and live musical performances. This unique experience aims to create a vibrant and inclusive atmosphere in many cities around the country, where attendees can indulge in exquisite wines, groove to the rhythm of music, and support black entrepreneurs in the wine industry.

Living in Europe is where his journey started and how he became captivated by wine culture. After moving back to NY, He began building his foundation of knowledge in one of the biggest wine stores in Queens, NY tasting as much red, white & rose wine to develop his palate as much as possible. Ken would go on to manage a multimillion dollar internet wine selling e-commerce business, before joining Empire merchants to be a consultant for E&J Gallo Portfolio in 2015.