Cory Plato is a career hospitality professional with a strong background in development, education, and organization of small restaurants and independent businesses. He found a home in the distributor trade working for a fine wine, spirits, and sake distributor that sparked his interest in sake.

Cory is certified in WSET Level 3 wine and spirits, a French Wine and Italian Wine Scholar, and continually progressing in something whenever possible. When not entrenched in the profession, he’s either at his computer, travelling, or playing board games with his partner. He has a business degree in small business management, as well as a culinary degree from Le Coudon Bleu.

Vine Lab Wine & Spirits Academy

Vine Lab for short, started in 2017, simply because 2 women had a passion for the wine & spirits industry and saw a need to level up the knowledge in their home state, Minnesota. Vine Lab is now passionately operated by one woman, Nikki Erpelding, and 9 amazing instructors.
Focusing on global certifications, WSET, WSG and now Sake Sommelier Association, we havea diverse array of options for enthusiasts and professionals alike. Vine Lab also customizes classes for businesses and trade shows.
We are proud to be the education leader in the Midwest for all things wine, spirits, and sake.
In 2021 Vine Lab had a 100% pass rate!