Originally published in the October 2015 issue of Robb Report Collection as “Telling Secrets”

Charles Curtis was working as a chef—after graduating from Le Cordon Bleu in Paris—when he decided the liquid side of the restaurant business was where he should be. He got a job with a wine distributor and went to work selling to restaurants, and in 2004 he became the 22nd American to earn the prestigious Master of Wine certification. After a series of impressive posts, including heading the wine departments for C…