Following her passion, Leslie Frelow’s beginnings with her wine focused business, Vino 301 Wine Concierge, started in January 2013 with Maryland regional wine tours and special events. Popularly known as Vino 301, in the past 10 years, Vino 301 lead wine tours and hosted tasting events to over 500 people annually.
Sparked by a pandemic pivot and a social justice awakening after the murder of George Floyd in 2020, Leslie recognized the extreme underrepresentation of Black professionals in wine—less than 1%—and took bold action. Leslie Frelow launched The Wine Concierge to create a curated platform highlighting wines by Black, women, and minority winemakers who are often excluded from national distribution channels. The Wine Concierge is dismantling the wine world’s traditional gatekeeping by building a new, inclusive ecosystem through The Wine Concierge.
Rather than rely on traditional supply chains, The Wine Concierge built an independent sourcing system—researching winemakers through personal networks, online forums, and professional directories. This approach enables The Wine Concierge to bypass conventional barriers and support small-batch producers directly, despite the logistical and financial challenges they face.
Additionally, Leslie is a strong advocate for enhancing business literacy among winemakers. Witnessing the struggles of new wine brands due to limited capital, higher production costs, and strict DTC rules, Leslie organized the first annual Winemaker’s Playbook summit in March 2025. Sponsored by The Harbor Bank of Maryland, this event brought together distribution, marketing, legal, and finance experts to address how to succeed in the wine business, empowering participants with invaluable resources.
She holds a Level 2 Award in Wines and Spirits (WSET). Encouraged and inspired by her industry peers, she has had the honor of participating as a judge in regional wine competitions, which included the 2019 Maryland’s Governor’s Cup and Maryland’s Comptroller’s Cup.
Leslie is a member of Les Dames d’Escoffier, Washington, D.C. Regional Chapter. She is co-chair of the Greater Bethesda Chamber of Commerce Women’s Networking Committee and a board member of Experience Prince George’s County tourism board.
Ms. Frelow has also discovered ways to celebrate minority owned winemakers and connect with like-minded wine enthusiasts through the podcast, The Swirl Suite, hosted by Sarita Cheaves, Tanisha Townsend, Glynis Hill, and Ms. Frelow. The podcast (https://www.swirlsuite.com/), which features engaging interviews with wine professionals such as Melissa Schulte of Black Ankle Vineyards, Eric Turner of Hip Hop Juice Box, Burnie Williams of Chats Wine & Liquor, and wine makers at the Essence Wine Festival, serves as an inspiring resource for established and aspiring wine entrepreneurs.
Prior to her career in wine, Ms. Frelow worked in the not-for-profit telecom industry for several years. She resides in Ft. Washington, MD and always looking for a good excuse to play golf.
[email protected] | 301.807.2683 | www.vino301.com | www.thewineconcierge.co
