Acker
Robert Ruff has extensive experience in the wine industry, currently serving as a sommelier at Acker Merrall & Condit since November 2015 and volunteering at Astor Center Wine Classes & Tastings since April 2015. Previously, Robert worked as a sommelier at Embassy Wines from November 2013 to January 2015. Robert's background also includes a significant career in journalism, holding positions as a senior producer at CNN from 1998 to 2013 and as a producer at ABC News from 1981 to 1998. Robert holds a Certified Sommelier degree from the Sommelier Society of America, earned in 2013, and possesses academic qualifications including a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Government from Boston College and a Master’s degree in Politics/Social Psychology from UCLA.
Acker
Now in its third century of business, established in 1820, Acker is the oldest and most respected wine shop in America, the largest global wine auction house, and the preeminent destination for fine wine and spirits worldwide. A true one-stop-shop for expert wine services in every form, Acker’s culture is deeply rooted in customer service, upholding a commitment to the highest standards, applied across a vast array of amenities including a world-class wine club, fine wine retail inventory, a wine concierge service, advisement on wine as an investment, cellar consultations and appraisals, first-class wine education programs, bespoke events and tastings, corporate business services, and its crown jewel, global fine and rare wine and spirits auctions. In 2008, only ten years after its first auction in New York City, Acker became the first auction house to recognize the growing thirst for wine in Asia and held its first Asia sale on May 31st, 2008 in Hong Kong. In 2011, Acker cemented its position at the top of the wine auction market by being the first wine auction firm to exceed US$100 million in revenue between all of its affiliates, setting hundreds of world records for wine throughout the year in the process. It crossed the $1 billion mark in auction revenue in 2018. With affiliated companies in Hong Kong, New York City, Tokyo, London, and further expansion on the horizon, Acker hosts “live” auctions every month, and has a constantly running internet auction, providing its clients constant access to the world’s best wines and spirits. Today, it is the world’s largest wine auction house, atop the wine auction market in revenue earnings for the majority of the past decade. Its name is synonymous with personalized, polished, and expert services in all areas of wine and spirits.