Free Wine Tasting and Wine Business Talk with TJ Douglas

Join TJ Douglas, Founder of The Urban Grape and Progressive Wine Company, for an interactive wine tasting while he discusses his 30 year journey in the hospitality industry, from dishwasher to bouncer to business owner. TJ will discuss his proprietary Progressive Scale, a revolutionary way to sell wine by its body instead of varietal or region, and the successful wine businesses that grew out of his determination to change the wine industry. Guests will sip on three offerings from Progressive Wine Company, and will have a chance to ask TJ questions during this intimate event.

In 2022, TJ and Hadley founded Progressive Wine Company, a new wine brand dedicated to creating access to the wine industry for BIPOC consumers, as well as others who have previously felt like the wine industry was intimidating and not approachable. In 2023, they founded the Drink Progressively Group, a Boston-based management company that oversees the work of the Douglas’ business ventures. TJ is also a founder of The Urban Grape Wine Studies Award for Students of Color [in partnership with the Boston University Food & Wine Programs], and the co-author of Drink Progressively: A Bold New Way to Pair Wine and Food. The Urban Grape has also become one of the most successful independently owned wine stores in the country, and was named the United States Small Business of the Year in 2021 among a plethora of other awards and achievements.

Host or Publisher Boston University Programs in Food & Wine