Master Sommelier Wine Experience at Bin 110 — A Curated Jackson Family Tasting with Larry O'Brien
Wednesday, May 20 at Bin 110 in Cornelius, NC. Five wines from the legendary Jackson Family portfolio, paired with specialty cheeses and heavy hors d'oeuvres — all guided by one of only 279 Master Sommeliers in the world.
If you've ever been curious about what makes a wine more than just a drink — the geography, the winemaking decisions, the way one bottle reveals another — this is the night for you. On Wednesday, May 20 at 6 PM, we're hosting an evening that's been in the works for months: a Master Sommelier-led wine tasting at Bin 110 in Cornelius, NC, featuring five hand-selected wines from the renowned Jackson Family Wines portfolio.
Here's the part that's hard to overstate: there are only 279 Master Sommeliers in the entire world — and only about 160 in the United States. The Master Sommelier exam is famously brutal. Many spend a decade chasing it. Most never pass. To have one of them in our bar, leading a tasting and personally pairing the cheeses, is the kind of evening Tallie and I dreamed about when we started Bin 110.
And there's a fun bit of full-circle here. People always ask about our name — Bin 110 is a nod to our roots in wine. In a traditional cellar, bottles are organized by Bin Numbers. We carry 500+ whiskeys today, but the wine list has always been the heart of our story. A Master Sommelier-led tasting is about as on-brand as a night can get for us.
Hosting a Master Sommelier in our space is a real honor. Wine is where Tallie and I started — it's in the name on the door. To bring a Master Somm to Lake Norman to walk our guests through a curated lineup is exactly the kind of night we built Bin 110 for.
— Andy Upchurch, Owner, Bin 110
Larry O'Brien Portrait
Larry O'Brien — Master Sommelier, Court of Master Sommeliers board member, and former Best Sommelier in America.
Meet Master Sommelier Larry O'Brien
Larry O'Brien has spent more than 25 years at the top of the wine world. He earned his Master Sommelier certification in 2001 — one year after being named Best Sommelier in America and representing the United States at Meilleur Sommelier du Monde Concours Mondial, the most prestigious international sommelier competition there is.
He has judged the Confrérie de la Chaîne des Rôtisseurs Jeune Sommelier Competition, the Starwine International Wine Competition, and the TEXSOM International Wine Awards. He sits on the board of the Court of Master Sommeliers. Today he serves as National Director of Wine & Sales Education at Jackson Family Wines, where his job — quite literally — is to demystify wine for the rest of us.
If you have ever wanted to ask a Master Somm a question, this is the room you want to be in.
Vineyard / Bottle Shot
Jackson Family Wines: 50,000+ acres in the U.S., 45-50 wineries, still family-owned.
The Jackson Family Wines Portfolio
If you drink American wine, you've drunk Jackson Family. They are the largest owner of coastal vineyards in California and Oregon, with roughly 50,000 acres of vineyards in the U.S. alone and properties in multiple countries beyond that. Their portfolio includes 45 to 50 wineries and brands, spanning everyday-drinkable bottles all the way up to ultra-premium, allocation-only wines that retail for several hundred dollars apiece.
And here's the part I think matters most: they're still family owned. In a category increasingly run by holding companies, Jackson Family continues to operate the way the founders intended — long-term thinking, sustainable farming, and a portfolio built around place rather than spreadsheets.
Tallie and I have visited two of their Napa properties — Freemark Abbey and Lokoya. Different properties, different lineup that night, but you can feel the same hand at work across everything they make.
The Five Wines
Larry has hand-selected the lineup for the evening — a thoughtfully built progression from a fresh white blend through California Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, finishing on two mountain Cabernets. Each pour will be served alongside a specialty cheese Larry has personally paired to the wine. Here's what we're tasting:
Copain Daybreak — White Blend
A bright, aromatic opener from Anderson Valley. Copain has long been one of the cooler-climate stars of the Jackson Family book.
Brewer-Clifton Chardonnay
Sta. Rita Hills Chardonnay from one of California's most respected single-vineyard producers. Tense, mineral, and built for the dinner table.
Hartford Court Pinot Noir
Russian River Valley Pinot done the way it ought to be — perfumed, layered, and the kind of bottle that converts skeptics on the spot.
Stonestreet Cabernet Sauvignon
Alexander Valley Cabernet grown at elevation in the Mayacamas mountains. Structured, age-worthy, and a window into what mountain-fruit Cab can do.
Mt. Brave Cabernet
Mount Veeder Cabernet — high-elevation Napa fruit, dense and powerful. A pour that earns the closing slot on any flight.
Cheese Pairing
Five wines, five specialty cheeses — each pairing chosen by Larry himself.
Specialty Cheeses & Heavy Hors d'oeuvres
A Master Somm doesn't just walk you through the wines — he walks you through how the wines change when something lands on your tongue alongside them. Larry has personally selected a specialty cheese for each of the five wines, so every pour comes with a built-in lesson in why pairings matter.
Alongside the cheese flight, we'll be serving heavy hors d'oeuvres from our kitchen — small plates designed to make sure no one leaves hungry. Between the food, the cheeses, and the wines, this is a real evening, not a sip-and-go.
Why This Is the Wine Night of the Year on Lake Norman
Charlotte and the Lake Norman area have a lot of great places to drink wine. What we don't have a lot of is direct access to Master Sommeliers — the people who write the books the rest of the industry studies from. A sommelier-led tasting in an intimate room is one of the fastest, most enjoyable ways to level up the way you experience wine, and these nights almost never happen this close to home.
This is a perfect evening for a date night, for a small group of friends, for anyone who's been wanting to understand wine a little better, or for the serious collector who just wants to spend an evening talking shop with a Master Somm. Upscale, but not pretentious — exactly the way we do everything at Bin 110.
And while we're at it: featured wines will be available at exclusive event-only pricing for take-home purchase on the night. If something on the table grabs you, you can take a bottle home with you.
If you're coming up from Charlotte, we're about 25 minutes north on I-77. If you're already in Cornelius, Huntersville, Davidson, or Mooresville — you know where to find us. Browse our full red wine list and white wine list any time, and keep an eye on our upcoming tastings & events page.
Reserve Your Seat
Tickets are $59 per person. Seats are limited, and this event will sell out. Because of the curated nature of the wines and pairings, advance purchase is required — no walk-ins. Ticket sales close one week prior to allow time for wine ordering.
Get Tickets Wednesday, May 20, 2026 · 6 PM · Bin 110, Cornelius NCCome for a glass. Stay for an evening with a Master Somm. You're exactly where you need to be: Bin 110.