At age 19, Peter Morrell spent five months in Europe literally scraping the bottom of the barrel. That is, cleaning out the barrels and vats used in the process of creating wine. Truly, he learned the business from the bottom up.

During that summer, he began the lifelong training of his “palate memory.” He traveled the wine countries, sampled different vintages and vineyards, jotted down his impressions, and began to acquire a most specific expertise.

Imagine for a moment that your children were to embark on such a summer. Most likely, you would not be amused. However, in Mr. Morrell’s case, his explorations paid off.

Today, he is head of one of the largest wine emporiums in New York, not to mention two restaurants and a thriving Internet and catalog business. He has a reputation for being a farsighted connoisseur of the wine industry. None of this would have been possible were it not for Mr. Morrell’s deep appreciation of the product in question.

He comes by his interest naturally, having been born into a family that for several generations has plied the wine trade. His forbears in the early years of the last century represented a Virginia winery in the Northeast. This was a prosperous undertaking until the government sprang Prohibition on an unsuspecting populace.

Not daunted in the least, the brothers Samuel and Joseph Morrell soldiered on, supplying a surprisingly inflated demand for wine from the churches, synagogues, and doctors of New York who were the sole legal customers at the time.

After that desiccated period of American history, and when the country regained its senses, Samuel Morrell broke off from his brother and opened the family’s first wine store on East 49th Street.

Peter Morrell picked up the family trade in the 1960s, at an auspicious time. Americans had begun to travel in earnest, and especially in Europe. They discovered the appeal of elegant cuisine, and developed a nascent appreciation of fine wines.

Mr. Morrell quickly established himself as a creative force. In 1970 he startled the staid wine industry by spending L220 (or about $520) at Christie’s for a double magnum of 1985 Lafitte Rothschild – the highest price ever paid at auction. He then cleverly organized a tasting event in New York to share his good fortune, and good wine.

Happily, the wine was indeed exquisite, and Peter Morrell made a splash. The notion of investing in great wine took a giant leap forward.

Soon after, the family opened a sizeable new store, featuring over 5,000 square feet of selling space, on East 53rd Street. The store featured sawdust on the floors and an appealing ambience. It featured American wines, as well as European, and emphasized the education of the consumer.

This is, in fact, an ongoing leit motif in the Morrell & Company history. More than their competitors, Morrell emphasizes education. They publish catalogs filled with helpful data about vineyards, individual types of wine, ratings and food tips. They started an Academy of Wine in the 1960s, and today offer frequent wine classes at their current store in Rockefeller Center as well as a more formal program through The Wine Institute, inaugurated in 2002.

A little over five years ago they opened a Wine Bar; more recently the company launched a more serious restaurant in the Flatiron Building. Both offer extensive numbers of wines by the glass, and both appear to have been quite successful. More such ventures are a distinct possibility.

As for Mr. Morrell, he expects that American’s emerging love affair with wine will continue. He thinks that some wines have yet to be discovered – especially fortified wines such as Madeira and port.