Jordan worked on Wall Street in the early 1980s. To alleviate the suffering from a declining market, he developed an unquenchable interest in wine and, upon leaving the brokerage business in 1985, enrolled at the University of California at Davis School of Enology & Viticulture where he graduated with a degree in Enology in 1989. He complete winemaking internships in Napa, and his academic experience and passion for wine, combined with extensive travels to wine regions throughout Europe and South America, contributed to articles published in Wine Spectator, Wines & Vines, Global Vintage Quarterly, and Practical Winery & Vineyard.