The Wine List

Jersey boy James O’Brien attended the Institute of Culinary Education after college, and worked his way through Danny Meyers Union Sq. Hospitality Group at Tabla and Maiolino where he met his eventual partner, Chris McDade. How do two guys with Irish sounding last names open one of the most admired Italian restaurants in New York? James O’Brien is the Co-Founder/Owner and GM of Popina in Brooklyn....

New York’s own Annie Shi attended private school, Yale University, and moved to London to work in Finance at JP Morgan. So, the question is, and I am sure her parents asked many times, what the hell are you doing in the restaurant business? Annie is a partner, the GM, and Beverage Director at Soho restaurant King . King is run and staffed by all women, critically acclaimed, and has achieved near c...

Born in Taipei, Taiwan, Eliza Christen and family made their way to the United States. Eliza attended the Univ. of Illinois and found her love for hospitality and wine in culinary mecca Champaign Urbana. She traveled the world to work harvests in Italy, Australia, and Oregon and is studying for her wine certifications. Eliza has worked at the Meadowood Resort and Momofuku Ko before meeting Sean Fe...

Tiffany Britton is the proprietor and winemaker at Brainstorm Cellars in West Richland in Washington state. She started Brainstorm with her partner Eric Williams in 2020. Their goal is to do wine differently, making it fun, easy, and delicious. Tiffany is also the President of the Alliance of Women in Washington Wine, an organization dedicated to advocating for women in the Washington wine industr...

Poet turned sommelier turned poet, Amanda Smeltz left Pennsylvania to study at Marquette in Milwaukee. She stayed in Milwaukee, one of the world’s great food and wine capitols to learn hospitality before returning to New York. A longtime Brooklynite, Amanda worked at groundbreaking Roberta’s in Bushwick, Daniel Boulud’s Bar Boulud and Boulud Sud, and eventually Estela and Café Altro Paradiso with...

Camille Riviere was raised in Paris and the Loire Valley. She fell in love with wine at an early age, so like any good mom, she enrolled Camille in wine classes. She interned, worked, and studied her way through France. Camille made her way to the United States working at Morrell and Frederick Wildman learning the business side. Her realization and gravitation towards natural wines convinced her t...

After growing up around a restaurant family and finishing college in Maryland, Jaimee headed west to pursue the arts. Jobs at Locanda and RN74 in SF changed her course, where she found her love for wine. Jaimee traveled to intern in Europe, went on to assist Pax Mahle, started her eponymous wine label, and was made winemaker of storied Stony Hill Vyd in 2020. Jaime makes serious but drinkable wine...

You can’t talk about wines from the Priorat region of Spain without recognizing the impact the Perez Family has made in the last four decades. Sara Perez is the wine maker and owner along with her family of Mas Martinet , one of the five founding wineries in the Priorat. Sara farms organically, is a magician with the Garnacha and Carignane grape and produces some of the most sought after and inter...

Eric Asimov is the Chief Wine Critic for the New York Times. Hs tenure with the newspaper goes back to 1984. His column on wine appears Wednesdays in the Food Section of the Times. His monthly Wine School column enlightens and invites you to drink and discuss wine with him. He has published numerous books and guides including “How to Love Wine: A Memoir and Manifesto” Eric is a prolific Tweeter an...

Pascaline Lepeltier is truly one of the most respected sommeliers in the world. As a Master Sommelier she has received numerous awards including the Un des Meilleurs Ouviers de France. Born in the Loire Valley of France, it is no secret of her love for Chenin Chenin Chenin. She is a true evangelist of natural wines and also makes Chepika wines with her friend Nathan Kendall in the Finger Lakes of...

Born on the east coast, Dustin Wilson headed west to make his mark in wine at Frasca, Little Nell, and RN74, eventually heading back east as Wine Director of 3 Michelin starred 11 Madison Park. Dustin packed in working the floor to pivot towards wine retail creating Verve Wine in NY, SF, and now Chicago. He has raised money for No Kid Hungry through his Reboule du Rhone events and you know his fac...

What can I say about Raj Parr that hasn’t been said before, Raj is the greatest uncertified Sommelier in the world with the most revered palate. His career in hospitality spans the Fifth Floor, the Michael Mina Group including RN74 and his Bibi Ji. He is the award-winning author of “Secrets of Sommeliers and most recently, “The Sommelier’s Atlas of Wine” Raj is the founding partner, proprietor and...

Nicole Rolet grew up in New York City and Milan to an American mother and French Italian Dad, surrounded by food and wine. After graduating Vassar, Nicole got herself deep into finance, politics and think tanks, eventually putting that all aside to pursue her love of the land and wine. She joined her husband Xavier to restore an historical priory and vineyard in remote Cretset in the South of Fran...

Laurence Feraud grew up at her family winery in the Southern Rhone of France. She returned in 1987 after studying wine and business to join her dad, Paul, and work with him at their storied Domaine du Pegau in Chateauneuf du Pape. In 2005 Laurence took on full oversight and winemaking at the winery. Laurence has extended the family holdings, creating Chateau Pegau and her Selection Laurence Feraud...

Rutger de Vink is a tough as a Marine and as soft as a glass of Merlot. His family made their way to the United States from the Netherlands while a teenager. After leaving college to join the Marines and then working in telecommunications, Rutger pursued his love of agriculture with a wine apprenticeship and trips to Bordeaux & California. He was determined to find his own site to farm and mak...

Heini Zachariassen hails from the Faroe Islands and grew up in Denmark, attending college in Copenhagen. He became a software developer and serial entrepreneur. Heini founded Vivino in 2011 with Theis Sondergaard. Today Vivino is the world’s largest online marketplace and most downloaded wine app driven by a community of 50 million users, over a billion five wine label scans, and a new round of fu...

Brits, Dan Keeling and Mark Andrew found a bond in wine that would lead them to create a wine magazine, two restaurants and a book to talk about it all. Dan had a successful career in the music business while Mark became a Master of Wine and worked at a leading London wine merchant. Dan Keeling and Mark Andrew are Noble Rot Magazine , Noble Rot Wine Bar, Noble Rot Soho, and authors of recently rel...

Jane Lopes has graced our microphones a few times to discuss sexual harassment in the wine industry, multiple issues at the Court of Master Sommeliers and her life through her book “Vignette”. Jonathan Ross is a Master Sommelier. He worked as Head Sommelier at Eleven Madison Park before following Jane to Australia to work with the Rockpool Group. While in Australia, Jon bought a few grapes to make...

Nate Ready is a former Master Sommelier. He worked the floor at Bobby Stuckey’s Frasca in Boulder and the French Laundry in Yountville before heading north to find a small working farm in Hood River, Oregon. Hiyu Farm is a biodiverse environment where Nate grows over 100 grape varietals, fruits, vegetables and raises animals. He is a true permaculturist. The Grape Nation is nominated as a Taste Aw...

Napa Valley native, Tegan Passalacqua cut his teeth in the Rhone, New Zealand and South Africa before literally planting his roots in California. Tegan started at Zin Zen Masters Turley Wine Cellars in 2003, and is currently working as Head Winemaker and Vineyard Manager. He launched his own Sandlands Wines with wife Olivia in 2011 working with a multitude of varietals practicing vine head trainin...

Martha Stoumen did not grow up around wine, but connected with the soil during a trip in college to Italy, studying agriculture. She was drawn to the vineyards and thus began a Vigneron’s view of winemaking. Martha received a Masters at UC Davis and went on to apprentice with some of the best winemakers around the world including Giusto Occhipinti, Didier Barral, and Chris Brocway. She started her...

Far from wine country, Maggie Harrison was born in the Midwest and pursued a career in International Relations and Conflict Resolution…well that didn’t last long. Maggie made her way out west to pursue a career in wine. She landed a job with quirky and legendary Sin Que Non winemaker Manfred Krankl, as his assistant for 8 years. Along the way she started her own small label, Liilian specializing i...

Philippe Andre grew up around fine dining at his parent’s upscale restaurant in Evanston, Illinois. He worked every job in the restaurant, eventually hitting the floor and creating a wine program, becoming their first Somm in 18 years. After almost a decade at the restaurant, Philippe left the family business to pursue a career in wine, first traveling to Oregon, stints at Hart Davis Hart and Moet...

Jean Gonon is a second-generation wine maker with the soul, knowledge and experience of many more years. Jean, along with his brother Pierre are the proprietors of Domaine Pierre Gonon in St. Joseph in the Northern Rhone of France. The purity and distinctive character of their wines, achieved through great terroirs, a strong commitment to farming and winemaking with an eye towards their ancestor’s...

Jay Boberg had a long career in the music business. He was a co-founder of IRS Records, think R.E.M. and Black Sabbath and Presient of MCA/Universal. His love for wine led him to Nicolas Jean Meo, part of the legendary Meo-Camuzet family in Burgundy. Jay's business acumen and Jean Nicolas' winemaking skills helped launch Nicolas-Jay in the   Willamette Valley . Larry Stone, is a multi award winnin...