The Wine List

Chris Leon grew up with wine around the table via his Dad. His early love for hospitality and, eventually wine led him to Sonoma. He attended the French Culinary Institute, now the International Culinary Center after college, with a degree in restaurant management. Chris went on to open and operate restaurants in NYC and earned his Advanced WSET Certificate. He knew hospitality extended beyond the...

Tracey Brandt moved away from a career in tech towards a love and interest in wine. Tracey and her eventual husband Jared took a wine sabbatical in France and had the opportunity to work under the tutelage of famed winemaker Eric Texier. They returned to California to continue a life in wine helping to pioneer the low intervention, natural wine movement there. Their winery is Donkey and Goat in Be...

Massachussetts born Esther Mobley is the wine critic at the SF Chronicle. After finishing Smith College, Esther pursued a path in wine, working harvests, interning at one wine magazine, Asst. Editor at another, and now the SF Chronicle, where she looks at wine not just as a story, but through the people, place, and culture. Esther predominantly covers California wine, beer, spirits and drinking cu...

New York City born Jenny Lefcourt got her undergraduate degree at Cornell, received her Masters while in Paris, and was pursuing a PhD at Harvard. She also met her husband in Paris where they both shared a passion for not just wine, but the people, practices and stories behind those wines. They started their wine import company in 2000. Jenny and Francois is one of the most respected wine importer...

Born in Saudi Arabia to an Iraqi family, Rita Jammet grew up in Lebanon and Switzerland. She received a degree in Economics from the Univ. of Geneva working with her dad upon graduation. She met her French husband Andre with deep ties to hospitality and wine, exposing Rita to a life of restaurants, wine, and Champagne. Rita is co-owner and Chief Bubble Officer of La Caravelle Champagne . It's HRN'...

Roberto Santana and Alfonso Torrente are two of the four winemaker/owners that make up Envinate, a wine project that focuses on exploring distinctive parcels mainly in the Atlantic-inflected regions of Ribeira Sacra and the Canary Islands in Spain. Along with Laura Ramos and Jose Martinez, they are the “New Spanish Wine”, but with a touch of the old practices. The Grape Nation is powered by Simple...

Pennsylvania born John Raytek spent over a decade as a sommelier before making the move to winemaking. He fueled his wine fire in New Zealand before making his way back to the States. John headed west working with and at some of the best wineries and people in California before starting Ceritas , his own winery with his wife Phoebe in Healdsburg. The Grape Nation is powered by Simplecast. See Priv...

Austrian born Maximilian Riedel is an 11th generation glassmaker. He interned at the family business at the age of 12 eventually rising to his current position of President and CEO of Riedel Glassware. His innovation, eye towards design, and expansion has made Riedel the premier glassware maker in the world. Photo courtesy of Sam Benrubi. The Grape Nation is powered by Simplecast . See Privacy Pol...

Virginia born Matt Crafton received a degree in Economics from the University of Virginia, then wine at UC Davis. He worked the vineyards of Virginia before moving west to continue his pursuit of wine. Ultimately Matt landed at storied winery Chateau Montelena where he has spent over a decade. In 2014 Bo Barrett appointed Matt to head winemaker. The Grape Nation is powered by Simplecast . See Priv...

Giampiero Bertolini began his career at none other than Proctor and Gamble, after many years at P&G, he moved into the wine business taking a job at Italian wine icon Frescobaldi, spending 16 years overseeing global sales and marketing. Giampiero left Frescobaldi last year to become the CEO of storied Brunello di Montalcino producer Biondi Santi and it's seven-generation winemaking family in I...

Straight outta Hells Kitchen, Ariel Arce was a young gymnast, film student and actress before she pursued a career in wine, Champagne, and hospitality. She got her chops with Grant Achatz in Chicago and Ravi De Rossi in NYC before opening her first venue, Air’s Champagne Parlor. Ariel has since opened buzzy Tokyo Record Bar, Niche Niche, and soon to open Special Club. Photo courtesy of Marisa Chaf...

Swedish born Arvid Rosengren was always intrigued with food as a kid, but not before putting Nanotechnology behind him. He honed his wine skills participating in Sommelier competitions winning Best Sommelier in Sweden in 2010, Best Sommelier in Europe in 2013, and ultimately rising to “The Best Sommelier in the World” in 2016. He made his way to the US after many years on the Scandinavian and Euro...

Brooklyn born Dan Petroski made his way uptown to Columbia University, played a little football, headed downtown to NYU Biz School before moving into marketing, finance and advertising at Time Inc. and Sports Illustrated. His love of wine and a college friend with connections got Dan over to Sicily. Dan came back to the states, made his way to Cali to follow his passion and the rest fermented into...

American Sommelier turned French Winemaker, Michele Smith Chapel worked at New York’s finest restaurants including Per Se and Brooklyn Fare combining for 6 Michelin Stars. She met David Chapel in Beaujolais, got him to move back to NY and both eventually packed up to move back to France…and make wine. Michele Smith Chapel is the proprietor of Domaine Chapel in Beaujolais. The Grape Nation is power...

Caleb Ganzer is the Wine Director and Managing Partner at La Compagnie Des Vins Surnaturels in NYC. Compagnie is a cozy neighborhood wine bar for the world and caters to every type of guest from the inquisitive amateur to the industry professional. He is an alum of Eleven Madison Park and Daniel Boulud's Dinex group. Caleb has innovated great events at Compagnie like Wine Mixtape, Mystery Wine, an...

Allen Meadows made the shift from finance to fine wine. He is the definitive, independent voice of Burgundy and it’s leading expert and critic. Allen Meadows is the Burghound and publishes Burghound.com a quarterly review, and online site for Burgundy and pinot enthusiasts. Allen just published his new book “Burgundy Vintages, A History from 1845”, an essential reference book for Burgundy enthusia...

Christine Collado got a quick start in fine wine and dining at Dinex Group’s Bar Boulud, Boulud Sud, and flagship Daniel before moving to Wine Director at Brooklyn Fare and it’s three-star Michelin tasting menu. She recently left to open Parcelle Wine Store , a curated wine shop near Hudson Yards in NYC. Photo Courtesy of Christine Collado The Grape Nation is powered by Simplecast . See Privacy Po...

Pascaline Lepeltier holds a Masters Degree in Philosophy and is a Master Sommelier. Pascaline worked her way in wine and restaurants in Europe to the US in 2009 landing at Rouge Tomate. She recently received the Meilleurs Ouvriers de France, which translated is the Best Craftsmen of France in the Sommelier category and, also received The Best Sommelier of France. These are the two top awards in he...

Jersey girl Michelle De Feo pursued her childhood love of France studying French in college and abroad in the Loire Valley; she worked as a translator, and broke into the biz as an administrative assistant at Clicquot. She fine tuned her skills at a wine shop and worked her way up the Champagne ladder to her current position of President Champagne Laurent-Perrier US. The Grape Nation is powered by...

Washington DC born and aspiring actor, Scott Woltz made his way to NYC, bagged the acting, worked with Tom Coliccho, Eleven Madison Park, and La Sirena. More importantly, Scott had a heck of a year last year. He was named Best New Sommelier by Wine and Spirits in 2018 , earned his advanced pin in the Court of the Master Sommeliers, and was a runner up in the 2018 Ruinart Challenge , but most impor...

Native New Yorker James Molesworth was surrounded by wine growing up. After graduating college, he took a job at a famed New York retailer specializing in Burgundy. He moved to the restaurant side as a cellar-master and eventually Sommelier at the legendary 21 Club . James joined Wine Spectator in 1997 as a tasting coordinator and was elevated to Senior Editor in 2004. He became a regular taster i...

Kirk Sutherland became fascinated with wine while working in coffee in the mid 2000’s discovering their similarity - each being ground-driven expressions of their moment. In moving to New York he found a home in Andrew Tarlow’s Brooklyn group. Working at Reynard under Lee Campbell, then heading programs at both Marlow & Sons and Diner, Kirk fell in love with honesty and transparency of natural...

From Manila to Japan and finally NYC, Jhonel Faelner landed in the Big Apple to pursue his love of wine after a stint in fashion and being swept up by the wine culture in Japan. He worked his way thru One Five Hospitality and The Nomad before running the wine program at one of the country’s hottest restaurants. Jhonel is an Advanced Somm studying for his MS; he is a Wine and Spirits Best New Somme...

Hailing from Pennsylvania, Stephen Bitterolf left for New York to study art, eventually becoming an artist. His love and interest in wine brought him to wine retail and ultimately wine importation. Stephen is the creator of Rieslingfeier , a celebration of Riesling and the proprietor of vom Boden, a boutique wine import company specializing in German wines. The Grape Nation is powered by Simplecas...

Gaelle Goossens was born in Reims France and grew up in the countryside of Champagne. She studied abroad, but was drawn back to her Champagne roots eventually getting a postgraduate degree in Biochemistry and a National Diploma in Oenology (2012). She spent five years at Champagne house Bollinger. Gaelle joined Veuve Clicquot in 2016 in Development, Innovation, and Communication of Oenology, respo...