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.

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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 importantly he had his first child. Scott is now the Wine Director at Babbo in NYC.

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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 in 2000 and his tasting beat covers Cali cabs, Bordeaux, The Rhone, Loire, Port and South African wines.

Photo Courtesy of Michelle McSwain, The Vinum Collective.

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 wine. He worked as Sommelier for all spaces in the Matter House group and in 2016 Kirk began his continuing work in Portland, Oregon partnering in harvest with Division Winemaking Company and Brianne Day. Since 2017 Sutherland has directed the wine program at both Roberta’s (NY&LA) and Blanca.

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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 Sommelier for 2018 and the Wine Director at Atomix in NYC

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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.

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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, responsible for winemaking, communication, pressing and vinification.

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Josh Greene is the Editor and Publisher of Wine & Spirits Magazine, a five-time James Beard Award winner for “Excellence in Wine Writing”. Wine & Spirits Magazine caters to the wine professional as well as the consumer. Josh has been at the helm of the magazine since the mid-eighties and besides publishing and editorial duties is also a critic for wines of the Napa Valley, Bordeaux, Burgundy, Champagne, Port, Rioja, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. The staff at Wine & Spirits Magazine tastes over 15,000 bottles annually.

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We talk about the wines of Portugal, specifically the regions of Porto, Douro and Alentejo. Paolo Russell Pinto oversees promotions and communication for the Institute of the Wines of Douro and Porto in Portugal. Master Sommelier Evan Goldstein is one of the nations most prolific food and wine writers and a wine veteran with an expertise in Portueguese wines and the Alentejo region.

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Terry Theise is an importer of highly curated boutique wines from Germany, Austria, and Champagne. He has played a critical role in exposing this country to the joys of great Riesling, Gruner Veltliner, grower Champagne, and more through his portfolio, Terry Theise Estate Selections. Terry won the James Beard Award recognizing him for "Outstanding Wine and Spirits Professional. Terry is also a prolific author and wine writer penning "Reading Between the Wines" and his brand new book "What Makes a Wine Worth Drinking. In Praise of the Sublime". Terry Theise has been at this for over Thirty years and his views of wine are vastly different than most in the business.

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