MJ’s guest is a cellar’s worth of degrees and experiences in wine, and service, and is currently the wine director of Gary’s Wine and Marketplace, please welcome Brooke Sabel. Brooke has been featured in Real Simple Magazine, Travel + Leisure Magazine, Forbes Magazine, CondeNast Traveler Magazine, SOMM Journal and More! Along with the James Beard Foundation, Brooke has participated in Star Chefs Somm Slam, New Jersey Wine & Food Festival and is one of sommelier luminaries for Nantucket Wine & Food Festival. Brooke was Assistant Wine Director for Borgata Hotel, Casino & Spa where she developed wine lists for culinary masters Bobby Flay, Wolfgang Puck, and Michael Mina. Brooke also developed a wine program for Sir Richard Branson and New Jersey developer Bob Wojtowicz to develop the wine program at Natirar and its award-winning restaurant Ninety Acres, where she held the position of opening Wine Director. It was her focus on sustainable, organic, biodynamic and small-production wines that garnered high accolades amongst her peers and the press.

On this episode, MJ and Brooke pull back the curtain on what’s nothing less than an amazing career that started in college! Brooke dishes on her initial foray into wine during a wine class; leaving a potentially lucrative job with the PGA Tour to drink and eat her way through Spain with her class; being recruited to Borgata after just 3 months with 56 Degrees Wine where she worked as the top Sommelier working alongside Bobby Flay (and one particular special night, where he never let her out of his sight again!). Phone call, after phone call, changed Brooke’s career path again and again, and each time, for the better. From Sir Richard Branson to Robin Williams and Billy Crystal - Life doesn’t get much sweeter than this, Kid. Grab a long stem and a cabernet sauvignon, and get ready for a good time. 

A huge thank you to Brooke Sabel! 

Follow her on IG at @brookesabel

Follow Gary’s Wine and Marketplace @garys_wine

Get more of Gary’s Wine at garyswine.com  

This episode’s in studio wine:

1989 Corison Cabernet Sauvignon

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Until next time, cheers to the mavericks, philosophers, deep thinkers, and wine drinkers! 

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Thank you to our sponsor: Paso Robles Wine Country. Paso Robles is a region with so many diverse microclimates that allows for a stunning array of grapes to thrive in. It’s made up of over 200 family-owned wineries, making a beautiful variety of wines.

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Tune in to their podcast Where the Wine Takes You - which explores the people, places and wines of Paso Robles Wine Country! 

https://pasowine.com/where-wine-takes-you/ 

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