Christophe Baron’s family dates back to the mid 17th Century in Charly sur Marne in Champagne. He studied viticulture in Champagne and Burgundy. After meeting an American in Burgundy, Christophe was convinced to head west to Oregon and Washington and discovered their stony vineyards. He bought his...

Gary Vaynerchuk is the Chairman and CEO of Vayner X, overseeing companies including VaynerMedia, VaynerSports, VaynerNFT, Tracer, Gallery Media Group, to name a few. He is a prolific angel investor with ties to Facebook, Twitter, Uber and Snapchat among others. He is co-founder of Resy, Empathy...

Matthew Conway headed east to NYC in 2003. After three years with Chef Grey Kunz, Matthew hooked up with Marc Forgione, at his eponymous restaurant for over a dozen years as Beverage Director and GM, creating a unique wine program with a nod to the Northern Rhone. Matthew also helped Marc Forgione...

St. Louis born William Carroll headed east and grew up in Irvington, NY. William literally went from bus boy to Burgundy expert and everything in-between. He did fine wine sales, studied at Le Cordon Bleu, worked at Restaurant Lasserre in Paris, and headed back to NY for a lengthy stint at Dan...

Vermont born Cerise Zelenetz headed to Paris after High School to study at the Parsons School of Design, stayed in Paris for a while and also did a residency in Spain. Cerise makes jewelry, clothing, and is a prolific illustrator. Her work has appeared in the New Yorker, Paris Review, Nylon Magazine...

Jersey Boy Raj Vaidya has been grinding in the wine business for over 20 years at some of the best restaurants in the country. His longest tenure was with legendary chef Daniel Boulud in NYC where he served as beverage director. Like many Somms, Raj left the floor to join Daniel Johnnes as Director...