When did you begin to appreciate wine?
I started getting into wine while I was waiting tables in Vermont. I realized the more wine I sold the more money I made. So I bought a book on wine and started studying. I was still underage at the time, so I had my 21+ year old friends buy me bottles from the local stores that I had seen on shelves and read about in books. I would bring the wines home, taste them, and read about them. My friends at the time thought I was nuts!

Do you have a favorite varietal or region?
After many years in the business, having tasted hundreds of wines, many sommeliers tend to gravitate into wines from a cooler climate with a higher acidity. These wines are characterized by their intensity, crispness and tension. I generally tend to drink mostly white wines. At home and when I am out, I drink wines from Chablis and the whites of the Côte de Beaune, along with whites from Germany, Austria, and lots of bubbly. For reds, I drink Pinot Noirs and Nebbiolos mostly. My hero currently is Bruce Sanderson, because his job is to review the wines of Germany, Champagne, and Burgundy for the Wine Spectator. We had a desert island wine conversation recently, and agreed he has it made! That being said, I do drink lots of other wines and serve almost every style and grape from all different countries. I will try anything at least once!

What is the first thing someone learning about wine should know?
Wine changes from year to year and all grape varieties have different personalities much like people. You may have to give a certain grape that you may not like the first time a second chance; because the wine world is too vast to immediately dismiss something on a first taste.

What do you try to instill in the sommeliers you train?
Balance. It is great to geek out and know every little sub region and indigenous grape variety. However, running a wine program is a business, and you must have a balance of tried and true wines--fun geeky wines, inexpensive wines, and expensive wines. The wine program is not all about you. It's about the restaurant concept, the guests buying habits and tastes, and also meeting a certain financial goal for the health of the restaurant.

What are some of your favorite food and wine pairings?
I really enjoy drinking Piedmontese and Tuscan reds with my home-cooked Bolognese. I also enjoy eating my local Thai take-out with some Kabinett or Spätlese Riesling from Germany. My favorite, most recent pairing was when I sat with a few other fellow Master Sommeliers at the Modern and had Chef Kreuther's Alsatian Country Sausage with kraut and whole grain mustard with a Grand Cru Sommerberg Riesling from Albert Boxler. We were all blown away. It was perfection! When I am out to dinner, I generally defer to a sommelier or wine person just to break any habits I would have had and try new things.

Do you think any rules should be adhered to when pairing?
The only rule is that there are no rules, only guidelines!!

What wines should no home be without?
Every fridge should have a bottle of Champagne (just in case). I also think if you are really into it, you need to have a few different styles of whites and reds hanging around. I usually have about 3 to 6 whites in the fridge: a Riesling, a White Burgundy, a Grüner Veltliner, and often a Rhône inspired white, like a Roussanne or a Viognier for those that enjoy richer whites. I think everyone should have a couple different Pinot Noirs on hand; it's too versatile to not have. Also, it's good to have a few different other styles of red like a Bordeaux, a Syrah, and a Zinfandel. Mix it up!

What do you drink aside from wine (and water)?
I drink tons of Belgian beer. My favorites are Westmalle Trappist Tripel Ale, Saison Dupont Farmhouse Ale, and Duvel. I am also a fond lover of Bourbon, Chartreuse and Amaro's. I frequent the top cocktail bars in NYC and around the country whenever I can to see what's going on in the cocktail world. Sometimes there's nothing better than an old school cocktail made with some TLC!

What's your least favorite drink?
I am not fond of Scotch or Light Beer.

What is your favorite food?
Napoletano Style Pizza

What are your thoughts on recent trends within the industry?
There are so many trends in so many different markets going on right now; it's hard to pinpoint any one. I would say that I am pleased that people are more open to all things beverage, especially some of the "off the beaten path" wines. The movement towards biodynamic, organic, and local wines and the overall awareness of wines and spirits made on a smaller scale in a hand-crafted manner are both important and exciting trends occurring at this time.

What are some of the benefits of drinking wine?
Well, wine makes me pretty darn happy when I drink it. So my take is that you can extol the virtues of wine's antioxidant content and benefits to the heart, but at the end of the day...isn't life about the pursuit of happiness? Start with a glass of wine, and you're on your way!

Do you have any other tips for wine enthusiasts?
Try different things out every time you are buying a glass or bottle of wine. Find a store and/or wine bar that you trust and create a rapport with them. Use them to teach you about different wines. Once you create that kind of relationship, the wine world will quickly become less intimidating and more fun. Even if you don't like a certain grape or style, it's good to taste anyway. That way you can hone in on what you really do like. Also the internet is a powerful tool. Jump on Google and start typing in grapes, regions, styles and producers. You'd be surprised how much info is there!