Our Sommeliers, Cicerones, & Spirit Experts
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Kara Joseph
Kara is a Certified Sommelier and DipWSET recipient. She has lived and worked and Napa Valley and New York City teaching and sharing her passion for wine. She has travelled to over 10 countries to taste and learn about different wines. She has 8 years of experience in the wine industry. She continuously looks forward to sharing her passion for wine with others!
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Nathan Wooden
Nathan is a certified Sommelier with 20 years experience in the hospitality industry. He currently the Wine Director at the Polo Bar.
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Chelsea Carrier
Chelsea is an Advanced Sommelier with 15 years of experience in Michelin starred restaurants around the world. From opening a unicorn to discussing a patio crusher, she specializes in bringing a party to life through wine and spirits.
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Charles Springfield
Charles is a certified sommelier, wine educator and book author in New York City. His mission is to help promote wine appreciation through education in the form of classes, events and various forms of media. He has been working in wine in NYC for the last 10 years. His first book, “The Less is More Approach to Wine,” works to deliver wine education in easy to understand and manageable servings. He wants to help wine lovers create a deeper, more personal relationship with wine. In the summer of 2020, Charles released a new book called “Maneuvering Rosé Wine With Style” focused on educating consumers about the rosé wine category and rose styles from around the world. For more info, visit @thewinestylings on Instagram.
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Eric Fleming
Eric (he/they) is a sommelier, growth strategist, and DEI consultant based in Brooklyn. His mission is to innovate in order to create community, entertain, and educate. Eric earned his stripes at some of NYC's best restaurants: ABC Kitchen, Charlie Bird, and most recently winning Best Medium Sized Wine List in the country as head sommelier at Pinch Chinese. Eric's style is approachable and irreverent yet informative.Wine tells a story, so Eric seeks to paint a picture of what that story is, ultimately connecting us to what’s in our glass and the winemaker’s why behind it.
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Mark Ignaczak
From white tablecloth to power-washing the dark insides of multi-hectolitre tanks, Mark has been lucky enough to work in wine in both the northern and southern hemispheres. Having been a buyer at Le Cirque (RIP), Carbone and A Voce, he can usually be found looking for an excuse to get to Italy. He’s a big believer that the producers are the real heroes here.
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Dan Nicolaescu
Dan is a Distilled Spirits specialist, Craft Cocktail bartender, and Certified Sommelier with over a decade experience leading award-winning bars and fine dining restaurants in NYC.
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Chris Daley
Chris Daley began his journey working with beer in Chicago in 2013. He believes beer is the beverage of the people; just as lovable if you want to get esoteric about the science and history or just want some cold refreshment after a long day of work. He loves leading tastings on themes like Oktoberfest, St. Patrick’s Day, international styles, the full range of IPAs, spontaneous fermentation, and more

