“Kogod Wine Merchants, Tribeca Wine Merchants, Verve Wine, Benchmark all have great consistent offers that I read almost daily.” He recommends that imbibers looking to try new bottles do the same, doing some follow-up research if a particular wine’s description speaks to them. Amidst the ongoing pandemic, he is currently “working from home and utilizing video meetings for tastings, presentations, and educational trainings.”Īlways looking to discover new wines, André’s approach has had to change a bit during the pandemic: “My success to finding great new wines in this time is subscribing to passionate wine shops and reading their offers and powerful descriptions,” he says. He works closely with importers and distributors - as well as with sommeliers and wine collectors through tastings and dinners. Ambassador for Charles Heidsieck Champagne, he is the eyes and ears of the winery in the States. “I put on a Tom Ford suit, and the rest was history!” Today, as the U.S. While waiting tables, André learned he had a passion (and a gift) for wine. “Pair the two together, and you’ve got some serious soul healing and recharging going down!”Īndré grew up in the hospitality industry, working in his family’s restaurant, Oceanique, in Evanston, Ill. “Like wine, music can be so personal, intimate and barrier-breaking at the same time,” he says. When he’s not educating about wine, André “geeks out” about cigars and foreign cars.
As of June, he is also a board member of the United Sommeliers Foundation.
brand ambassador for Charles Heidsieck Champagne. André is a Chicago-based, second-generation sommelier and restaurateur who serves as the U.S. Their only guidance? Find wines that will wow wine enthusiasts.įirst up is Philippe André, a bubbly-loving sommelier and the founder of The Grand Cru & Co., who accepted our challenge to build an exceptional 12-bottle case from Total Wine. (And for wine pros who work with a brand, we also let them choose one of their own wines to highlight.) Then, we choose a retailer that ships nationally, and the pros only learn which retailer they’ll be choosing from after they accept the challenge. With the challenge to build a 12-bottle case for under $250, these wine pros sifted through hundreds of bottles to find the best case possible - so you don’t have to. So we reached out to wine professionals we admire to ask for their help. Online wine platforms have algorithms that prioritize the same big brands, and many customers are still picking up their wine shop orders curbside. Somms are in short supply, as many restaurants are still closed. VinePair wine enthusiasts, we hear you! Readers have told us how hard it has been to discover new wines during the pandemic.