I grew up in a traditional Italian-American family on the south side of Chicago's Bridgeport neighborhood.  My notions of wine first started with a fiasco (typically a straw covered bottle of chianti) on the table with Sunday pasta dinner.  After three years of traveling with the US Navy, I returned to Chicago.  Almost immediately I turned to the bar/restaurant industry while earning a college degree at UIC.  My love of beer, spirits, food and wine kept me in restaurants after college.  I have had the pleasure of working with some great restauranteurs , chefs, and sommeliers while obtaining five overall certifications from the International Sommelier Guild, Court of Master Sommeliers, and the Wine & Spirit Education Trust.  This has all led me to be a certified and working sommelier in my favorite city- Chicago!

Speaking with friends and acquaintances helped me to realize all of the misconceptions and nescience about wine.  Many people are intimidated by the product.  Most do not know what or how to order and shop for wine.  And then there are those who would rather go the easy route, go with what they know, and never step out of the box and venture into the sensual world of pleasure that is wine.

I am ready to break down the barriers.  I want to show that wine is for everyone: the golf pro, gym teacher, construction worker, corporate executive and police officer.  If a southside Chicago guy can love this tasty beverage, so can you!

You can contact me at windycitywineguy at gmail dot com.