Music Educator … Texas Peace Officer … Wine Guy … what do these varied careers have in common? Service! A bottle of 1983 Château Lynch-Bages sparked my interest for wine, while a 1978 Bodegas Muga Prado Enea inspired the “drive” to become a Sommelier. A native Texan and Austinite, he began his career in wine in Greensboro, NC in 2005. During that time, he served as Wine Manger/Associate for Total Wine & More, a retail wine outlet, before stepping into the role of Wine Buyer/Sommelier/Floor Manager at restaurant Bistro Sofia, an intimate, independently owned neighborhood establishment. Under his direction (w/ a fast learning curve after many mistakes!) both locations were known for providing excellent customer service, selection, and consumer wine education. Upon returning to Texas in 2010, he worked for Spec’s Wines, Spirits & Finer Foods in sales before joining the management team at Good2Go, the “to go” outlet for the Grove Wine Bar. While at Good2Go, he established a popular education based wine tasting series to benefit the consumer regardless of their personal level of wine acumen. Prior to joining “forces” with Bill Elsey at the Red Room Lounge, he served in the capacity of Grill Manager/Sommelier at the Driskill Grill and the Wine Director for the Driskill Hotel.