New Sommeliers; Uncorked the Series

The Little Nell takes pride in our wine program at the hotel, overseen by Master Sommelier and Wine Director Carlton McCoy. McCoy leads wine tastings and classes for staff on an ongoing basis. The Nell also supports staff pursuits towards wine certification through the Court of Master Sommeliers. Last week, a number of staff from The Nell earned their level 1 and 2 certifications from the Court at exams held at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs, bringing the total number of sommeliers at the hotel to 34, comprising 22 Introductory, 9 Certified, 2 Advanced + 1 Master. At these recent exams, The Little Nell earned top honors with Leo Spinelli from the banquets team and Erik Elliot from Ajax Tavern achieving the high score fon the Introductory and Certified exams, respectively.

As of November 2015, the current list of 39 sommeliers at The Nell includes:

Introductory Sommeliers (22)
Charles Benoit
Amanda Severin
Alex Costa
Leo Spinelli (Overall High Score in this class, Nov. 10, 2015)
Nataliia  Gudzenko
May Selby
Stephanie Strauss
Lauren New
Ian Simmons
Peter Kovach
Sarah Liendo
Matt Jacobsen
Ashley Arnot
Oscar Fernandez
Carrie Williams
Chef Matt Zubrod
Thom Barr
Nick Adler
Jake Zubrod
Casarae Clark
Marcy Kneiper
Dionysio Madrid
Melina Glavas
Dan Fehr

Certified Sommeliers (9)
Itzel Ortiz
Erik Elliot (Overall High Score in his class, Nov. 8, 2015)
John Koch
Ricardo Leyvas
Jeff Moses
Christopher Dunaway
Grant Barrette
Suman Pradham
Derek Reijmer
Chris Dunaway

Advanced Sommeliers (2)
Timothy Baldwin
Csaba Oveges

Master Sommelier (1)
Carlton McCoy

The Little Nell is also featured in the documentary series Somm Uncorked on Esquire TV currently airing Tuesdays at 10 pm EST on Esquire TV this fall. The show follows six aspiring Master Sommeliers from New York, as they prepare for their MS exam, and features former Little Nell Master Sommeliers Sabato Sagaria and Dustin Wilson throughout the series. The Nell was the setting for the exam last spring, which is the topic for the final episode that airs Tuesday, Dec. 15. Chair 9 will present a re-screening of the finale in January with McCoy and fellow somms as your hosts and wine specials. Details are forthcoming.