About Us
Our Cofounders
Jeff Porter
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Originally from Texas, Jeff’s passion for wine started while at the University of Texas at Austin. He began his career at Central Market in Austin, Texas - one of Austin’s premier wine destinations. After graduating Jeff moved to California where he worked as a salesperson for a wholesaler in the San Francisco Bay Area but his passion for restaurants and service drew him further north. His sommelier career began in Napa Valley working at Tra Vigne Ristorante in St. Helena, California. He joined the Bastianich Hospitality Group in 2009 at Osteria Mozza under the auspice of James Beard Award winning chef Nancy Silverton. In 2011, he moved to New York City to become the wine director at Del Posto Ristorante, and in 2014 Jeffrey became the beverage operations director of the entire company. In this role he oversaw the beverage programs for Babbo, Del Posto, Esca, Lupa, Otto, Babbo Pizzeria and others. In 2019 Jeff left the Bastianich group and began his consulting career and a web series about wine, life and culture called Sip Trip. Jeff’s consulting business took off quickly with Hometown BBQ, Red Hook Tavern and the brand new luxury hotel in the Barolo region Casa di Langa. Jeff helps his clients create beverage lists and service standards to entire programs of hospitality. In October of 2021, the Brooklyn Nets hired Jeff to oversee the beverage program at the Barclays Center to help usher in a new era in how wine is viewed in the sports entertainment space. In August of 2022 Wine Enthusiast magazine invited Jeff to become a writer at large and the reviewer for Northern Italy. Apart from Jeff’s day job, he is a passionate advocate & practitioner of BBQ in all of its guises & glories, a father of a daughter and happy husband.
Daniel Johnnes
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Daniel Johnnes is the founder of La Paulée in the United States, a world-renowned Burgundy wine festival. Louis-Michel Liger Belair, one of the foremost winemakers in Burgundy, calls La Paulée “...the finest Burgundy wine tasting in America… all the great estates go at least every two years, as well as everyone who matters in the world of wine in the US (and in many other countries), whether they’re a consumer, member of the trade, or sommelier. It’s ‘the place to be’ in the American wine world.”
In addition to his work organizing La Paulée and sister festivals La Fête du Champagne and La Tablée which feature the wines of Champagne and the Rhône Valley, respectively, Daniel is the Wine Director for Daniel Boulud’s Dinex Group, which includes over 15 restaurants in New York City and throughout the world. He also manages the wine program for American Express’s Centurion New York in the One Vanderbilt building.
He is also the founder of Pressoir, which offers intimate wine experiences, consulting services, and an exclusive club.
Daniel’s most recent project is Convivio del Vino, an Italian wine festival in collaboration with expert & critic Jeff Porter.
Daniel has received two of the highest honors from the French Republic for his efforts in the furtherance of French wine and culture by being named a Chevalier de l’Ordre du Mérite Agricole (2016) and Chevalier de l’Ordre du Mérite (2023). He is a three-time James Beard Award winner, including the prestigious Who’s Who among Food & Beverage in America award.
Daniel and his team’s commitment to mentorship has culminated in the Sommelier Scholarship Fund, a 501(c)3 organization that offers educational experiences to rising wine professionals to learn firsthand about the people, culture, winemaking, and terroir that so inspired Daniel during his first trips to France.
The Team
Led by sommelier and founder Daniel Johnnes, our small yet highly dynamic and productive team boasts over 80 combined years of sommelier experience on the floor as well as deep knowledge and experience in experiential event planning and production, marketing, and customer service. Our fluency in French language & culture and carefully cultivated relationships have allowed us to plant remarkably deep roots in French wine regions, affording us unparalleled access to some of the most sought-after wineries in the world.
With a passionate mission to transport guests to the vibrant regions of Burgundy, Champagne, the Rhône Valley, and now Italy, we believe that unforgettable experiences happen when the best wines from the finest estates and most talented winemakers are brought together with a passionate community of wine enthusiasts in a setting infused with generous spirit.
(Left to Right) Raj Vaidya, Jaime Dutton, Max Goldberg Liu, Justine Puaud,
Daniel Johnnes, Edouard Bourgeois, Astrid Breggia, Nikita Malhotra