The Chairman’s Sommelier
This Wednesday, we have a very special edition of the Sommelier Smackdown: The return of the original Chairman’s Selections! Pennsylvania’s wine drinkers fondly remember Jonathan Newman; he is without any doubt the greatest chairman to run the PLCB (the PA Liquor Control Board). Among many feats Jonathan is the original chairman of the beloved “Chairman’s Selections” program.
When he left the PLCB, many wondered if he left the wine trade for good. He didn’t, actually. He built a new company, Newman Wines & Spirits, hired one of the top talents in the wine trade, and started selling wines to the rest of the country. Our loss was everyone else’s gain. NWS is now one of the fastest growing wine suppliers in the country.
From the beginning, his secret weapon was a man we like to call the Chairman’s Sommelier: Chris Goldrick. Chris is a wino’s wino: hailing from New England, he ran the wine department for one of Connecticut’s largest retails, and then went on to become the Director of Education for the largest wine wholesaler in that state.
Affable and laid back, Chris is far from the stereotype of a Sommelier. A rising star in the wine trade, it’s no surprise that Jonathan tapped him to become the Chief Operating Officer of the fledgling company in 2008.
We are happy to have Chris with us, and so will our students! Chris will be bringing a selection of wines from the Newman Wines & Spirits portfolio to share. He shares the stage Zach Morris, one of the Wine School’s top sommelier-instructors. This is going to be fun!
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