Best of Boston
Best Sommelier
Lauren Friel, Rebel Rebel
Somerville
The best sommeliers are storytellers, curating distinct points of view. Enter Friel, whose buzzy bar pairs exclusively natural-made wines with a social-justice sensibility. read more»
2018 Best Sommelier
Jen Fields, Alden & Harlow/Waypoint
Not to knock somms who manage phone-book-thick catalogs you can treat like oenophilic iTunes stores. But there’s something to be said for letting a DJ [...] read more»
2017 Best Sommelier
Lauren Daddona, Les Sablons
Cambridge
After watching Lauren Daddona create expert pairings for Frank McClelland's intricate haute cuisine at L'Espalier, we wondered how the Wayland native would ply her needle-threading [...] read more»
2016 Best Sommelier
Katie Gilarde, O Ya
Boston
With over-the-top dishes like foie gras nigiri doused in aged sake, it’s easy to get tripped up over matters of enology. Luckily, Katie Gilarde keeps [...] read more»
2015 Best Sommelier
Colleen Hein, Eastern Standard
Boston
A wine list heavy on bubbles, burgundy, and cru Beaujolais could be a bit overwhelming for the casual tippler. But Eastern Standard virtuoso Colleen Hein [...] read more»
2014 Best Sommelier
Todd Lipman, Bistro du Midi
Boston
Not to diminish the importance of knowing your Rhône from your Rheingau, but technical expertise is but a fraction of the wine steward’s craft. What [...] read more»
2013 Best Sommelier
Theresa Paopao, Ribelle
Brookline
We first fell in love with Paopao when she was the bubbly sommelier at Oleana, in Cambridge—and then, as is often the case with talented [...] read more»
2012 Best Sommelier
No. 9 Park
Boston
For the past two decades, Barbara Lynch has relied on sommelier Cat Silirie for all things wine—and for good reason. No. 9 Park is one [...] read more»
2011 Best Sommelier
Kai Gagnon, Bergamot
Somerville
Don't underestimate Kai Gagnon because of his soft-spoken gentility. The man knows his wine, and better yet, he knows what the palate wants. At Bergamot, [...] read more»
2010 Best Sommelier
Cat Silirie
Most sommeliers keep their servers so oenologically clueless, it feels like a job-security scheme. Not so with Silirie, who arms every associate in Barbara Lynch's [...] read more»
2009 Best Sommelier
Grill 23 & Bar
Boston
Where others might lean on 'steak wines' like big California cabs (yawn), Grill 23's DeWinter is likely to suggest a Paolo Bea Rosso 2000, from [...] read more»