About

Justin is a bartender, photographer, and wine connoisseur living in Los Angeles with his wife and two furballs. His journey into the world of wine began in 2008.

What started as a fun wine tasting trip to the Santa Ynez Valley, just above Santa Barbara, 14 years ago has developed into a deep passion for everything wine. From the different grapes to the techniques winemakers employ in making some of their best vintages, Justin was keen to learn it all—you could say he had a thirst for knowledge!

After tasting countless varietals and taking copious notes, Justin became the defacto “wine guy” in his community. He began hosting informal wine-tasting nights at his home and delighted in the moment of awe on someone’s face when they tasted an unexpectedly delicious wine, exclaiming, “Oh! So good!” His tasting philosophy quickly became apparent: wine is for everyone.

In 2018, Justin caved to pressure from friends and decided to put his obsessive, comically large binder of wine notes to use and passed his Level 1 Sommelier Certification from the Court of Master Sommeliers. 

From there, Justin got a job working in a wine shop, helping people find their “Oh! So good!” wines. After just a few months, the shop owners realized they had something special in Justin and put him in charge of tastings. With each tasting, Justin’s wine choices would take customers on “a trip around the world” and introduce them to unfamiliar vintages from the many different wine-growing regions of the planet. 

Fast forward to 2019, when everything seemed to be going perfectly. Justin was diving even deeper into the wine world and had begun prepping to level up to Somm 2—and then March 2020 came. The pandemic changed the world overnight, and everyone was forced to adapt to a distance-based “new normal.” Luckily, Justin found success with Zoom-hosted tasting sessions and was thrilled to learn that he could foster an equally welcoming and engaging atmosphere from behind a screen.

Whether it’s in-person or on Zoom, Justin loves sharing stories, making people laugh, and bringing some much-needed levity to the wonderful world of wine-tasting

**Recent update**
In December 2021 Justin successfully passed the Certified Sommelier Exam (Level 2) on his first attempt.

He is now a Certified Sommelier through The Court of Master Sommeliers.