USA
Speaker
André Mack
Sommelier and founder of Maison Noir (Oregon, USA)
Mack worked in finance for two years before entering the hospitality industry.
He joined Darden Restaurants as a dishwasher and left after six years as a corporate service trainer. He worked at The Palm in San Antonio before becoming the founding sommelier at Bohanan's. Wine later took him to Thomas Keller's The French Laundry in Yountville, California, and Per Se in New York.
After winning the Chaîne des Rôtisseurs Young Sommelier Competition and The Network Journal's 40-Under-4ty Achievement Award, in 2007 he founded Maison Noir (formerly known as Mouton Noir), a brand under which he produces unique and distinctive garage wines that seek to capture the uniqueness of the terroir of Oregon's Willamette Valley: 30,000 eye-catching labels. 000 eye-catching labels that reflect the winemaker's distinctive attitude and personal perspective on the wine subculture, and are sold in top restaurants and specialty shops in 45 states and 11 countries.
