Vinny D’Ambrosio
Vinny D’Ambrosio stumbled into the world of hospitality and wine at the age of 18, “wanting to make fast money at a young age,” but what he found when he got there was an inspiring career. Now a wine steward at Celladora Wines, D’Ambrosio splits his time as a retail salesperson and a somm-server, guiding the Fan restaurant’s guests to their perfect glass.
Richmond magazine: What’s your general approach toward wine?
Vinny D’Ambrosio: At the end of the day, wine is just a drink, and it is supposed to be fun and enjoyable. If I can help people relax and not worry about all the pretentious nonsense, then I have done my job. At the same time, wine is a craft and an art, and I think it’s important to recognize the incredible amount of labor that goes into making it.
RM: How do you go about helping someone you’ve just met find the right bottle of wine?
D’Ambrosio: You have to meet someone where they are. If someone comes in looking for a big red, then about 80% of my job is done. At that point, I’m just asking if they want it to have a softer, jammy character, or if they want it to be more firm and spicy. On the other hand, if someone just wants me to recommend a good white wine, I have to start with fairly broad questions and narrow it down. Are you thinking light and elegant or full and lush? Do you want it to lean more fruit-forward or more austere and mineral? If someone can’t articulate these things, I just start reaching for chenin blanc.
RM: What should people keep in mind when they’re tasting wine, especially something new to them?
D’Ambrosio: You don’t have to like every wine, but you should try everything twice. People will work all day and head out to dinner and open up the night with a sip of white wine, which shocks their palate, and all of a sudden they hate every white wine on the planet. Try it again. And take bigger sips! I watch people take these tiny sips of wine and go, “Oh no, that’s so — insert negative character —” and I’m like, “What are you? Nobility?” Take a big sip! Let it coat your palate, really get a sense for it. Air is wine’s best friend and worst enemy. If you take a little baby sip and it tastes sharp, it’s because you are over-aerating the wine in your mouth. Try it again.
RM: What types of wine and drinks are you leaning toward this time of year?
D’Ambrosio: I love October. My birthday is the 1st, so it really feels like my month. Maybe it’s a color association thing, but now is the time to start opening those more “serious,” really structured orange wines, like ones you find from Northern Italy and Slovenia and Georgia. Similarly, I love drinking reds from Piedmont and Tuscany and Umbria, wines that taste like dry cherry and tea and earth and spice. Some Nebbiolo with mushrooms or lamb — hard to beat that.
RM: Do you have any plans to bring back your sandwich pop-up, Freaks, in the future?
D’Ambrosio: As of right now, my plan is to bring Freaks back in the fall. I have so many ideas, it’s hard to distill them into one thing. I might even do a Freaks dinner, something that feels like a huge family feast with big plates of antipasti and prawn scampi and gnocchi and lots of open bottles of wine.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
