Instagram story viewer> @alexcmares> Tagged
(@alexcmares)'s profile avatar HD Profile

@alexcmares

undefined
POSTS STORIES REELS TAGGED
We’re thrilled to announce the 2026 recipients of the Anne-Claude Leflaive Memorial Award, in partnership with @guildsomm! Congrats to @alexcmares and @sakeanonymous, who will each receive $5K to support their continued education and greater wine community. Their authenticity and passion for our industry reflects the qualities Anne-Claude Leflaive brought to her remarkable life and career. We're proud to invest $10K in the continued growth of our sommelier community. 𝐀𝐥𝐞𝐱 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐌𝐒 joined Bourbon Steak New York as Wine Director in 2024 and earned the Master Sommelier diploma from the Court of Master Sommeliers in Sept. 2026. His professional interests center on the relationship between wine and food, with particular expertise in Napa Valley, Burgundy, Piedmont and Barolo, and Tuscany. He's active in NY’s sommelier community, mentoring advanced exam candidates and young professionals and organizing tasting groups. “We have an amazing community of wine students at all levels, and as my education has progressed, I’ve made a conscious effort to invest that experience back into the next generation of sommeliers. My goal has always been to help create a stronger, more generous wine community where knowledge is shared and success is collective; and this has made me a better professional.” 𝐑𝐚𝐲 𝐂𝐡𝐮𝐧𝐠 is a NYC–based beverage professional and a Sommelier at RAON. He completed the Institute of Culinary Education’s Intensive Sommelier Training and earned the Court of Master Sommeliers Certified Sommelier credential in 2025. He has a particular interest in connecting rigorous beverage education with accessible hospitality and creating opportunities for developing wine professionals. “I try to make the rooms I'm already in more educational and less guarded. I train colleagues across wine, sake, Korean sool, and cocktails, and turn what we learn into language staff can use with guests. Since our menu is built around Korean fermentation, I also advocate for Korean beverages as subjects worthy of the same rigor we give Burgundy or Champagne, while showing how classic wines can meet unfamiliar flavors without reducing either tradition to a novelty."
7
Download
In early September, 30 candidates sat for the @mastersommeliers_americas Master Sommelier Diploma Examination. Just four passed, joining the ranks of 305 Master Sommeliers worldwide.⁠ ⁠ SevenFifty Daily spoke with the new cohort of Master Sommeliers—@alexcmares, @kaysierogers, @swashuta, and Robert Ord, MS—about what it took to get there. Follow the link in our bio to learn more about their study routines, best blind-tasting, strategies, and advice for sommeliers hoping to take the exam in the future. ✍️ @browngirldrinkswine 📸 @mastersommeliers_americas ⁠ .⁠ .⁠ .⁠ #mastersommlier #sommeliers #wineexam #winetest #wine #sevenfiftydaily⁠
0
Download
I’ve been reflecting on this photo and 1-the absolute elation of welcoming Alex Mares, MS, Robert Ord, MS, Kaysie Rogers, MS, and Steven Washuta, MS, to the Court of Master Sommeliers, Americas, as well as 2-the sweet side of the memories sparked by the 25th anniversary of 9/11: Lower Manhattan was everything for me, with @kevinzraly Zraly at Windows on the World, and @RogerdagornMS at Chanterelle, who saw me through my Master Sommelier exam, and the Best Sommelier in the United States and Concours Mondiale competitions. I wish I could have been at this year’s exam, but I feel like I was there because I’ve seen these incredibly talented colleagues shine so brightly in that pressured environment, in the test itself and with each other. Their dedication reminds me that you can’t teach or fudge the fundamentals: genuinely caring service, and true passion for connecting anyone you encounter (guests, students, friends, family – let’s face it, real hospitalitarians never met a stranger😍) with the handiwork of great artisans and farmers around the world. When you walk into that exam room, it’s that love, plus a mountain of prep and practice, that have shaped your personality and drive to do something that can never be authentically digitized, thank Heaven. I’m so grateful to all my colleagues from today and over the decades who model this with style, humor, and Jedi skill. I feel such a big gulp of happiness. Thanks for the inspiration!
3
Download
Congratulations to the following 4 new Master Sommeliers (from left to right): . ▫️Alex Mares from JW Marriott Essex House in New York City. ▫️Kaysie Rogers from SingleThread Far in Santa Rosa, California. ▫️ Steven Washuta, owner of Denver Wine Merchant in Denver, Colorado. ▫️Rob Ord from Wine Scout in Napa, California (not pictured). . They have achieved the prestigious title of Master Sommelier, joining an extraordinary community of leaders in the global wine and hospitality industry. With only 305 Master Sommeliers worldwide and 176 in the Americas, this credential is exceptionally rare and highly coveted. . The Court of Master Sommeliers is internationally recognized as the gold standard for excellence in beverage service. The Master Sommelier title represents the highest honor in the field, showcasing mastery in wine knowledge, hospitality and service, deductive tasting, and business fundamentals. . Cheers to the four new Master Sommeliers! . . . . 📸 Courtesy of the Court of Master Sommeliers, Americas. . #mastersommexam #mastersommeliersamericas #mastersomm #wineprofessionals #wineindustry
3
Download
🗽🍎 🚕
11
Download
Today marks 10 years in this wild and wonderful world of wine. 🍷🥂 What a journey it’s been. I’m incredibly grateful for every opportunity, every challenge, every bottle opened, every lesson learned, and most importantly, every person who has been part of the ride. To celebrate, here’s a photo dump of some of my favorite memories and 10 lessons from 10 years in wine. 1. “It’s just grape juice, not brain surgery” - Mia Van De Water, MS 2. “Are you going to drive with the fear, or let the fear drive you” - Reese Bobby 3. “It’s better to be smart than clever” - Morgan Harris, MS 4. “If you have to ask the question, you know the answer” - Yuka Abe 5. “Big Chef Dog Stay Cooking” - Nate Kuester 6. “Gin Martini, Gin Martini, Gin Martini” - Andrey Ivanov, MS 7. “I’d rather go 0-30 than 0-9. Because you go 0-9, that means you stopped shooting. That means you lost confidence” - Deion Waiters 8. “You don’t win tests, you pass tests, have fun, and just get enough points” - Kathy Morgan, MS 9. “All money is green” - Tim Parks 10. “The best thing in life is sharing lekker wine with lekker people” - Duncan Savage
23
Download
On my last trip to New York, I joined a group for a once-in-a-lifetime lineup of California wines that — now that I think about it — were about as old as the New York Knicks’ championship drought. But hope loomed. “I think this is the Knicks’ year,” @jonathandrinkswine told me one night at @thenoortwyck. Good call, my friend, and congrats! The Knicks’ 2026 run to the title was about as historic as these wines, especially the iconic 1969 @chappellet_winery.
34
Download
I think Monsieur Bertin was on to something when he planted next door to the monks back in the 12th century. A fun study of 2001 across neighbors, styles, and parcels. #pinotnoir #burgundy #redwine #chambertin #chambertinclosdebeze #finewine #pinotpapi #grandcru #grandcrew #frenchwine #67 #100nickparkerpoints
9
Download
📸 Introducing @sommjournal as a Media Partner for the 2026 competition! They will be featuring Sommlympics in their April 2026 issue, showcasing the competition and its standout moments. They plan to interview contestants, share the results, and shine a national spotlight on their accomplishments. Spectator tickets are available now *link in bio* so join us on January 11th in ATL to be part of the action and see who wins the trips to Portugal, Argentina, and Champagne 👀
3
Download
Celebrated #comeoverOctober with a few of my favorite weirdos, several sassy #Gamay expressions, and provincial Autumn fare. 🍂 🍷 The 2020 Clos de la Roilette “Griff du Marquis” Fleurie, 2020 Chamonard Morgon, 2014 Lapierre “Cuvée MMXIV” Morgon, and 2022 Foillard “Cote du Py” Morgon MAG were standout wines, but the people stood out far more!
10
Download
April - quick trip to Portland to have dinner at Kachka with a bunch of friends, do a little catching up with the wine community and fail the master sommelier theory exam.
8
Download
been developing quite the collection of film photos lately 📸
7
Download
back to up