Wine Director

Joseph DiGrigoli

Discipline: Wine Director
Venue: Kitchen Istanbul · Restaurant

Portrait of Joseph DiGrigoli

i. Biography

Wine at Kitchen Istanbul in San Francisco is built here as a producer-driven list: low in markup, broad in scope, and calibrated to sit naturally with the food. In Joseph DiGrigoli’s program, selection matters more than display. The emphasis stays on sourcing, on balance, and on bottles that can move across the table without losing their shape—wines grounded in sensible farming and lifted by native yeasts. That approach suits a dining room where hospitality and precision have to meet in the same glass. “My goal is to have a producer-driven program that features low markups and covers a lot of ground.”

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Coming Up

Training at New York University gave Joseph DiGrigoli the base for a restaurant career that moved quickly from study into service. At Quince, he started as a copywriting and wine assistant, working at the overlap of cellar detail and hospitality language. From there, the work deepened at Cotogna, where he advanced to managing sommelier and wine director, a role he held until 2023. The sequence reads as incremental room by room, with each title widening his responsibility for how wine is selected, placed, and spoken about in service.

Where They Are Now

Since 2023, Joseph DiGrigoli has directed wine at Kitchen Istanbul in San Francisco. The list there is shaped by breadth and restraint, with room for range but no interest in excess. That means coverage across styles and regions, while keeping the program practical for the dining room it serves. The result is a list organized around clarity: the producer stays visible, and the structure of the program does the work without crowding the table.

In Their Words “My goal is to have a producer-driven program that features low markups and covers a lot of ground.”

Career - Copywriting and wine assistant — Quince - Managing sommelier and wine director — Cotogna (until 2023) - Wine director — Kitchen Istanbul, San Francisco (from 2023) Education: New York University

FAQ What is Joseph DiGrigoli's current role? As of 2026, Joseph DiGrigoli is Wine Director. Where did Joseph DiGrigoli train or study? Joseph DiGrigoli trained at New York University. What is Joseph DiGrigoli known for? Producer-driven wine program with low markups, broad coverage, food-flexible wines, and an emphasis on sensible farming and native yeasts.