Marcus del Monego

Coming Up

Working the American wine market at this level means keeping a steady circuit of Atlantic crossings, and Marcus del Monego treats that movement as part of the job rather than its exception. The work sits with producers, vintages, and allocations in equal measure: visit the source, taste the new vintage, make the decisions, then return with the information that will shape the next round of service and sales. The cadence is repetitive by design, but each pass through the regions brings its own read on what has shifted.

Where They Are Now

"While there, exploring the restaurant scene is almost as important though, seeking inspiration and studying the trends." That view places the restaurant floor alongside the tasting table. For Marcus del Monego, the scene is not background to wine work; it is part of the same field of study, where inspiration and trends can be read in real time. Moving through restaurants becomes a way to track how kitchens are speaking to the present, and to pay attention to the details that matter when wine is being matched to a changing dining culture.

In Their Words “As a sommelier myself, I work fairly extensively with American wine and cross the Atlantic a few times a year to visit producers, taste the new vintage and secure allocations.” The sentence is practical and exact, which is the point. American wine sits at the center of the schedule, and the repeated trips are there to keep the relationship direct: visit producers, taste the new vintage, secure allocations. In that routine, Marcus del Monego describes a trade built on proximity and timing, where the value of the work depends on going back in person. “While there, exploring the restaurant scene is almost as important though, seeking inspiration and studying the trends.” The second half of the work happens in restaurants, where inspiration and trend-spotting are part of the same discipline. The point is not to look for novelty for its own sake, but to read what kitchens are doing and how dining rooms are changing. In Marcus del Monego’s words, that kind of attention is as necessary as tasting the wine itself.