Sommelier
Tinna McDonald
- Discipline
- Sommelier
- Based in
- Savannah, Georgia, United States
i. Biography
Tinna McDonald’s work at 1540 Room is built on the same fundamentals that hold any serious wine program together: a list with shape, pairings that respect the plate, and service that stays measured. In Savannah, she uses that discipline to set the tempo of the room, keeping the cellar and dining room in step without drawing attention away from the food.
The Climb
Wine Director at 1540 Room is a role that puts Tinna McDonald in charge of the program’s daily discipline. The work is less about display than control: maintaining the list, judging each bottle’s place in it, and making sure selections support the kitchen rather than compete with it. That kind of precision gives the program its order, and it is in that order that the room’s wine service finds its clarity.
Today
At 1540 Room in Savannah, the wine list is curated with a practical purpose: to match the menu and meet the table without excess. Tinna McDonald’s pairing work depends on reading both cellar and dining room well, then translating that judgment into service that feels calm and exact. The list is considered rather than merely assembled, and each pairing sits within a larger exchange between glass and plate. That approach shows up in the details guests register most clearly: a recommendation that lands cleanly, a list that makes sense, a pour placed with care. Tinna McDonald’s role asks for technical fluency, but also for responsiveness, and the combination gives the wine program its polish. The result is a service style that stays composed from the first selection through the last.
Career - Wine Director — 1540 Room
Recognition
Her pairing work and wine list curation define the post. In a role built on judgment and consistency, those twin responsibilities speak to the standard she brings to 1540 Room: a program organized with intention, and service shaped by exacting attention to detail. Rather than calling attention to itself, the work supports the meal, allowing each course to arrive with a sense of harmony. That is where McDonald’s contribution is most legible — in the seamlessness of the experience, and in the way her curation helps make every meal feel complete.
FAQ What is Tinna McDonald's current role? As of 2026, Tinna McDonald is Sommelier.
