Vanessa Conlin

The Climb

Training in both music and wine gave Vanessa Conlin a rare double discipline: Manhattan School of Music for the ear, and the WSET program for the palate and the trade’s standards of judgment. That combination matters in wine work, where precision is read as much in selection and service as in technical vocabulary. At Pour Wines in New York, where she served as buyer and manager, those skills were put to use in the daily conditions of retail: pace, edit, and close attention to what a customer needs when they reach for a bottle. The move from retail leadership to editorial-style wine curation came with her role as head of Wine Access until 2023. That post asked for more than product knowledge; it required a clear point of view, consistent communication, and the ability to shape a selection for an audience. Her next step widened the scale again. Since 2023, Vanessa Conlin has served as Global Head of Wine Retail at Sotheby’s, a role that carries the same fundamentals into an international setting.

Today

Since 2023, Vanessa Conlin has been Global Head of Wine Retail at Sotheby’s. In that setting, wine sits inside a larger retail and cultural frame, where selection, presentation, and timing all matter. The work is not only about what is poured, but how it is introduced. As Conlin put it, “There’s almost a performance — the whole opening of the bottle.” The remark is plainspoken, and it points to a core trade reality: service begins before the cork comes free. That focus on the opening moment fits a career built on controlled, practical progression. The scale has changed, but the underlying discipline has not: choose well, communicate clearly, and handle the moment with intent. At Sotheby’s, that means applying the same working knowledge developed in retail and wine curation to a broader platform.

In Their Words “There’s almost a performance — the whole opening of the bottle.”

Recognition

Vanessa's honors include Master of Wine (2020).