Ron Quint is the Host, Executive Producer, and creator of Wine Inside Out TV. Ron is a Certified Specialist of Wine of the Society of Wine Educators as well as an active member in the Boston Sommelier Society. As Executive Director of the Wine Education Network, he can be found teaching classes in Boston and New York while working with other trade professionals to advance the growth of unpretentious wine education. He also writes a monthly blog, Tasting Theatre. While teaching, Ron has the privilege of sharing his passion with fantastic people who seek to increase their wine know-how. His primary goal is to provide standard learning outcomes to ensure his students can better select, purchase, and enjoy the wines that best suit their individual tastes. He also encourages everyone to maximize their, “wine life”, believing that we should embrace our individuality and the diversity around us. Because, in his view, our wine life not only facilitates self-discovery but also transcends us into a true form of self-expression. Having said that, Ron admits that his interest in wine began when he was introduced to inexpensive White Zinfandel at his local supermarket in San Francisco by Eve, a former girlfriend. But once Eve decided to date other people, Ron was free to discover other wines which peaked his interest in other regions — although he has not been to a Rave since. Ron’s professional wine experience began as a Teaching Assistant at the International Wine Center in New York City and later at L’Ecole du Vin in Atlanta. Ron also enjoys yoga pilates, fresh fruit, time-off, the French film festival, and when the train is on time.
Keri Anne Shea has worked in the film industry for a number of years and has worked on a number of films in both acting and hair and makeup roles. These films include The Visionary and Celeste and Jesse Forever which is invited to showcase at The Sundance Film Festival in January 2012. She has also worked a number of television commercials, including those for Mohegan Sun Casino, PCS Cases, Payless Auto Glass, Bay state Hospital and Health New England. As a successful small business entrepreneur, Keri’s work has been showcased in Real Simple Magazine, The Know Boston, Brides and Get Married magazines. Keri has been selected for Brides Choice Awards from Weddingwire.com in 2009, 2010 2011 and 2012. Keri Anne owns her own small business, K. Shea & Co., which specializes in production, special effects and on-site hair and make-up clients throughout the Northeast. K. Shea & Co. is located in East Windsor, Connecticut. kerishea.com
Noon takes her drinking seriously. She is a Certified Sommelier with the International Sommelier Guild and the Court of Master Sommeliers, a Certified Wine and Spirits Specialist with the Society of Wine Educators, Certified Sake Professional with the Sake Education Council and a BarSmarts certified Mixologist. When she is not busy advancing her own education in the world of drink, she has been known to have teaching stints at Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Institute in Boston. She is currently involved in a new restaurant venture Umami (love it or hate it…they don’t serve Sushi) and she oversee several beverage consulting projects. As member of the Boston Sommelier Society and the Boston Chapter of the United States Bartenders Guild, she stays current on the essentials and in is constant contact with her peers. As a “social drinker, she also loves to uncork and unwind, share and create some liquid memory. She also runs her own blog, Properly Drunk. What makes Noon passionate about Wine and Spirits? One of the many reasons she is drawn to wine is its organic nature. It’s living matter that evolves as a consequence of its environment. Also, there was one book that really impacted her, “History of the World in 6 Glasses”. She believes that everyone who reads this book will understand how impactful beverages are. In her free time, Noon tries to save the environment by using alcohol as alternative fuel for running. She updates her playlist with more songs that have the mention of wine & spirits (currently I have 215 songs, including 21 that mention Patron). You’ll also find her in the kitchen trying out new recipes and raiding chef’s cabinets for new ingredients that she can use to brew, infuse or make a drink with…Margarita with Ancho Chili-Honey, anyone?! Noon’s favorite wine style/varietal of wine is RIESLING!!! She recalls a game in wine class called, “If I were a grape, what varietal would I be?”. Riesling thrives in the toughest conditions; the coldest weather, the steepest terrain…and Clare Valley. It can be both elegant and assertive at the same time. The different styles and expressions of well-made Riesling are priceless. What about her favorite spirit? anything that comes in a bottle…bathtub gins left some pretty bad memories. As a mixologist, you learn to appreciate the different nuances and charms of different spirits. Picking a favorite is tough. moksarestaurant.com
At what point does a hobby become a career? At what point does interest turn to obsession? At what point does grape juice become wine? Michael Meagher entered into the hospitality industry as a jack-of-all-trades for the Elizabeth Creed & Co. catering company in Beverly, MA while pursuing his undergraduate degree in Sociology at Harvard University. Not convinced that law school was the best use of his talents, Michael enrolled at the Culinary Institute of America. After a few years of earning his keep in the kitchen, Michael packed his bags and moved to Australia, enrolling in the Masters degree program in Gastronomy at the University of Adelaide. Writing his master’s thesis on screw capped wines in the United States, (and seeing it published in part in the Journal of Culinary Science and Technology), Michael realized that it was the study of wine, from grape to glass, which captured his enthusiasm. He has since worked in the beverage departments at several award-winning establishments including BOKX 109, Sel de la Terre and L’Espalier. Currently, he is the New England Luxury Account Manager for the Heirloom Wine Group, and is part of the team that includes Master Sommeliers Fred Dame, Brian Koziol and Brian McClintic. Michael is a Master Sommelier Candidate of the Court of Master Sommeliers and he is in the process of completing his Diploma of Wine Studies from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust. In 2011 he placed third at TOP|SOMM The US Sommelier Championships and took fourth place at the American Sommelier Association’s Best Sommelier in America competition. In 2010, he placed second at the International Best Young Sommelier Finals in Santander, Spain, finished third at TOP|SOMM, and won the title of Best Young Sommelier in the United States from the Chaine des Rotisseurs. Michael enjoys trying to avoid studying through running, hiking, cold beer and deluding himself into thinking that he can catch up on sleep. bostonsommeliersociety.com
Nick Daddona began his career in hospitality without a thought of wine in his mind. As a bartender, Nick’s original reaction to wine was that it was juice that can go bad before the guest gets to enjoy it, why would you risk that! That life is long gone. After having past experiences in Music, Theater, and Philosophy, Nick began working as a bartender in Boston. His interest in wine grew organically, with different experiences from different mentors. Then after accepting a position as a restaurant manager in charge of staff wine education, Nick was immediately humbled by the diverse culture and amazing experiences that are possible within the world of wine. This began Nick’s passion for learning and appreciating wine. Luckily, after taking and passing the Court of Master Sommeliers Introductory Sommeliers test, Nick met members of the Boston Sommelier Society and then began attending tasting and other events held by the BSS. Now General Manager and Wine Director of Les Zygomates Wine Bar and Bistro, Nick not only leads public tastings but is a rigorous advocate of unpretentious wine education and service. After all, on any level, wine is a love meant to be enjoyed first, if it wasn’t for that enjoyment, we would have never learned a thing. winebar.com
After spending two years at St. Johns Central College in Cork City, Ireland studying film and video productions, he attended and graduated from Boston University’s Center for Digital Imaging Arts. Since finishing school, Corey has worked freelance as a Cinematographer, Camera Operator, Assistant Camera, Videographer, Photographer and Best Boy. Some of his production locations include; Maine, Massachusetts, New York City, Connecticut, Los Angeles, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Greece and Ireland. After working on a film produced by “Extra” co-anchor Maria Menounos, he was hired by her production company “Omegagirl International”, and moved to Los Angeles. Corey’s still photos have been published in Self Magazine, The Boston Herald and “The Every Girl Guide to Living”; a Harper Collins publication. Motivated and inspired by work in the creative fields, Corey also loves music, foreign films, traveling, good books, good food, camping, snowboarding, and ice hockey. Corey is based in Bedford, MA. coreysheehan.com
Jonathan’s career started as a video-journalist and editor for a local CBS and FOX affiliate TV news station. At 19 years old, he was the youngest videographer on the team. He then completed his BA in Film at the University of California, Berkeley where he was the cinematographer on numerous student films. Additionally, Jonathan directed the TV broadcasts of athletic events including the Cal Golden Bears Football team. Later he worked as a film restoration artist and projectionist at Modern VideoFilm in LA. He has traveled extensively in Israel, Turkey, India, and Nepal. Jonathan is is based in Boston, MA. jonathanamerikaner.com
Svetlana Trifonov is a Web Designer, Animator, and VFX Artist specializing in Adobe After Effects. A wide diversity of skills has given her the opportunity to take on numerous roles in video production, including concept design, pre-visual animation and cinematography, art direction, and character animation. Svetlana began her graphic design career in 1998 doing digital retouching for print photography and creating web pages. In 2001 she went on to become the lead designer at Vista Print. Thanks to her vast technological knowledge, Svetlana was instrumental in conceptualizing and guiding the development of the online retail store Stylematters prior to forming her own company, Svetagraphics.com. Outside of work, Svetlana enjoys putting the glamour back into fashion. Svetlana is based in Newton, MA. svetagraphics.com
For the past 18 years, Angie has worked for several major fortune 500 companies and became a corporate trainer which involved a lot of one on one client interaction and traveling. Angie decided it was time to stay put for a while so she took the job as the Beauty Consultant with Keri Anne Shea. She loves being able to use her artistic skills as well as her client interaction skills. Angie has an amazing eye for the arts. She has trained with some of the best and loves to share her valuable information with all.
Laura Johnson was born into a show business family; made her official theatrical debut at age 2; and has since enjoyed over three decades of professional stage and screen performance spanning from Boston to Los Angeles. Her Hollywood TV and feature film credits include Buffy the Vampire Slayer, ER, and Scream 3. She also worked behind the scenes in the production offices of the made-in-Massachusetts movies Next Stop Wonderland and Southie. Now an award-winning writer/director/ producer, her very first film took 2nd place in its category in the Fall 2010 Alliance for Community Media’s Video Festival (Northeast Region). Offstage, she holds a bachelor’s degree in English from Emmanuel College and works in publishing as a quiet and unassuming copy editor, most notably with Boston magazine. She lives in Newton with her 116-pound rescue dog.
Carin works in innovative health research, communication & digital media production at the Informed Medical Decision Making Foundation. She recently relocated back to Boston from New York, where she worked in health care research and patient education in women’s and pediatric health. Drawing on past experience working in TV production for NBC and ABC in Los Angeles and video projects in New York City, she is now working on personal projects with a focus on cooking locally grown nutritious food to stamp out hunger, prevent disease and live a healthier life. Carin has had an interest in wine for over 15 years which was ignited by a trip she was awarded to visit Robert Mondavi, Sterling and Mirassou wineries in the Napa Valley, CA. She has a BA in Psychology, with a Minor in Asian Studies, and attended Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University.
As a child growing up in Vermont, TJ Douglas would often add one very important accessory to his t-shirts before running out the door to school – a clip-on tie. While other kids were working to save money for a spring break trip, TJ was saving every dollar for a dream that was just beginning to form. Upon his arrival in Boston, TJ’s journey began to take shape as he combined his love of restaurant management with a newfound passion for wine. After helping to open the wine bar Rustic Kitchen in Faneuil Hall, TJ worked his way up at Armani Café until he became General Manager. Along the way, no wine list was safe from TJ’s scrutiny and fine-tuning. Trips to Italy, France, South Africa, Napa and Sonoma ignited TJ’s passion for wine. Slowly, his dreams turned from owning a restaurant to owning a wine store, where he could share his love for wine with other people. After four years as a wine salesman for Ruby Wines, the time was right for TJ to realize his dreams. The Urban Grape is the culmination of this journey. Says TJ, “I love wine. Not just the taste, but the experience. The Urban Grape is the culmination of half my life’s work. Each of my experiences with wine (and the people who love wine) has led me to this moment. I believe I have opened a store that can create community, memories and joy through the experience of wine.” TJ lives in the South End of Boston with his wife Hadley and two children. theurbangrape.com
