WineInk: Top sommeliers

It’s that time of year again.

Yes, it is harvest season, but it is also the season when you get the chance to vote for your favorite local sommelier in The Aspen Times’ Best Of awards.

While Aspen is known globally as a great ski town, it is equally regarded by the world’s wine cognoscenti as one of the great wine towns. The confluence of collectors, outstanding restaurant wine lists and specialized wine shops combine to make this mountain village a paradise for oenophiles and those who simply enjoy fine wine. But the most important element is the professionalism and passion of our local wine community. That is what The Aspen Times’ Best Of awards celebrate.

Amongst those who are aficionados of world class wines and sophisticated service, Aspen is a destination unlike any other. Where else can you spend a day skiing the trees in Hero’s or biking the trails on Snowmass and wrap it up with a rare bottle of Premier Cru Burgundy or a prized Barolo?

The reasons for Aspen’s status in the wine world are many, but we must start with the fact that homeowners and visitors here are some of the most affluent people on the planet. They have the means to pay the price for fine wine and are willing to do so. Wine as a luxury item is part of the lifestyle here, and that creates demand for quality wines in the dining rooms, steakhouses and wine shops that supply them. Money fuels a wine community.

Then there is legacy. Over 40 years ago, long before wine festivals became ubiquitous in resort communities, a local wine purveyor named Gary Plumley thought a wine-tasting event would be a good way to attract some local business. That was in 1983, and his little wine tasting with the grand name of the Aspen/Snowmass International Wine Classic featured 50 winemakers and just over 300 guests. The event morphed to become the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen, one of the world’s most prestigious wine events.

And let’s not forget the influence of The Little Nell hotel, which, through the years, has hosted a wine program that has been honored with accolades and awards for decades. The Little Nell has twice been named as having the “Best Hotel Wine List in The World” by The World of Fine Wine magazine.

The Little Nell has also earned a reputation as something of a finishing school for those who aspire to the rank of Master Sommelier from the esteemed Court of Master Sommeliers. Wine icons and Master Somms, like Bobby Stuckey, who created the Frasca empire in Boulder, and Carlton McCoy, who went on to become an executive and partner in the global wine concern Lawrence Wine Estates, were both strongly influenced by their time here in Aspen at Little Nell.

All of which sets the stage for the nominees in this year’s Best Of wards in the category of Best Sommelier. By the time this piece runs, the nominations will have been paired to just the finalists. There were eight sommeliers originally nominated, and each is a talented and deserving winner of the title. 

Let’s start with last year’s winner, John Mckenna, who is the most recent arrival of the nominated somms. Mckenna followed a pair of Aspen wine legends at PARC Aspen —winemaker Greg Van Wagner and Master Sommelier Jonathan Pullis — and did not skip a beat. As wine and beverage director for PARC Aspen, which won eight Best of Aspen awards in 2025, he oversees a wine program that features over 1,300 selections of wines from around the world.

His competition this year is a formidable list of wine professionals who have been in the valley pouring fine wines, most for many years.

The Italian-inspired list curated over the decades by Ellina Restaurant & Bar’s owner and wine director Jill Carnevale and sommelier/rapper Chris Haas is nothing short of bellissimo. Both Carnevale and Haas were among those in the original nominations this year for the Besties, and it was the only restaurant to feature a duo.

Tim Bean spent 26 years pouring wines at Aspen’s beloved Piñons and then four more at Angelo’s before starting another chapter in the Japanese inspired YUKI above the Belly-Up music venue. A consummate professional, Bean has been a singular thread in the wine-scape of Aspen for over 30 years, despite his youthful demeanor.   

For those who love bubbles, the choice of Cache Cache wine director Alexandre Harvier is a foregone conclusion. The hard-working Havier has been the face of the wine program at the fine dining favorite for over two decades. He has likely poured more Champagne to celebrate anniversaries and birthdays than anyone in this town. Maybe even more than Cloud Nine atop Aspen Highlands in the winter.

Not far away, at Hotel Jerome, wine director Christel Stiver oversees a massive program that serves the needs of six different venues ranging from Prospect restaurant to the J-Bar to The Living Room. She is committed to the concept that each venue provides its own wine experience, and, as a result, the Jerome features as many as 60 by-the-glass pours on a daily basis throughout the property.

The next two sommeliers on the list of the Best Of nominations have already received Michelin Guide Colorado Sommelier Awards for their work here in Aspen.

The Little Nell’s Chris Dunaway won the Michelin honor in 2024, and last September, Bosq’s Nick Heileman was named the winner for 2025. This will be just the fourth year that Michelin has had a Colorado awards program, and to have two of the previous three winners be Aspen-based is an incredible achievement, as the awards are recognized as the standard of quality and excellence for restaurants and hotels.

Ironically, the wine programs the two run could not be more different from each other. Dunaway’s at Little Nell is one of the most respected in the hospitality industry, with around 18,000 bottles and 3,500 selections in a comprehensive cellar that includes prestigious and hard to find wines from the four corners of the world. Heileman’s list at any given time will feature around 300 bottles, each carefully selected to pair with the regional and seasonal cuisine prepared by Bosq’s Michelin-starred Chef Barclay Dodge. Both provide world-class bespoke wine experiences for their guests.  

Finally, there is Jay Fletcher, who is the godfather of the wine community here in Aspen and is legendary in international wine circles. He serves as the wine director for Matsuhisa and YUKI.

Fletcher first came to Aspen 48 winters ago with a pool cue and a pair of skis. He took a job as a busboy at Charlemagne (an old Main Street French restaurant) and somehow got into tasting wine. He followed that to a position at Krabloonik on Snowmass, where the bug really bit.

On Nov. 6, a 30-year anniversary will take place. On that date, in 1996, he became the first Aspen-based sommelier to pass the Masters exam at the Dorchester Hotel in London. He has since generously shared the gospel of wine with many young sommeliers who come to Aspen to taste with him. It would only be fitting that he be honored this year.

You can vote once a day for the Best Of awards by going to aspentimes.com.