Importer and Division Manager

Chris began his career in the hospitality industry while attending Boston University for his Hotel and Restaurant Management Degree.  He moved to Chicago in 1990 where he worked for Lettuce Entertain You Restaurant Group.  While in Chicago his interest turned to wine where he began his studies at the Chicago Wine School.  

Upon moving to Denver, he worked for the California Café and established a wine school for public wine education and later expanded to The Seasoned Chef and a wine educator for City Wine while starting his own company, Barique.  Barique, focused on all aspects of restaurant and wine education, consulting; as well private and commercial wine storage design and collecting.  

After thirteen years in the restaurant business, extensive travel, and a dedication to the court of Master Sommelier Program (of which he has reached the advanced level) he dedicated his interests full time to Wine and Spirits education and sales. His career on the wholesale side of the wine world began in 2001 as the Director of Education and continued for 4 & 1/2 years at Southern Wine & Spirits of Colorado as both the Director of Education and Vice President of the Signature division.   It was with Southern that Chris became acquainted with the wines of Old Bridge Cellars, its winemakers, and families.  He is now charged with the full-time sales, promotion, and education of that portfolio with a team of four that covers half the country. 

After a 20 year absence, he’s elated to be returning to the Seasoned Chef to help bring the world of wine to their ever growing base of loyal followers.

 In this age of ‘big company’ buyouts, increasing consolidation and mass production, Old Bridge Cellars brings to you a group of fiercely independent winemakers who retain their belief in artisan winemaking. Coming to know their land through the generations before them, they have an intuitive understanding, quiet confidence and desire to produce only the best they can from each vintage. In standing resolute behind their own style, they’ve established themselves as regional pioneers, benchmarks and leaders alike, universally acclaimed by wine critics across the globe.

Representing these highly sought after, compelling wines since 1990, Old Bridge Cellars has become the US importer of choice for iconic Australian wines. In fact, our allegiance to fine wine and regional expression has been recognized in such publications as The Wine Advocate, Wine Spectator, Wine & Spirits, International Wine Cellar and Wine Enthusiast. Robert Parker of The Wine Advocate has gone so far as to say, “thanks in large part to the work of such talented importers as Old Bridge Cellars et all, American consumers have never had such an enormous selection of Australia’s finest as well as rarest wines.”

Our portfolio is anchored in Australia, yet also reaches internationally through long standing relationships with vintners in many of the world’s most applauded winemaking regions. Our parameters remain, simply, that the wineries we represent are true to their regions and true to themselves. They necessarily share a deep commitment to good land stewardship, preserving their independence, and respecting their regional heritage, all the while embracing the international wine world as their quality yardstick.

We see as our mission the championing of these winemakers who give everything in their pursuit of truly distinctive, regionally defined styles that sit comfortably with the world’s best. And who believe they can do it even better the next vintage!