Hey, I’m Edward, but most people call me Q. I am a Sommelier, certified through the Court of Master Sommeliers, with over a decade of wine sales experience and seven years of production experience. I hold a Bachelor of Science degree in Fermentation Science.

My own journey began nearly 15 years ago, when I discovered French wines working for an Advanced Sommelier at her restaurant here in Nashville. After a year of weekly wine classes there, I moved to New Zealand, where I worked for a year at a winery in Central Otago, just outside of Queenstown.

I moved back to the US intent on getting into wine production and began taking classes and working for a Master Sommelier. School was difficult at first—I’d formerly been an English major. But I soon acclimated to all the chemistry and a year later was off to California.

I landed in Russian River Valley between Santa Rosa and the Pacific Coast where I learned to grow wine from a master vintner. I farmed his small, experimental vineyard with only his assistance and guidance for three years, working primarily with several clones of Syrah and Pinot Noir trained onto several types of trellising, including one he had invented himself. All the pictures on this website come from that vineyard, and it will always hold the most special place in my heart.

I did cellar and lab work for a large commercial winery my last year in California but then moved home to Nashville to fulfil family responsibilities. I finished my degree and then brewed beer for several years at a tiny brewery in town. Beer was fun but didn’t scratch the itch that wine did. There is a somewhat limited palate available when creating a beer, but with wine it is infinite.

So, I returned to the restaurant world, working as Sommelier for an Italian restaurant in the Gulch. You can find me there on evenings I’m not leading private tastings.