DWWA judge profile: Michael Madrigale

Michael Madrigale is a judge at the Decanter World Wine Awards 2017

Michael Madrigale

Michael Madrigale hails from a Philadelphia area family whose five butcher shops and shared love of eating well left their mark. His food-centric Italian-American upbringing clearly prepared him for a life in restaurants. Head Sommelier at Bar Boulud, he headed to New York City. Michael initially waited tables while looking for a job that would start him on his career path.

He landed a position as a consultant selling prized vintages to passionate private collectors through the Burgundy Wine Company. There he met a winemaker from Domaine d’Arlot who offered Madrigale the opportunity to work on the 2002 Nuits St. Georges harvest in Burgundy.

Upon returning to the US, Michael accepted positions with Michael Skurnik Wines, Clicquot, Inc., and later Henriot Inc., gaining experience in various sales and management positions. But when the terroir called out to him, once again, Madrigale returned to France where he joined Butterfield & Robinson in Beaune to lead wine tours throughout the region.

Michael joined Chef Daniel Boulud’s Dinex Group in 2007 as Chef Sommelier at db Bistro Moderne and later moved on to the group’s more wine-centric Bar Boulud to manage a cellar of over 500 selections, dedicated largely to the Rhône Valley and Burgundy.

Michael left Daniel Boulud’s Dinex Group in 2016 after 9 years and joined Wine Access.

Michael has been awarded Sommelier of the year for FOOD & WINE Magazine in 2012, Sommelier of the Year for Wine Enthusiast in 2013, James Beard Finalist for America’s Best Wine Program in 2014, Top 40 under 40 Wine Enthusiast in 2015 and was Featured on Vice Network’s Huangs World Episode 2 in Burgundy 2016.