Affiliation : Premier Beverage Company
Location : Miramar, FL, USA

 

 

Master McNamara spent his childhood traveling with his father in pursuit of finding amazing wines to add to the family’s wine collection. As a doctor, his father had limited free time, but he always found opportunities to enjoy his two passions, spending time with his son and collecting and tasting fine wines. Living outside of Philadelphia, the pair would travel to New York City and Washington D.C. in pursuit of new wines. His father would always give Andrew the opportunity to taste what they purchased, and would talk him through the tasting process and describe all that contributed to the intricacies of the wine.

 

Andrew carried this passion for wine with him to his next venture when he moved to North Carolina to attend Davidson College. However, he was intrigued by subjects other than wine and decided to focus his attention and studies on mathematics. After college, he went on to pursue a career as a stockbroker. After seven years, Andrew decided he was on the wrong path and decided to revert back to what his true calling had always been, wine.

 

Master McNamara soon began working and consulting for Arthur’s Wine Shop, a local wine store in Charlotte. He recalls tasting a 1990 Louis Latour Corton-Charlemagne, which so intrigued him that he knew he made the right decision to make a career in the wine business. The complexities of the wine encouraged him to continue tasting wines at the shop and he began discussing his passion for wine with others. The store owner, as well as his customers, encouraged Andrew to pursue the Master Sommelier examinations, and he decided to put his knowledge and passion to the ultimate test.

 

While studying for the Court’s examinations, Master McNamara decided he needed service experience beyond what he could gain in the wine shop. and was later offered a position that he could not refuse as a member of the sommelier team at the Breakers Palm Beach. He remained at The Breakers’ L’Escalier restaurant for almost four years, during which he oversaw beverage operations and continued the restaurant’s prestige by winning the AAA Five Diamond award and the Wine Spectator Grand Award, which the restaurant has received yearly since its inception in 1981. Master McNamara also designed and ran the beverage program for the Breakers’ Phillips Point Club, and helped purchase wine for the other Breakers restaurants. He continued to teach others about his passion for wine and conducted many staff trainings at the hotel and participated in the Breakers’ wine class for employees.

 

In August 2005, while working at L'Escalier, Master McNamara passed the Court of Master Sommeliers’ Advanced Sommelier Exam. He recalls Master Sommeliers Virginia Philip, Fred Dame, and Larry O’Brien pushing him to study and immerse himself in every aspect of the rigorous tests. In March of 2007, his hard work paid off when Andrew passed the Court’s most challenging examination and became the tenth person in the world to win the Krug Cup, the esteemed award given to an individual who passes the Master Sommelier Exam on his or her first attempt and with the highest score.

 

A newly anointed Master Sommelier, Master McNamara teamed up with fellow Breakers’ employees and Master Sommeliers Juan Gomez and Virginia Philip and started a wine education class called Discover the Wines of the World to educate the public and industry personnel about wine. That same year, Master McNamara’s success in the wine world was further recognized as he was named one of the Best New Sommeliers of 2008 by Wine & Spirits Magazine.

 

In 2008, Andrew left The Breakers in pursuit of new arenas where he could inspire others with his passion for wine. Master McNamara briefly worked with the Professional Culinary Institute in Orlando as its Wine Department Chairman before finding his home at the Premier Beverage Company, where he currently works as the head sommelier and continues to work with customers and staff throughout the state of Florida. In 2010, Andrew was appointed to the Board of Directors of the Guild of Sommeliers.