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

 

Andrew is the Master Sommelier for Premier Beverage Company. He works through the State of Florida to help maintain Premier’s "put the customer first" initiative as well as to broaden its wine scope through education and training. Both the Premier staff and its customers have access to Andrew's expertise.

Prior to joining Premier Beverage, Andrew was the Wine Department Chairman for the Professional Culinary Institute in Orlando.

Previously, he was a member of the prestigious sommelier team at the Breakers Palm Beach. Shortly after arriving at L'Escalier, McNamara passed the three-part Court of Master Sommelier's Advanced Sommelier Exam in August 2005. The following year, he competed in the Finals of the Best Young Sommelier in America Competition. Then in March 2007, he became the 10th person to win the Krug Cup – a prestigious award given to a person who passes the Master Sommelier Exam on the first attempt with the highest score, joining a group of just 11 other individuals who hold that accolade. Recently, McNamara was named one of the "Best New Sommeliers of 2008" by Wine and Spirits Magazine. Andrew oversaw the beverage operations of L’Escalier, the award-winning signature restaurant at The Breakers – winner of the AAA Five Diamond award and the Wine Spectator Grand Award since its inception in 1981, as well as the Tapestry Bar and the Breakers newest restaurant concept - Brasserie L'Escalier. Prior to departing the Breakers, he designed and ran the beverage program for the Phillips Point Club by the Breakers. He also assisted with purchasing for the other 7 restaurants at resort. Andrew was active in staff training throughout the hotel, participating in the resort's intensive employee wine class. In 2008 he, along with fellow Breaker's Master Sommeliers Juan Gomez MS and Virginia Philip MS, created "Discover the Wines of the World" - an ongoing wine education experience for the public and industry personnel alike.

Prior to arriving at The Breakers, Andrew worked and consulted for Arthur’s Wine Shop in Charlotte, North Carolina. McNamara holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics from Davidson College in Davidson, N.C.