Rob passed his MS at 3:45 PM on February 28, 2002. He is the fiftieth American MS and the seventh American to pass all three parts on the first attempt.
Raised only an hour away from Napa Valley wine country, Rob grew up with wine running through his veins. Yet it was a 1961 Château Margaux served at a party in his parents’ home when he was ten years old that confirmed his interest. He and the wine were both born in September and a connection was made. From that point forward Rob has dedicated himself to the study of wine.
After studying Hotel and Restaurant Management and Politics at the University of San Francisco, whilst working several sommelier positions, Rob became the Wine and Spirits Director at Canlis Restaurant in Seattle. There, under Rob’s direction, the wine program received the coveted Wine Spectator Grand Award in 1997.
Following this singular achievement, Rob moved to Las Vegas to work at Bellagio as sommelier for Le Cirque, Circo and Aqua restaurants while preparing for his master sommelier examination. When appointed as Wine Director of Bellagio, he took charge of the hotel’s entire wine program, one of the largest and most successful in the world. In addition to managing daily operations, being responsible for all buying decisions and a staff of 16 Sommeliers, Bigelow also conducted a comprehensive wine education program for the entire Bellagio service staff.
Rob left Bellagio briefly to become Corporate Director of Education for a prominent Las Vegas wholesaler where he was responsible for implementing and executing their national wine, spirits and beer education program. Then, from 2008 to 2009, he worked as a Director of Fine Wine Sales for the Breakthru Beverage Group, overseeing the entire wine sales and distribution efforts for the state of Nevada.
Listening to a romantic calling that he had missed a unique opportunity by not being part of Bellagio’s debut, he became the opening Director of Wine at Aria Resort and Casino, where he assembled perhaps the most diverse Sommelier team yet, including eleven Advanced Sommeliers. Bigelow added additional roles including Director of Food and Beverage, with 3,000 F & B team members rolling up to him, and Acting VP of F&B. Rob was central in Aria’s earning a Five Diamond rating from AAA and a Five Star rating from Forbes.
Not wanting his daughter to attend High School in Las Vegas, Rob returned to the Pacific Northwest in 2013 and took the newly created role of Senior Director of Wine Education and On-Premise Development for Ste. Michelle Wine Estates. Bigelow and his team were responsible for creating, training and executing educational content and experiences for SMWE team members, distributor partners and consumers.
Rob has served four terms on the Board of Directors of the CMSA. From 2003-2012 (Education Committee Chair in 2011) and 2020-2022 (Examination Committee Co-Chair). Rob was also an Adjunct Professor for the Hospitality Management Program at the esteemed College of Hotel Administration at the University of Nevada – Las Vegas. Rob was honored as the 2007 Wine Professional of the Year by Santé magazine.
Since 2019 Rob has run his own consultancy, Free Solo Hospitality, specializing in private events, cellar management and restaurant consulting.
He is also an accomplished thru-hiker, having completed four John Muir Trails and aspires toward the Pacific Crest Trail.
