Meet Francesco Ferrario | Sommelier, Wine and Restaurant Consultant

We had the good fortune of connecting with Francesco Ferrario and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Francesco, we’d love to hear what makes you happy.
Growing up in Italy there was always a great love of spending time with good friends and family and most often, these times involved food and wine.

One of my favorite things to do is prepare food for and with my family and friends and exchange ideas and stories in the kitchen and at the table while enjoying a beautiful meal and an inspired bottle of wine.

I am most happy when sharing my love of wine with people, talking about the history, geography and anecdotes about an obscure bottle and region.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Originally from Milan, Italy, I’ve been an established restaurateur and sommelier on the LA wine and restaurant scene for decades. The love of wine and food in my blood helped launch my career as a Certified sommelier by the Court of Master Sommeliers, restaurant and beverage program consultant, and Italian wine specialist for a small distribution company. I also organize and run in-person and zoom wine tastings, classes, and dinners and am the cofounder of Damn Good Vino, a boutique online wine shop.
I believe the wine business is often viewed as elitist and pretentious, but it doesn’t need to be so. My approach to wine tastings and education, is to be informative, yet casual, which and is quite different from the didactic and ostentatious way many people are used to when learning about wine.
Wine and food should evoke passion and emotion and I believe the job of a great Sommelier is to help usher guests into this wonderful world.

To achieve this, I set the stage for my tastings and classes with the geography, geology, weather and ancient history of the wine regions. With glass in hand, we move through a unique tasting experience using colors and aromatics to understand the hidden treasure of a tasting profile. My relaxed approach is designed to be informative and fun, creating an experience accessible for new wine lovers, experienced tasters and collectors alike.

One of my favorite varietals is Nebbiolo, grown mainly in Piemonte, a few miles from where I was born. The best expression of this wine is taking a walk in the forest after the rain. Its delicate earthy tones with hints of underbrush along with deliciously dark fruit flavors transports me to the foggy hills of Northern Italy.

This Sense of Place, otherwise known as Terroir, is one of the greatest gifts and beauties of wine. My passion for sharing my love of wine and helping transport my friends, colleagues and clients to a different place and time is the inspiration for what I do.

Whether I am curating a private wine cellar, hosting a wine dinner or wine tasting, designing wine programs for restaurants, consulting on staff education or working the restaurant as a Sommelier, these elements all come into play.

Another technique I’ve developed is to enhance the tasting experience is using color to help the discovery of the flavor profile. By tasting by color which approaches the discovery of the flavor profile by first focusing on a color that a taste evokes and then lets the color lead the way to finding the fruit or vegetable.

I also love to talk about the geology of the earth where the vine grows, which upon paying more attention adds incredible understanding and appreciation of nuances of wine that often go overlooked.

One of my favorite things about wine is there are always something new to learn.

Through the years of managing several successful Italian, Latin American, French, and American restaurants and their extensive wine and beverage programs, I’ve built strong relationships with chefs and other restauranteurs. These experiences and friendships have allowed me to develop a strong understanding of my craft and to realize that one of the most important things in addition to a strong concept is translating it to those thirsty for more knowledge and eager to expand their horizons.

It has not always been easy, as the hospitality business is hard and competitive. I learned that research, hard work and true passion will give you a great chance of success. An ability to pivot and think creatively and create complementary business partnerships has helped along the way.

My longtime friendship and collaboration with Mark Huddleston, owner of H. Mercer Imports and Parker Wolf, boutique Wine Distribution companies, focusing on small, family owned, organic and mainly European wineries, allows me access to an incredible pool of labels to share with my clients. And with this opportunity, I aim to expand their knowledge and repertoire by trying new and obscure varieties and exploring different appellations and bottlings.

And at the beginning of the pandemic, when the restaurants I was consulting for closed, I started weekly Wednesday Zoom Wine Tastings that are still happening today. We enjoy one White and one Red along with cheese pairings and a good company! (Email francesco@damngoodvino for more info and the link.)

Also, at that time, I, along with my good friend, Scott Weil, built an online wine shop and business, Damn Good Vino, where you can find an evolving selection of interesting, clean, and honest wines.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
We’d start one of our days at Gjusta in Venice and take a walk on Abbot Kinney to check out some shops and art before heading to Venice Wine Bar on colorful Rose Ave for some wine and dinner. Another day, we’d head to DTLA for a late lunch at one of the many stalls at Grand Central Market, a visit to the Broad and MOCA museums and some great food and wine at Rossoblu, Steve Sampson”s Bologna inspired restaurant. On Wednesdays I usually begin the day at the fantastic farmer’s market in Santa Monica. I’d then take my friend to grab a Godmother sandwich at Bay City Deli and enjoy a beach day followed by Happy hour at Fig restaurant at the Fairmont hotel, where sitting by the pool is always a pleasure. We’d make sure to visit the Getty Museum on top of a hill overlooking the city, a great way to spend the day, followed by a delicious dinner at Moody Rooster in Westlake Village, where Chef, Collin Crannell is cooking the best farm to table food in the area.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My wife and kids have always encouraged and supported of my endeavors. My good friend Mark Huddleston has been an accomplice as we’ve pursued our passion for food and wine together throughout my time in Los Angeles. David Rosoff mentored me at the beginning of my career and several chefs and winemakers have inspired me along the way.

Website: www.damngoodvino.com

Instagram: sommfrancesco

Linkedin: FRANCESCO FERRARIO

Image Credits
Eric Waterman