At three-Michelin-star Eleven Madison Park in Manhattan, the wine list is as storied as the dining room. For Wine Director Adam Waddell, the job isn’t just about curating bottles; it’s about orchestrating emotion, memory and discovery — often in fewer glasses than before. Waddell, who took over the program in 2025 after joining the restaurant as associate wine director in 2023, did not set out to become a sommelier. He arrived in New York City in 2010 to study classical violin performance,…

Justin Herbinet of New York’s National Arts Club shares his philosophy for pairing wines with Thanksgiving dinner — and reminds us that gratitude pairs best with the bottles you already love. The dining room at the National Arts Club glows with the amber light of late afternoon. Stemware catches the sun from Gramercy Park as Justin Herbinet circles a table, pouring a ruby-red Gamay into half-filled glasses. The air smells faintly of roasted beets and wood polish.…

Exploring the spirit of wine from Sebastopol’s fog-kissed coastal hills If you’ve ever cruised down Burnside Road just west of downtown Sebastopol, passing sheep-dotted pastures and groves of redwood and eucalyptus, you’ve already begun to experience the quiet mystique of Halleck Vineyard. In a recent episode of Wine Talks with Paul K, Ross Halleck—founder of Halleck Vineyard Estate Winery & Wine Tasting Room at 3785 Burnside Rd—joined host Paul K. for a conversation that ranged from his Silicon Valley past to his spiritual present among the vines of West Sonoma.…