Jean K. Reilly MW is the Wine Director for the Morrell Wine Bar, Head Thirsty Girl’s favorite post-Today Show bubbles spot. Jean is a 10-year veteran of the wine business and has worked in nearly every sector of the trade. Jean’s passion for the subject was rewarded when she became this country’s 26th Master of Wine 2010, only the fifth American woman to hold this prestigious title.
Jean’s interest in wine began as a hobby while pursuing a career in corporate finance at Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi and Deloitte & Touche. Abandoning the corporate track in 2001, Jean plunged into wine full-time, traveling the vineyards of Europe and the U.S. After a stint as sommelier at a small French restaurant in Manhattan, she worked as a wine instructor for several culinary schools, including Schiller International University in Switzerland. From 2007 to 2008, she also served as the Wine Consultant for Hilton Hotels.
Jean was the editor of the 2007 edition of the Professional Wine Reference and is currently at work on a new edition for 2013. As a writer and industry analyst, Jean has contributed thoughtful reporting and opinion pieces. She appears frequently on television and radio speaking about wine and writes for a variety of publications, including Beverage Media, Wine Enthusiast and Fortune magazines.
Most recently, Jean’s work in television includes her role as principle on-camera wine specialist and commentator for “Jet Set Chefs” a culinary adventure travel series scheduled to air in late 2012. The series has combined two of Jean’s great passions, wine and skydiving. She is scheduled to skydive into vineyards in Argentina and Germany, jumping out of aircraft flown by some of her close friends in the winemaking world.
You can follow Jean on Twitter @JeanKReilly.
Check out the menu and the world-famous wine list at the Morrell Wine Bar.
Read Jean’s recent article in the Huffington Post to get an inside peek at the day-to-day life of a wine buyer.
Watch Jean discuss Greek Wine with Stellios Boutaris of the famous Boutari wine making family.
Here you can see Jean’s interview with Olivier Krug, who explains what makes Krug Champagne unique.
I think it would be awesome if she had some wine while in the air
. Wow, to have her job! Amazing!
what will be a good wine to buy and store? stoimheng i can use maybe 10, 15 or 20 years down the road.?im planning to buy wine for storage somehting i can use maybe 10, 15 or 20 years down the road i just dont have any idea what will be a good wine to buy and store.. im not much of a drinker.. but i wanna do this so i can have stoimheng special later by then the wine will be old and will be highly appreciated stoimheng you can open on special occassions (son’s wedding, wedding anniversary, graduation and such..) or give as a gift. any suggestion will be highly valued. thanks in advance..ive heard of alot of people who stores wine.. doesnt wine taste better over time??
The best wine is kept in a 59*F motlradeey humid STABLE temperatured environment. The best wines for aging are generally reds like California cabernets andmerlots. French red wines worthy of storing include Pomerol, St. Emillion, Bordeaux, Rhone valley and Chateauneuf du Pape. The reason is that hearty full bodied red grapes have massive tannins, acids and sugars that need bottle aging to soften and mature. Vintage Champaigns also age well, as do good ports and sauterns. Look for super Tuscans, Barbarescos and Barollos in Italy.They make awesome gifts! I recently gave my best friend a bottle of 1965 Armanac for his 40th birthday .he was amazed and touched!Look for the best vintages and the best vinyards and you will be very happy down the road. Collecting is a fun way to keep abreast of the wine market and keep you on your toes looking for your next cellar find ..cheers!
What fun! What is the timeline and channel for Jet Set Chefs?