Sommelier Matthew McConnell

Matthew McConnell has had many happy years in the service industry, but long before that he was a full time bon vivant.  At the age of three he was ordering off the adult menu and by the age of four, he knew the names of every restaurant in his hometown of Peoria, Illinois.  A career in the hospitality industry was inevitable.

A lifelong love for the mountains brought Matthew to Vail in 1997 at the age of 20.  His first job in Vail was in the classic gourmet Antlers Room at Pepi's Restaurant in the Hotel Gasthof Gramshammer, where he learned about European hospitality and fine dining service.  Moving to the highly regarded Sweet Basil Restaurant in 2003, Matthew discovered his passion for wine and realized the necessity of such a libation in the equation of any great meal.  He began taking sommelier courses with the Court of Master Sommeliers, completing the introductory course in February of 2006 and receiving his certification in February of 2007.

Realizing the importance of education, Matthew followed his palette(and stomach) to Las Vegas, continuing his education at UNLV's William F. Harrah College of Hotel Administration while working for celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck at his renowned steakhouse, CUT at the Palazzo Hotel and Casino.

Missing the mountains terribly, Matthew returned to Vail in the fall of 2009 and joined the Ferzacca Management team as the assistant sommelier at La Tour and the dining room manager at La Tours' sister restaurant, ZaccaZA!. Matthew is very happy to be back in the mountains he loves bringing great food, great wine and great people together for a true and genuine hospitality experience.