Sommelier

Ask Eric Spragett, cellar master and sommelier at Different Pointe of View, what the best bottle of wine is in the restaurant’s award-wining collection, and he’ll reply, “The best wine is the wine you like best.” This is the approach that Spragett uses to guide dinner guests through Different Pointe of View’s incredible selection of wines.

Using a unique approach to determining what wines should make the list, Spragett and his team participate in what is called a “blind tasting.” The process includes stripping bottles of their labels so that wines are selected based solely on the merit of its taste and texture.

As sommelier, Spragett’s other responsibilities include supervising the sales and inventory of the expansive wine collection as well as maintaining the cellar, a mountainside cavern where the wines are stored. Prior to joining Different Pointe of View, Spragett spent six years in New Orleans where he served as sommelier at the Fairmont Hotel. He also worked as dining room captain and second Maitre’D at Arnauds Restaurant and food and beverage manager at the Hyatt Regency Hotel.

British-born, Spragett worked as a marketing administrator in the mid-seventies for the campaign for Real Ale, a well-known British Institution promoting the distribution of quality malt beverages. During this time, he was instrumental in developing the first Great British Beer Festival.