Meet the Sommelier: Aurore Vuittenez of JUNOON in the Flatiron

Aurore Vuittenez was raised in the Jura region of France, a locale known for its distinctive and famous wines. Aurore attended art school in Paris, where she spent nearly ten years focusing on set design and construction - working on an array of film and commercial projects.

In 2010, Aurore moved to New York City and followed a different career path, securing server and bartender positions at renowned restaurants such as The Odeon, Balaboosta, Bar Boulud. Very quickly she discovered a passion for wine. She decided to dedicate herself to this passion and went on to earn certifications from the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET), as well as the Court of Master Sommeliers (CMS).

Aurore's first Sommelier position was with Terroir Tribeca in 2014. After some time, she went on to hold the title of Head Sommelier with Chefs Club in Nolita, with Alain Ducasse's alum Didier Elena running the kitchen; and then briefly spent time with the Major Food Group at Dirty French. Ultimately, in May of 2018, the opportunity arose and Aurore was named Wine Director at Junoon, where she currently spearheads the wine program.

For our "Meet the Sommelier" feature, Broadwayworld.com had the pleasure of interviewing Aurore Vuittenez about her career and the fine dining Indian restaurant, Junoon located in the Flatiron.

What special personal qualities or talents have enhanced your career?

I've always worked hard I've always tried to be as committed as possible. Remember to appreciate all positive aspects of a job and try to improve things is something I try to remind myself every day. When you work in this industry you also have to stay humble; be aware that you will never know everything and that you can always learn something new from anybody, regardless of their position. I've always been curious and good at listening (with both guests and staff members). That is also essential to learn and grow.

Who have been some of your professional mentors or individuals that have inspired your work?

I take inspiration and learn from all people I work around. When working at Chefs Club in Nolita, my wine director Keri Levens taught me a lot and made me ready to be in charge of my own wine program. I also learned a lot from our executive Chef Didier Elena; he has an international experience and a great understanding of people which is as important as technical knowledge in our industry. And my husband Mario is also a great partner as he is a Chef who's been in the business longer than me. We always have great "unfiltered" exchanges about work.

Tell us a little about your travel experiences as a sommelier.

I didn't get to travel as much as I would like to but coming back home and meeting with locals producers in the Jura is always fun. Production there is very small so visiting wineries is always very friendly and informal. You might even end up having dinner with them if you happen to be around at that time!

I also spent some time in the Finger Lakes last year during harvest time and had a chance to see a few wineries with different "visions" of winemaking which was very interesting.

Why do you find your career as a sommelier so rewarding?

The fact that there's always something new to learn and that every day at work is different makes my job very satisfying. There's a lot of hard work to put in but I also consider myself lucky to be able to work and learn at the same time, in some way.

A good guest feedback is also very rewarding. It's great hearing that our wine pairings work well with our tasting menu; that people enjoyed that unusual suggestion I made; or that they thought beer was the way to go with Indian food but from now on they'll be drinking wine!

What is one of your favorite meals and what wine would you select for it?

There's so much food and wine to try out there! Here's what randomly comes to mind: a charcuterie and funky cheese plate with some vintage Madeira or Vin Jaune, a crawfish boil with Savennieres, a steak tartare with a Gamay or Trousseau (French or American) or a Frappato, peanut butter with Pinot Noir (one of my favorites late night-after work meals/pairings) and anything with Champagne!

Tell us a little about the restaurant that you currently work with.

This is my first time running a wine program and I'm having a lot of fun, but Junoon is also the most challenging place I've worked at as a somm. The rules of food and wine pairings are totally different from the "traditional Western cuisine" pairings and the way our clientele sees wine in an Indian restaurant is also very unconventional. As expected, we work a lot with spices as well as seasonal ingredients so finding the right pairings to enhance the flavors of our dishes is an ever changing exercise. I try to be as creative with my wine selections as our Chefs are with their dishes.

Junoon is located at 27 West 24th Street, New York, NY 10010. They are open for lunch and dinner and they also host special events. Reservations can be made online. Visit http://junoonnyc.com/ and call 212.490.2100.

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Junoon

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