Meet the Sommelier: Christian Ferrulli of CARDONCELLO DIVINO in NYC

Christian Ferrulli is the General Manager and Sommelier of Cardoncello diVino, the stylish Italian restaurant in NoMad that is getting all the buzz. Ferruli has been immersed in the hospitality industry for more than two decades and that includes his impressive achievement of receiving a sommelier certificate from the Italian Sommelier Association. He has worked throughout Europe at The Four Seasons Hotel in Milan and London; The Berkley Hotel in London; and served as the owner and general manager of the popular restaurant, Trattoria del Tacco in Desio. His expertise lies in both his knowledge of wine and his passion for creating a seamless, "vacation style" dining experience for guests.

Broadwayworld.com had the pleasure of interviewing Christian Ferrulli about his career as a sommelier and Cardoncello diVino.

What special personal qualities or talents have enhanced your career?

The two words that I love are "resilience" and "curiosity." I'm particularly proud of applying those words to my everyday life. After a failure, at first I feel discouraged. But all of a sudden I realize that every failure it's an opportunity to learn more and to get stronger. I apply curiosity and resilience to my life and work. My love for storytelling does the rest.

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

My family, from my father's side, is from Apulia in southern Italy and for generations have been wine merchants. Every time I visited my uncle, Nuccio in Altamura I was happy. He would call me and my younger brother aside from our parents, and pour from the tanks a sweet rosè wine, a nectar really, from Primitivo grapes. He would also tell us stories about wine. I was only six or seven years old and totally fascinated. Without realizing it, Uncle Nuccio was my first mentor. I have also been inspired by authors like Mario Soldati and Luigi Veronelli because wine has poetry and romanticism for them. I've been inspired to know more about wine by all the customers that have challenged me over the years.

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

I love to connect with viticulture areas everywhere I go. I plan trips to wine countries or as close as possible to them so that I can visit producers and their vineyards. My last trip was to Napa and the Sonoma Valley. I was fascinated by the efforts and the serious commitments to wine there. The region I have visited the most is Apulia and Piedmont, but I have also visited almost every wine region in Italy. I loved the trip to Luberon, Provence, and Languedoc because of the atmosphere, fragrances, and traditions. My trip to the Finger Lakes in New York State was interesting because of the interpretation of the Riesling produced there.