The Trump International & Tower® Chicago has appointed Rachael Lowe to Director of Wine and Spirits. Ms. Lowe holds an advanced sommelier degree from the Court of Master Sommeliers, where she was rewarded the Rudd Scholarship for top scores on the Advanced Exam, and brings more than seven years of experience and an impressive educational background to the position. As director of wine and spirits, Ms. Lowe will oversee all wine management for the downtown Chicago luxury hotel, which includes Sixteen, the hotel’s signature fine-dining restaurant overseen by Executive Chef Frank Brunacci; Rebar, a chic sushi and cocktail lounge; the stunning outdoor Terrace at Trump, which is open seasonally; and all catering and in-room dining requests.
Most recently, Ms. Lowe served as sommelier at the Michelin-rated Bouchon, a French bistro in Yountville, CA, under the direction of The Thomas Keller Restaurant Group. Prior to her time there, she spent more than three years as sommelier for several fine-dining venues throughout New York City, including Café Gray, the Mandarin Oriental and Restaurant Gordon Ramsay inside The London NYC hotel.
The wine cellar at Sixteen currently features more than 700 labels, and Ms. Lowe plans to introduce more vintages to the menu, from up-and-coming wineries to old-world favorites. Ms. Lowe’s passion for helping diners expand their wine palates has inspired her to enhance Sixteen’s wine programming with specially designed winemaker dinners, unique wine-and-food pairing events, as well as increased wine-by-the-glass selections. She plans to create her first winemaker dinner, which is scheduled to occur in October 2010, with a focus on Ruinart wines after receiving the top prize at the Ruinart Chardonnay competition hosted by the Guild of Sommeliers earlier this year.
Touting an extensive educational background, Ms. Lowe received a B.A. in visual and critical studies from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and continued her education at New York University, where she earned a M.A. in food studies. She was awarded an advanced certificate from the International Wine Center WSET in New York and completed a 20-week viniculture course through the American Sommelier Association.
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August 25, 2010Top Five orGLAMic Travel Items
