Born in small-town Wisconsin, Sommelier Jeff Kundinger didn't taste wine until after college. He was from beer-drinking stock, discriminating beer drinkers, to be sure, but not anyone who would expose young Jeff to the fruit of the vine, the passion that would drive his career.

In October, this energetic young oenophile, the new Wine Director/Manager of Restaurant Cuvée took the grueling exam to become an Advanced Sommelier. Passing the test was an achievement that positions him as one of the very elite few of that rank in this country, as certified by the Court of Master Sommelier in London.

Kundinger fell into the hospitality industry by chance, working in restaurants to make ends meet after he graduated with a major in economics. As he worked his way up from the position of lowly valet, he had his first taste of wine - a '78 LaTour - and never looked back. Leaving Wisconsin, he made his way to an exclusive seasonal restaurant in North Carolina, the Highlands Inn, where there was a real focus on the wine list, and Jeff had his first real taste of fine dining. He further refined his culinary sensibilities - and his knowledge of wine and formal service - at Blanche's Courtyard on St. Simon's Island, Georgia. When these establishments closed for the off-season, Kundinger, a devoted fisherman, took a three-month fishing sojourn in the Florida Keys.

From there, in 1995, he joined the opening team of The California Grill, the award-winning Walt Disney restaurant in Orlando. The Grill is largely known for pouring each and every one of the bottles on its list by the glass, an innovative and indulgent, if expensive, practice. Kundinger, a waiter at the time, had the great good fortune of working under the legendary sommelier, George Miliotes, who took tremendous care in educating his staff. Jeff absorbed knowledge rapidly, and passed his sommelier basic certification exam in 1997. It was at The Grill that he met Sebastien Glaçon, now a close friend and fellow sommelier. The two learned obsessively about wines, traveling several times to France together on study and discovery trips.

When Sebastien was lured away from The Grill by Restaurant Cuvée owner and fellow wine aficionado, Kenny LaCour, Jeff took his place as Wine Buyer, but not before becoming acquainted with LaCour, himself. It was a natural step for LaCour to seek him out, when Sebastien departed home for France in the spring of 2001. Jeff's wife, Sharon, also a certified sommelier, moved with him to The Crescent City, where their first child was born soon after.

Kundinger is thrilled to be in New Orleans, which he considers (with New York) to be the best restaurant market in the country. As an unbiased outsider, he openly questions whether the richness of Louisiana cuisine is really wine friendly year-round - or only on a seasonal basis. He knows that the sultry summer months will present the biggest challenge, but is looking forward to meeting it. Whereas Sebastien was naturally inclined toward French wines, Jeff is looking forward to expanding the Cuvée cellar to include more of his favorites among Spanish and Alsatian offerings, as well as lesser-known California wines. He hopes to make the list more "user-friendly," and make the restaurant a real destination for wine lovers, with a bottle on every table in the dining room. And to expand the per/glass options far beyond the current list of twenty-five… Part of his strategy will be to convince Chef Bingo Starr - now a fast friend and fishing buddy - to change the menu more frequently, giving diners more room to experiment pairing wine with foods.

Kundinger has already become a member of the informal club of progressive New Orleans sommeliers and wine stewards that meet monthly to taste and discuss new bottles. This professional exchange of ideas and wines has multiple purposes - to increase the buying power of small restaurants by forming a collective body, and to meet the growing popularity of wine among restaurant diners by staying current and providing progressive lists. Jeff's expertise and credentials place him at the head of the group of local oenophiles, who count themselves lucky to be learning from him.

Jeff believes that a good wine shouldn't be reserved for special occasions. His personal cellar contains over 2,000 bottles, any of which he's likely to "pop" on any given day. From the initial core of the collection, which he bought from a restaurant going out of business, his cellar has expanded to include bottles he's purchased with a weekly $50 set aside for the purpose since his early twenties… bottles that, for a long time, stayed tucked a way in a corner of his parents' basement. His new interest is in Spanish wines, which he considers largely a great value, and very food-friendly. His all-time favorites are the Alsatian Rieslings, from bone-dry to syrupy-sweet, which he fondly refers to as "Liquid Gold." Early on, they smoothed his palate's transition from European beers to fine wines, and remain the sentimental as well as preferential choice.

Kundinger dreams of eventually achieving the level of Master Sommelier, which may be years down the road, and spending more time in Europe, traveling from vineyard to vineyard in order to observe changes in the soil and study the vines' roots. For now, the roots Kundinger is focused on are those that he and his young family are planting in New Orleans, and his own in its growing wine community.