Randy Caparoso's WineListConsulting.com

Randy Caparoso is a Denver based restaurant wine consultant (re Wine List Consulting Unlimited and No Reservations Restaurant Consulting) and wine journalist (Culinary Wine & Food Adventures) who has devoted himself to a career managing, judging, speaking, producing and writing about wine since 1978.

As a restaurant professional, Caparoso is best known as a Founding Partner of the Roy’s restaurant group, opening over twenty-five of these restaurants from Hawai’i to New York between 1988 and 2001. As Roy’s former Corporate Wine Director, he was Santé magazine’s first “Wine & Spirits Professional of the Year” (1998), and was twice named Restaurant Wine’s “Wine Marketer of the Year (1993 & 1999).

After leaving Roy’s, Caparoso produced three vintages of his own wines as sole proprietor of Caparoso Wines LLC, an alternative label specializing in internationally sourced wines crafted specifically for contemporary cuisines and restaurant glass programs; and served in the hottest restaurants in twelve states, from Hawai’i to New York. In recent years Caparoso has consulted for restaurants and wine bars in Colorado, Florida and Tennessee; while also serving as Chef Sommelier of the Five Star/Five Diamond Sea Island resort in Georgia.

Caparoso also serves as the national wine list judge for Santé’s yearly Grand Awards, and has repeatedly sat as a professional wine judge (L.A. County Fair, New World Wine Competition, Sonoma Harvest Fair, Oregon State Fair, among others). As a wine seminar/panel leader, he has spoken twice or more at the Santé Restaurant Symposium, Society of Wine Educators, Hospice du Rhône, Aspen Wine & Food Festival, Unified Wine & Grape Symposium, Lodi ZinFest, Sommelier Summit, and other events.

Since 1981 Caparoso has bylined biweekly newspaper wine columns (The Honolulu Advertiser), and continues to contribute as an editor for numerous industry magazines (such as Santé, Sommelier Journal, Practical Winery & Vineyard, and Restaurant Hospitality). In 1997 Caparoso was commended by the Academy of Wine Communications for Excellence in Wine Writing and Encouragement of Higher Industry Standards; and he is now an Electoral College Member of the annual Vintners Hall of Fame at The Culinary Institute of America, Greystone.

Ronn Wiegand, MW, MS (Publisher, Restaurant Wine):
Randy Caparoso was one of the country's most innovative and articulate wine directors. He consistently pushed the envelope at Roy's and established new standards for wine program excellence in a multi-unit company. Equally important, he always accomplished this with a firm eye on the bottom line and a desire to increase his customers' satisfaction in the dining experience.

Doug Frost, MW, MS (President/Industry Consultant, Strong Water):
Randy is the consummate wine professional - brilliant, passionate, totally dedicated and a great contributor to our industry.

Larry Stone, MS (General Manager, Rubicon Estate):
In my estimation Randy Caparoso is one of the most dedicated and imaginative professionals working in the world today. His achievements at Roy's were synonymous with the rise of chef Roy Yamaguchi himself

Evan Goldstein, MS (Director, Allied Domecq Academy of Wine & Service Excellence):
Randy has had one of the most creative on-premise styles that I have worked with over the years. His palate is solid and he always seems to have his finger on the pulse of what's happening and what makes his customers happy.

Rob Constantino (Managing Editor, Santé):
Randy Caparoso is the wine professional's professional. He was our first Santé Wine & Spirits Professional of the Year because his exciting, innovative, ever-changing wine program was an industry model that influenced top sommeliers and restaurateurs around the world. By combining his thorough understanding of food-and-wine with an unflagging enthusiasm for searching out the new, he has enhanced the dining experience of thousands.

Catherine Fallis, MS (Founder/President, Planet Grape; Educator, Culinary Institute of America, Napa Valley):
In the fifteen years that I've known him, Randy has challenged me, as he has challenged many others, to work harder, to raise the bar, and to set rather than follow the trends. A genius in motion.

Rebecca Chapa (Educator, Tannin Management; Wine by the Class, Society of Wine Educators):
Randy Caparoso is probably the most innovative wine buyer I know. His knack for wine and food pairing is unprecedented, and he has the ability to manage a large wine program without being overly rigid. He is also as dedicated and loyal as anyone I know; and above all, he truly relishes the business of wine.

Kermit Lynch (Wine Merchant & Author of Adventures on the Wine Route):
What sets Randy apart? First, his open-mindedness. He adores diversity... a great virtue, because it means that his palate is not deformed by misconceptions. Secondly, he is a master at wine and food combinations... a talent that comes from his incredible imagination...