D’Amore Wine Selections had the opportunity to sit down with one of the top wine professionals in the state of Texas (if not the country) this week, Devon Broglie (right), wine buyer and “Specialty Coordinator for the South West Region” for Whole Foods Market. Not only does Devon oversee the cheese, beer, coffee, tea, and housewares departments for the Whole Foods flagship store in downtown Austin (where the company started) and the entire southwestern United States, he also is its wine buyer. In other words, he selects the wines that literally tens of thousands of Americans will take home nightly to uncork at the dinner table.
“I am intensely grateful,” said Devon over Tuscan black kale pizza at Austin’s Cipollina, ”that I am able to do something as a business that I would do for my own enjoyment, that I would do as a hobby.”
When asked the secret of his success, 30-something Devon told us that he owes much of his career to a double major in economics and psychology at Duke University in North Carolina, with a focus on microeconomics and behavioral psychology. “I’ve never lost sight of the fact that you need to look at wine as a business.” In fact, in an industry where many young professionals burn out quickly, disappointed and disillusioned after the romantic aspects of the world of wine seem to slip away, Devon has reached the pinnacle of success through a level-headed and pragmatic approach. “My success,” he said, “is related to the fact that I’ve never lots sight of the fact that it’s not just about passion and excitement.” Wise words of advice to anyone about to embark on a career as a food and wine professional.
Above: Tuscan black kale pizza at Cipollina.
Growing up the son of a steel-industry executive in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, fine food and wine were not readily accessible to Devon, whose career would ultimately make him a bona fide tastemaker in the U.S. “We were a Prego Sauce and Shake & Bake family, meat and potatoes,” he remembered fondly.
But a series of college jobs in the restaurant business (in North Carolina and then as an exchange student in Scotland) and the first 40-lot wine list he wrote for an Italian-themed eatery ignited a spark. And then a season as a “cellar rat” in Priorat at Costers del Siurana sealed the deal.
Today, beyond his duties as one of the nation’s top wine buyers, Devon has also been offered a seat at the prestigious master’s exam proctored by the Court of Master Sommeliers. (There are currently 170 Master Sommeliers in the world, 105 of them North American.)
Devon is also on the board of the groundbreaking Texas Sommelier Association, a body that promotes wine education in Texas and beyond.
Of course, we were thrilled to learn that Whole Foods Market will be carrying the current vintage of the Duchman Family Winery.
“I like the Duchman Family Winery wines,” said Devon, “because they represent style and innovation in the Texas wine industry. I like how they’ve embraced experimentation and instead of planting Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, they’ve hung their hat on Italian varieties.”
Devon, thanks for your support, and to borrow a saying from the French, chapeau bas, our hats off to you!
For more information on the Duchman Family Winery and other D’Amore products, please email us by clicking here.
