Somm's List

Tom DiNardo - The Wine Zealot

Growing up in a Sicilian-Irish household wine was a part of every meal. My fascination for wine only grew. I began working working in the wine professiona in 1987. In 1993 I founded my charity wine auctions company and Winery & Wine Appraisals. Soon after I became a sommelier and wine writer. Cheers
EDUCATION & CERTIFICATIONS
International Sommelier Guild . Sommelier Diploma
EXPERIENCE
Winery & Wine Appraisals. Seattle, WA.. Wine Appraiser, Sommelier & Expert Witness
DiNardo & Lord Auctioneers. Seattle, WA.. Sommelier & Wine Auctioneer
Wine Enthusiast magazine. Calfornia. Freelance Wine Writer
Wine Adventure magazine. Calfiornia. Freelance Writer
Santé magazine. California. Freelance Writer
WineandSpiritsJobs.com. Calfornia. Freelance Writer
WineSquire.com. Seattle, WA.. Wine Personality
Decanter Magazine. Calfornia. Freelance Writer
Washington State Wine Retailer. Seattle. Sales Representative
National Wine & Spirits Retailer. San Francisco Bay Area. Category Manager
Monterey County Winery. Monterey County. Cellar Rat
SKILLS & EXPERTISE
Wine & Spirits Appraiser
Wine Fraud Investigator
Counterfeit Wine Detective
Expert Witness & Consulting Expert
Auctions and Private Sales
Winery, Distillery & Brewery Appraiser
Wine Educator
Wine Judge
Wine Writer
Wine Service- Management
Wine Retail
Wine and Food Pairing
Inventory Management
Collectibles and Rare Wine
Wine Sourcing and Purchasing
Private Cellar Consultation
Inventory Management
Collectibles and Rare Wine
Viticulture
Wine Sourcing and Purchasing
Growing up in a Sicilian-Irish household wine was a part of every meal. My fascination for wine only grew. I began working working in the wine professiona in 1987. In 1993 I founded my charity wine auctions company and Winery & Wine Appraisals. Soon after I became a sommelier and wine writer. Cheers
MY LIGHT BULB MOMENT
The first time I was awakened to wine was in 1969. I was three years old, and my father gave me a sip of California Cabernet Sauvignon. I kept reaching for his wine glass ever since then. My passion for wines flourished and in my 20's I was drinking wine regularly. My second wine moment came while touring Napa wineries in the 1980's. Earning my International Sommelier Guild diploma was my next wine enlightenment experience. Touring the wine regions of France was a true spiritual awakening.
VIDEO

  • Wine Appraiser Tom DiNardo Discusses The Importance of Bung Holes

  • Wine Appraiser Performs Wine Appraisals On Woolsey Fire Loss Claims

  • Wine Expert Tom DiNardo Featured Sokesperson - 811 Call Before You Dig

  • Wine Appraisal & Wine Education By Wine Appraiser Tom DiNardo (Pt 1)

  • Wine Appraisal & Wine Education By Wine Appraiser Tom DiNardo (Pt 2)

  • 811 Call Before You Dig - Spokesperson and Celebrity Auctioneer Tom DiNardo

  • Actor Tom DiNardo is The Call 811 Ad Campaign Spokesperson

  • The Wine Zealot Tom DiNardo On The Importance of Winery Cellar Rats

  • Wine Appraiser Defines Wine Appraisals & Legal Appraisal Standards

  • Tom DiNardo - Actor, Auctioneer, Sommelier & Wine Appraiser

  • Wine Appraiser Tom DiNardo Performs A Winery Appraisal & Tour

  • The Wine Zealot Tom DiNardo Tours Stonington Vineyards Winery

  • Stonington Vineyards WHITE Wine Tasting with Sommelier Tom DiNardo

  • Stonington Vineyards RED WINE Tasting with Wine Expert Tom DiNardo

  • Barnard Griffin Winery Wine Tasting (Pt.1) - The Wine Zealot Tom DiNardo

  • Rob Griffin Interview at Barnard Griffin (Pt 2) with Sommelier Tom DiNardo

  • Wine Expert Tom DiNardo Interviews Rob Griffin - Barnard Griffin Winery (Pt 3)

  • Winery Appraiser Tom DiNardo Tours Barnard Griffin Winery (Pt 4) S2 E1

  • Stonington Vineyards Mike McAndrew (Pt. 1) - The Wine Zealot

  • Stonington Vineyards Mike McAndrew (Pt. 2) - The Wine Zealot

  • Stonington Vineyards Mike McAndrew (Pt. 3) - The Wine Zealot

  • Wine Evangelist Tom DiNardo on Barriques & Barnard Griffin Winery Humor

  • Wine Judge Tom DiNardo On Wine Competitions - The Wine Zealot S2 E9

  • Wine Judge Tom DiNardo at NW Wine Summit Penticton BC Canada

  • Wine Judge Tom DiNardo Interviews Alderlea Vineyards of BC, Canada.
MEMBERSHIPS & AFFILIATIONS
International Sommelier Guild
Commanderie de Bordeaux - Seattle, WA. Chapter
National Association of Professional Appraisers (NAPA)
Appraisers National Association (ANA)
Association of Online Appraisers (AOA)
International Association of Special Investigations Units (IASIU)
American Hotel & Motel Association
AWARDS & ACCOLADES
  • Vice President of Outreach – National Association of Professional Appraisers (NAPA)
  • Honorary Ambassador - World Gourmet Club
  • Commanderie de Bordeaux – Founding Commandeur, Seattle Chapter
  • Tom DiNardo's biography has been included in Who's Who in America
CLIENTS
  • Internal Revenue Service
  • U.S. Marshals Service
  • U.S. Customs & Border Protection
  • Travelers Insurance Co.
  • Safeco Insurance Co.
  • Chubb Insurance Co.
  • Lloyds of London
  • Firemens Insurance Co.
  • Liberty International Underwriters Insurance Co.
  • Amtrust North America Insurance Co.
  • State Farm Insurance Co.
  • Island County, WA. Sheriff’s Dept
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ABOUT SOMM'S LIST
Tom DiNardo - The Wine Zealot
Tom DiNardo - The Wine Zealot
1 (855) 946-3825
Seattle, WA
United States
Winery & Wine Appraisals
Sommelier, Wine Appraiser, Auctioneer, CEO & Rainmaker

Winery & Wine Appraisals | DiNardo & Lord Auctioneers | YouTube Channel | LinkedIn
Resume
From early childhood going forward Tom DiNardo was in awe in witnessing the pleasure his parents experienced from wines. Tom realized after his very first sip of California Cabernet at three and a half years of age this magical elixir brings joy makes people happy. As a young man living in California, Tom’s passion for wines continued to grow as he toured various wineries in both Napa and Sonoma County in the early 1980’s.

In 1987 he landed his first professional wine job as a “Cellar Rat” just prior to earning his bachelor’s degree. He later held various positions in the retail wine world such as sales representative, category manager, wine consultant, and sommelier.

In 1993 Mr. DiNardo founded his two wine focused companies. His charity wine auctions company (www.DiNardoandLordAuctioneers.com) gave Tom DiNardo an opportunity to preside over some of the nation’s preeminent wine gala events such as The Jackson Hole Wine Auction, California Wine Masters, The First  Press Weekend of Wine, and The Hilton Head Wine Auction to name just a few of the many esteemed wine events. He has worked as a wine auctioneer for Edward Roberts International.

Tom also built his second company Winery & Wine Appraisals (www.WineryandWineAppraisals.com) in 1993. He is a nationally recognized wine appraiser with years of professional training and decades of experience now behind him. Tom DiNardo holds multiple appraiser designations that he has earned from many appraisal organizations. He is Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP) compliant. Mr. DiNardo’s company provides spirits & wine appraisals, winery appraisals, distillery appraisals, and brewery appraisals. Tom has served hundreds of clients, and today his services have expanded to now include wine inventory, wine consulting, scope of damage evaluation, counterfeit wine identification, wine fraud detection, wine acquisition, wine liquidation, sommelier, and expert witness services. 

During the late 1990’s Tom began building his wine persona – The Wine Zealot. He continued his wine education, and never passed up an opportunity to broaden his knowledge base and contribute to the wine profession he so dearly loves. As a freelance wine writer, Mr. DiNardo has written articles for dozens of wine magazines such as Decanter, Wine Enthusiast, Wine Adventure, Santé, and WineSquire.com. He has also been a contributing writer, assisting nationally acclaimed journalists, in trade journals, newspapers and magazines.

In the early 2000’s Tom DiNardo began his role as formal wine educator in teaching people, classrooms, and event attendees about the joys of drinking, collecting, and living all things wine.

His all-consuming passion for wine (pun intended) continued. In 2007 Mr. DiNardo completed his master’s degree in wine and spirits to earn his sommelier diploma from the International Sommelier Guild. Immediately thereafter Tom began became a wine judge for many, many, wine competitions such as The West Coast Wine Competition, California State Fair Wine Competition, Denver International Wine Competition, Northwest Wine Summit, and The Indianapolis International Wine Competition.

In 2008 Tom made a wine pilgrimage to Europe and had a wine enlightenment experience while traveling through all of the famous wine regions of France. In 2010 Tom DiNardo helped the Commanderie de Bordeaux in his role as Founding Commandeur to open their Seattle, WA. chapter.

Tom DiNardo is also a professional actor and voice over artist, and he has appeared in television shows and commercials. He is an avid amateur mycologist and takes every opportunity to forage for edible wild mushrooms and plants. The Wine Zealot (Tom DiNardo) can be viewed on his YouTube Channel (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbBH-GOW5Tb8mY5HZ4FovHw/featured).