#WomenInWine Wednesday: Laura Fiorvanti

Who: Laura Fiorvanti

What Does She Do: She is the owner of Corkbuzz Wine Studio, an education oriented wine bar with two locations in Manhattan and one in Charlotte, North Carolina. She is also a Master Sommerlier with the Court of Master Sommeliers. Out of 236 Master Somms, only 32 are women and Laura is one of them. BAD-ASS!

Laura grew up in Bayside, Queens, NY ::cue “Empire State of Mind”::. In her early twenties, she worked at Manhattan staples such as Del Frisco’s and Ruby Foo’s learning as much about the wine industry as she could from anyone willing to teach her. Moving up the ranks in the B.R. Guest Restaurant Group, she went on to help open up Blue Fin in Times Square and quickly became their sommelier. A move to Vegas to open up a new BR Guest property, inspired her to study for and eventually pass her MS exam in 2009, making her one of the youngest Master Sommeliers at the time. In 2010, she quit her job, which was B.R. Guest’s National Wine Director at the time, and in November of 2011, she opened up the first Corkbuzz in Union Square. Corkbuzz has become a great starting off point for some heavy hitters in the wine industry, from beverage directors to sommeliers at some of the most revered restaurants, and that’s a testament to what Laura is all about: wine education and letting her team shine. She has always encouraged her employees to go learn as much as they can, even if that meant they take some time away from the restaurant and requiring her to step in and cover a little. What a great boss! She continues to take her push for wine education a step further by starting the Corkbuzz Scholarship for Women, which was established to help sponsor women sitting for the Court of Master Sommelier’s exam which is a pretty penny.

Cheers to you Laura and your continued love of helping anyone that wants to learn!