Rising Star Sommelier Matthew Conway of Marc Forgione - Biography

Sommelier Matt Conway is among that next generation of sommeliers boldly asserting their expertise and personalities with their various programs and projects and expanding the very idea of what a somm can do. 

Conway holds certifications in viticulture, vinification, and blindtasting from the American Sommelier Association. He’s a veteran of Café Gray, where he served as sommelier and eventually beverage director and worked alongside Gray Kunz for more than three years. In 2008, he teamed up with Marc Forgione for the opening his eponymous flagship. There Conway helped earn the restaurant a place on Wine Enthusiast’s “100 Best Wine Restaurants in America” and five consecutive Michelin cocktail symbols.

Over the course of his career, Conway has rarely hesitated to take that next leap. In 2010, he joined the prestigious sommelier team at Taillevent in Paris, completing the rigorous three-month training program, and in 2012 he traveled to Avenches, Switzerland, where he became a certified coffee sommelier. Back in New York and still at the beverage helm of Marc Forgione, Conway contributes regularly to industry publication The SOMM Journal, co-owns both Taquitoria restaurant and “Batch 22” bottled Bloody Mary mix—both projects launched with fellow team members from Marc Forgione—and was named to Zagat’s “30 Under 30” list.