Babbo
New York
- Babbo
- Martini House, St. Helena - California
- The French Laundry, Yountville - California
Rhode Island native Amanda Reade was raised by a father who always found excitement in a good White Burgundy. Always around wine, but never quite "getting it", she turned instead to Dark & Stormies at sailing regattas. Attending St. Mark's School in Southboro, MA, and then the University of Vermont, Amanda received a B.S. in Business Administration with a minor in English, also a member of UVM's nationally-ranked Sailing Team.
It was while in college that something just clicked. After graduating, Amanda had no idea what she was wanted to do with her life. She loved the snow, so she moved to Vail, CO to spend some time in the clean air and ski while she figured it out. A stint at Sweet Basil in Vail Village provided the necessary leap into the wine groove, trying to learn as much as she could. Amanda then moved to Napa to fuel this beginning interest in wine; if she was going to learn about it, she wanted to do it right: from the very bottom and work her way up.
Interning at first in 2004 with Tony Soter in the cellar at Etude Wines, she then joined ranks at Thomas Keller's Michelin 3-starred The French Laundry, in Yountville, CA. Next, Amanda became Sommelier at Pat Kuleto and Todd Humphries’ Martini House in St. Helena, CA. With the knowledge of the production side of winemaking under her belt, Amanda had long desired to learn about viticulture. During the summer of 2006, she accomplished this by working part-time with biodynamic producer Robert Sinskey Vineyards.
Then to understand the retail side in the wine industry, Amanda worked part-time for ACME Fine Wines in St. Helena, CA managing their wine clubs. This she did for the better part of a year before she moved from Napa to Manhattan.
The summer of 2007 provided a great opportunity in the form of Joe Bastianich & Mario Batali's flagship NYC restaurant, Babbo, where Amanda is currently Assistant Wine Director, enjoying all that Italy has to offer.