Drink Up: Wine Disciples Enoteca Hits the Trifecta

Michael Coll, Proprietor and Wine Director of Wine Disciples Enoteca based in New York City is a long standing veteran of the beverage and spirits industry. Coll breathes new life into a dining, drinking, and wine purchasing experience, melding all three areas within his new business. He has over 30 years of experience as a sommelier and wine buyer and was able to see his dreams come to fruition when he opened Wine Disciples over a year ago.

One could say that Coll was destined to be in the business given his father owned a bar in Scotland, putting his son to work as a bartender at the age of 15. After university and some travel, Coll wound up working at a restaurant and bar in Edinburgh where he took over the wine list. Coll moved to San Francisco in 1990, working as wine buyer for Ecco and then working at Campanile in Los Angeles. He served as Wine Director at Estiatorio Milos in Manhattan, from 1997 to 2001, and also from 2005 until the birth of Wine Disciples. He spent three years at Geoffrey Zakarian’s prestigious TOWN in Manhattan as Wine Director as well.

Wine Disciples, located in the Garment District of New York, has elevated ceilings with a custom cast pewter bar top and an encaustic cement tile floor. It combines the wine bar and the restaurant, offering a wide array of wines from around the world. Adjacent to the Enoteca is the Wine Disciples Shop, which showcases a staggering amount of wines—roughly 350 selections across all styles and regions.

Swig Contributor Kristen Oliveri sits down with Coll to learn more about the cutting-edge wine model: Continue the interview here