Ep. 2503 Juliana Colangelo interviews Brian Cronin MS of A16 Restaurant | Masterclass US Wine Market

Welcome to Episode 2503 of the Italian Wine Podcast. In this episode, Juliana Colangelo interviews Brian Cronin MS, director of operations of A16 Restaurant in San Francisco.

Key Takeaways: 

• How restaurants act as gateways for introducing guests to Italian wine.
• The evolution of Italian wine culture across the Bay Area and West Coast.
• New opportunities and trends shaping Italian wine in the Bay Area and West Coast.

More about the guest: 

Master Sommelier Brian Cronin began his wine career in Raleigh, North Carolina, after studying biology and discovering a passion for wine through restaurant work. He has served as Wine Director at top U.S. restaurants including Charlie Trotter’s, Gary Danko, and Aqua at the St. Regis, and later expanded his career into importing and retail, running his own wine shop and bar in Seattle. Known for his engaging, down-to-earth teaching style, Brian blends deep industry expertise with a passion for service. 

Today, Brian is Director of Operations for A16 Restaurant Group in San Francisco, renowned for its Southern Italian cuisine and wine program. The restaurant is named after the Autostrada A16 in Italy and was founded in February 2004 by Shelley Lindgren, a sommelier turned restaurateur, Victoria Libin, a tech lawyer, and Christophe Hille the founding chef.

Outside of wine, Brian devotes much of his spare time to running marathons for charity with the American Cancer Society. In 2016 he ran all the Abbott World Marathon Majors, which are Tokyo, London, Boston, Berlin, Chicago, and NYC marathons for charity, one of first people in the world to accomplish this feat. In 2020 Brian completed the World Marathon Challenge, which is 7 marathons, on 7 continents, in 7 consecutive days, and has raised tens of thousands of dollars for charity. Brian currently the Director of Operations for the A16 Restaurant Group, based in San Francisco.

Connect: 

Website: https://www.a16pizza.com/ 

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-cronin-ms-a6518b5/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runningwineguy/ 

More about the host:

Juliana Colangelo is a leading communications and marketing professional for the beverage alcohol industry. Currently, Juliana is a Senior Brand Manager at Frederick Wildman, where she is focused on building their Italian wine portfolio. Prior to that, she led the California Division as a Vice President at Colangelo & Partners, the leading wine and spirits communications agency in the U.S. for over 10 years. 

During her tenure at C&P, Juliana led the development of the California office, growing the agency’s domestic presence to a dedicated office of 15 people with representation of leading wine companies such as Jackson Family Wines, Far Niente, Charles Krug Winery, Foley Family Wines and more. Juliana has completed her WSET Level 3 and her eMBA in Wine Business with Sonoma State University. In 2021, Juliana was named one of PR News’ Top Women in PR in the “Rising Stars” category. In 2022, Juliana became a Vinitaly International Academy Italian Wine Ambassador.

Connect:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/julezcolang/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jules.colangelo/

Twitter: https://x.com/JulezColang

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliana-colangelo-mba-04345539/

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Until next time, Cin Cin!