André Hueston Mack
Owner & Winemaker, Maison Noir Wines
Iconoclastic sommelier André Hueston Mack was the first African-American to be named Best Young Sommelier in America by Chaine des Rotisseurs. He was a sommelier at Thomas Keller’s renowned The French Laundry before opening Chef Keller’s three-Michelin-starred Per Se. As one of the top professionals in the wine industry, he has worked with the likes of Amazon, Cadillac, Ebay, National Rental Car, Microsoft and has appeared on Anthony Bourdain's “The Taste” and NBC’s “Uncorked”. Mack is host of both Bon Appétit’s “World of Wine with André Mack,” the highest viewed wine show on YouTube, and “Through the Grapevine,” where he interviews celebrity guests while testing their wine knowledge. In 2007, he founded Maison Noir Wines, which incorporated his trademark attitude and personal perspective on wine subculture. His wines are unique and distinctive garage wines (micro- négociant) which source the best fruit possible in the Willamette Valley region of Oregon to produce wines showing the individuality of their respective sites and terroirs. In 2022, he launched Rye & Sons, a celebration of America’s original, but oft overlooked, spirit—Rye Whiskey. A self-taught graphic designer, Mack designs all of his labels as well as a t-shirt line for Maison Noir Wines. He has also authored Small Thyme Cooks, the world’s first culinary coloring and activity book which he also illustrated, and 99 Bottles: A Black Sheep’s Guide to Life-Changing Wines, his part memoir and part wine guide. With his wife Phoebe Damrosch, Mack founded and runs & Sons Hospitality Group in the Prospect Lefferts Garden neighborhood of Brooklyn.