STEVEN W. ALEXANDER
A Certified Sommelier, currently enrolled in Master Sommelier and Master of Wine programs, Steven Alexander is committed to sourcing the most interesting and authentic artisan wines currently produced in Italy, from time-honored to cutting- edge. Alexander calls his philosophy on wine “classic,” believing firmly that wine should speak of its place and that a well-chosen wine list will challenge yet embrace the imbiber.
Prior to his appointment as Wine Director at Spiaggia, the Illinois born Alexander gained valuable experience in California, receiving his first taste of culinary excellence at Berkley’s famed Chez Panisse restaurant after studying Cultural Anthropology at the University of California San Diego.
After spending time in Italy, Alexander and his friend Thad Morrow opened the nationally acclaimed Bacaro, an intimate Italian wine bar and restaurant in Champaign, Illinois. There Alexander authored an all-Italian wine program, encompassing more than 300 selections.
With an advanced certificate in wine and spirits by Wine and Spirits Education Trust, Alexander spent time as the European Wine Portfolio Manager for a Miami based wine importer, as well as a member of the wine team at Chicago’s avant-garde restaurant Moto. Alexander also acted as Italian Department wine buyer and educator for Sam’s Wines and Spirits in Chicago, then the largest, most comprehensive Italian wine department in the Nation.
Using his experience and passion, Alexander has created two unique wine lists for Spiaggia and Cafe Spiaggia, each capturing the excellence and verve of the finest Italian wines. Alexander demonstrates an astute, curatorial approach to Italian wine with Spiaggia’s wine menu which features the most storied producers of each region as well as recent innovators. With a focus on small production wines that are not often found outside of Italy, Alexander seeks to represent a classical approach to Italian wine as well as an up to the minute comment to modernism.