Susanne Wagner took a long and winding road from a tiny village in southern Germany to wine director at one of Wine Enthusiast’s Best Wine Restaurants in 2017.
After earning a degree in Hotel and Restaurant Management School, she worked in the restaurant business and in many high-end Relais & Chateaux hotels in Europe for a decade—and yet she never got into wine. But in 2003, she found herself in northern New Jersey, where Gene Mulvihill was developing Crystal Springs Golf Resort and its high-end restaurant.
“Restaurant Latour opening was really the beginning of my wine odyssey,” Susanne says. She adds that Gene had a passion for wine, which led him to hiring a wine director for a 4,000 bottle cellar of fine Bordeaux. “The wine director needed help, and I was asked to assist,” she explains. “I haven’t left the cellar since!”
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