Seth Hoffman
Despite graduating the University of Rochester with two majors and one minor in his hip pocket, like many liberal arts students, Seth Hoffman found himself jobless. As luck would have it, the path to his true calling began with a “post graduate” six-week bartending course. Seth’s nine-year restaurant career culminated with his role as sommelier and wine buyer for the historic Richardson’s Canal House in Rochester, New York.
Having grown weary of restaurant hours and snow in June, Seth migrated south where his passion for wine led him to the retail world. Seth’s years of experience selling wine in downtown Raleigh make him a familiar face to many wine enthusiasts around town. He has put his wine and food background to good use by helping more than a few people find the right bottle of wine to enhance a special meal or complement pizza-and-a-movie night.
Although Seth was born and raised in New York City, Raleigh has become his adopted home. He ably sprinkles “y’all” into casual conversation and is able to fluently discuss the pros and cons of Eastern vs. Western North Carolina BBQ.
Liz Porcelli
In 2014, Liz packed up and headed south from her native Long Island, New York, and found her new home in Raleigh and at The Raleigh Wine Shop. As a Cornell University alum, it’s where her interest in wine started when, during her senior year, she took an Introduction to Wine course from the School of Hotel Administration – an unwritten requirement before graduating. Back home, she got her hands dirty planting, pruning, and harvesting grapes as an assistant vineyard manager on the North Fork of Long Island, and in the cellar, helping with everything from crushing the fruit to stirring barrels. In addition to her hands-on work, Liz studied with the Sommelier Society of America in Manhattan before embarking on her journey south. This invaluable ‘from winery to the classroom’ experience has given her a unique perspective on wine that she brings to the shop every day. When not rooting for her NY sports teams, or golfing, she is cooking up an Italian meal at home, often with a bottle to pair, and her husband, Mike, daughter, Andrea, and their cat, Nacho, close by.
James Voltz
Georgia born and educated, James moved to the Triangle in 1998 to pursue a graduate degree from one of the fine local universities. A few days in California wine country before a friend’s wedding in 2005 was enough to plant the seeds for James’ eventual career change.
In 2008, upon the completion of a post-doctoral fellowship, James decided that Burgundy and wine pairings were markedly more satisfying than grant writing and manuscript editing. To James, wine represents the perfect union of science and art. Modern winemaking requires a scientific approach and knowledge of biochemistry, microbiology, and agriculture. However, making great wine also requires an artist’s intuition and touch.
Mallory Drake
Born and raised in Raleigh, Mallory started working in the restaurant industry her senior year of high school. After several years and gaining loads of experience and industry know-how waiting tables in Downtown Raleigh, she moved to Brooklyn, NY with the hopes of landing a serving job at any reputable restaurant that would hire her. She was lucky enough to work at a one Michelin star restaurant in Bushwick where she developed a passion and understanding for natural wine. After a year of working (and drinking wine of course) in NYC, she decided to head home to Raleigh and focus on a career in the wine industry. Upon returning to her hometown, Mallory started working here at The Raleigh Wine Shop and has since become an important part of the team with her spirit and passion for natural wine. She’s constantly on the hunt for what’s new and exciting from natural producers around the world, and when she’s not developing the bar menu or batching up a wine cocktail at the shop, she’s probably at home hanging with her cat Queso and enjoying a bottle of amber wine.
Melissa Nolan
Still a California girl at heart, Melissa was born and raised in Los Angeles and lived in San Francisco before moving to Raleigh in 2011. She started working in retail and fine dining in high school and throughout college. After graduating from California State University, she headed up north to San Francisco where she honed her retail skills while working in the city and learned what it takes to build a long-loyal customer base and create community. While in Northern California she fell in love with wine after taking many trips to Napa and Sonoma over the duration of time spent living in the city.
Needing a change of scenery, Raleigh was her next stop. She was on the ground floor of opening Raleigh Denim’s ‘Raleigh’ location in NYC, worked at Stanbury and later became General Manager at Crawford and Son. After taking a step back from restaurant management to focus on family, Mel joined our team here at The Raleigh Wine Shop. When’s she’s not at work she is hanging with her husband, Dan and taking her son to Nature Camp or hiking.
Rest of the Team
We have a great crew of part-timers, role-players, and ‘friends of the shop’ who you’ll find in the shop as well as hosting events around the Triangle. Just like everyone who works with us, they are passionate about wine but don’t just hang out around here for the employee discount. They are equally excited to help you find just the right bottle as they are to try the latest release from their favorite Cru in Beaujolais.
Join the Team!
AS WE EXPAND IN OUR NEW LOCATION WE’RE LOOKING FOR FELLOW WINE-LOVERS TO JOIN OUR TEAM. CHECK OUT OUR AVAILABLE POSITIONS BELOW AND IF YOU FEEL YOU’RE A GOOD FIT, PLEASE FILL OUT THE FORM AND SEND US A RESUME!
