When it comes to his favorite indulgence, Master Goldstein looks for two things: 1) Passing the ‘ten fingers and ten toes’ litmus test – the wine’s components must be balanced (acid to tannin, oak to alcohol); and 2) Varietal correctness – a pinot noir should taste like a pinot noir, a cabernet sauvignon like a cabernet sauvignon. Aside from that, Evan finds that it is one’s mood, the context, and the company that makes a truly fantastic glass of wine taste fantastic. All of these forces collided for Evan at an early age when he enjoyed a glass of 1943 Richebourg Domaine de la Romanée-Conti with his family at Thanksgiving. After that first sip, there was no looking back.

 

Master Goldstein’s career in the hospitality industry officially began just a few years later at the age of nineteen. In the kitchens of the Restaurant Le Saintongeais and the Hotel Lancaster in Paris, Auberge du Soleil in Napa Valley, and Chez Panisse in Berkeley, California, Evan got his feet wet and began to build his now prolific knowledge of food and wine. Early in his career, Evan’s endless curiosity and quest for inspiration had him planning trips via his trusted Michelin Guide and exploring France and the wonderful food and wine it had to offer. Though his inspiration for cuisine came from many sources, it was a wine store in Paris near the site of one of his first jobs that sent him on his eventual path toward becoming a Master Sommelier.

 

In 1984, Evan joined his mother, chef and author Joyce Goldstein, in opening the celebrated San Francisco restaurant Square One. There, he took the reigns as the restaurant’s sommelier, soon developing an acclaimed and award-winning wine list. Although his focus shifted from the food to wine, Evan credits his early years in the kitchen with making him a better taster and a pairing expert.

 

In early 1987, Master Goldstein was approached by the Court of Master Sommeliers and asked to attend the organization’s upcoming Advanced Course and Exam. By October of 1987, he had become the eighth American and youngest ever at the time to pass the prestigious Master Sommelier examination.

 

Since 1990, Evan has created education programs, wine training, and service hospitality schools with Seagram Chateau & Estates Wines Company, Diageo, Allied Domecq, and most recently, as the Vice President of Global Wine & Brand Education at Beam Wine Estates. Evan currently serves as the President and Chief Education Officer of Full Circle Wine Solutions, a global wine and spirits education company based in the San Francisco area. In addition, he continues to train and examine candidates for the Court of Master Sommeliers as a Founding Board Member and Chairman.

 

Evan is the author of Five Star Service: Your Guide to Hospitality Excellence (On Premise Communications Inc.) and the critically acclaimed book, Perfect Pairings: A Master Sommelier’s Practical Advice for Partnering Wine with Food (University of California Press). Master Goldstein also co-authored numerous books with his mother, including Food and Wine Pairing in the Williams Sonoma Lifestyles series. His sequel wine and food book Daring Pairings: A Master Sommelier Matches Distinctive Wines with Recipes from His Favorite Chefs (University of California Press) was released in April of 2010.

 

Evan is a regular editorial contributor to America’s Santé magazine and a contributing editor for Singapore’s Wine & Dine and Indulgence magazines, and Wine Review, South Korea’s leading wine and food monthly. He is a recurring guest wine expert on NBC’s syndicated television show In Wine Country and makes regular guest appearances on the top-rated Ronn Owens’ Show on KGO Radio and on Saturday morning television’s KPIX-Eyewitness News, both in San Francisco.