Nunzio Alioto

Affiliation : Alioto's Restaurant
Location : San Francisco, CA, USA

Bio

A legendary San Francisco restaurateur, Master Nunzio Alioto’s life reflects his passion for good food and fine wine.

Growing up in a prominent Bay Area restaurant family, Nunzio Alioto was exposed to good food and fine wine at an early age.   He has fond memories of tasting wine with his father and his father’s colleagues in the restaurant business, one of whom was an importer and first introduced young Nunzio to the allure of truly outstanding wines.   Nunzio’s passion for wine was ignited by this older generation, whose deep appreciation and love for wine would stay with him his entire life.

Not content to simply follow in his father’s footsteps, Nunzio left home as a young man and traveled to Europe to attend the Hotel School in Lausanne, Switzerland.  While there, he estaged at the famous three Michelin star restaurant Jacques Pic in Valance, France and visited vineyards throughout Europe.   After returning home, Nunzio visited the only place Californians head when they want an even better lifestyle: Hawaii.  There, he connected with a group of young men who were equally interested in pursuing their love of wine.  This self-described “group of geeky wine guys” began to meet regularly under the tutelage of Masters Eddie Osterland and Ronn Wiegand, and Nunzio’s passion for wine continued to grow. 

After several years in Hawaii, Nunzio returned to California to begin working in his family’s restaurant business.  His wine education continued, but it was an encouraging call from Master Fred Dame that led to Nunzio participating in the Court’s formal programs.  After studying intensely in both California and London with his good friend and fellow Master Sommelier Charles Furuya, Nunzio passed his Master’s Exam in England in 1987, at a time when very few other Americans held the title of Master Sommelier. 

As one of the first Americans to chart this path, Nunzio felt a strong obligation to help build and expand the American Chapter into the organization we know today.  He served as the Chairman of the American Chapter from 1987-1993 and the International President from 2007-2009.  Most recently, he served as Secretary of the Guild of Sommeliers Education Foundation and is a Director Emeritus of the American Board.  Having learned from the best, Nunzio is committed to expanding educational and mentorship opportunities for aspiring sommeliers.

Master Alioto lives in the Bay Area and continues to run his family business, Alioto’s Restaurant, a San Francisco institution for over eighty-five years.   And despite having been immersed in the business for nearly forty-five years, Master Alioto still finds wine as exciting and inspiring as he did as a young man.  He looks forward to sharing this passion with future generations of Aliotos, just as his father did for him.