Kim Wood has been in the wine industry for almost 20 years. His initial interest began just after college when a fortuitous conversation led him to join the wine team at Pappas Bros Steakhouse in Dallas. While there, he spent his days studying to be a sommelier and his evenings working with one of the most comprehensive wine lists in the country. In 2008 he passed his Advanced Sommelier certification, on the first attempt, and was recruited the following year join the wine program for Jean Georges Steakhouse in Las Vegas. The next few years saw continued success when he was promoted first to Lead Sommelier then to Wine Director of Aria Resort and Casino. He also continued to expand his wine knowledge as well and he passed two of the three portions of his Master’s Exam through the Court of Master Sommeliers.

As Wine Director Kim oversaw a team of 14 sommeliers whom, as a group, wrote and managed wine lists in 7 gourmet restaurants showcasing the cuisine and hospitality of world-famous chefs including Jean Georges Vongerichten, Michael Mina, Masa Takayama, Sirio Maccioni, and Julian Serrano. In addition, he oversaw the wine programs at 15 casual restaurant, lounge, and club venues located within Aria. In 2015, to further understand the wine industry, Kim left Aria and decided to pursue a career in wine sales. He began working for Lux Wines, a division of E&J Gallo, where he developed a thorough understanding of the supplier role in the three-tier system form one of the wine world’s most influential companies. In 2017 Kim began working for Wilson Daniels, one of the oldest and most respected wine import companies in the states representing wines from 42 family owned wineries.