Chris Rogers
Tavernetta | Denver
july 2022
Chris Rogers has always loved the finer things in life. While pursuing a master’s degree in opera, his brother, who was working as a wine director in Amarillo, Texas, needed help tasting wine in order to revamp the restaurant’s beverage program. 100 wines deep, and Rogers thought all the wine tasted the same. It wasn’t until Rogers’ brother introduced him to regionality and terroir, that he was able to understand the subtle complexities of wine. By the time he was ready to graduate from the University of Northern Colorado, Rogers had researched how to pursue a career in the wine industry. He cold-emailed Master Sommelier Bobby Stuckey and landed a job at Frasca Food and Wine. For the next two years, he worked his way up from wine polisher to front captain, finding a sense of community and gaining a deep understanding of Italian wine culture.
In 2017, Rogers moved on to Black Cat Cafe as wine director, then to The Brown Palace hotel as assistant wine director. After trying his hand at wine sales with Breakthru Beverage Group, Rogers missed the energy of service—and became beverage manager of Safta, Rising Stars alum Alon Shaya’s Israeli restaurant. In 2019, Rogers reunited with Frasca Hospitality Group when he was hired as a sommelier of their intimate wine bar concept, Sunday Vinyl. Now, as the lead sommelier of the neighboring high-end Italian restaurant, Tavernetta, Rogers’ massive cellar is a reflection of his love for Italian wine and the Champagne region of France.
