We are pleased to announce sommelier Justin Corriss as the new manager of Vino e Vivo.
Corriss, 29, was most recently the front of house manager and sommelier at the former Raleigh Wine Bar + Eatery in Portsmouth, NH. He brings a deep appreciation for educating guests about wine along with a strong focus on hospitality.
“We are excited to have Justin join us at Vino e Vivo. He brings great experience, knowledge and energy that fits well with the rest of the team,” said Vino e Vivo owner, Tony Callendrello. “Plus, Justin will be a great asset as we move forward with our latest project, a cocktail bar to be called the Exeter Apothecary.”
Corriss earned his sommelier certification at just 21 years old. His interest in wine developed through his love of cooking when he began making dinner for his family during high school. Though he majored in history at Stetson University and planned to work in government, watching the first episode of the series Chef’s Table pulled him in a different direction.
“I was really inspired. I wanted to talk as passionately about what I did as the person in that show,” he said. “I knew I didn’t want to work as a chef in a kitchen, but in learning about being a sommelier, I felt it would be a happy meeting point between history, culture, food and wine and I fell in love.”
Corriss strives to make wines approachable and questions the concept of a “maturing palate” in which people move from sweet wines to whites to roses to reds.
“I believe very strongly there is a wine for every person and a wine for every occasion,” he said. “Some people are more sensitive to bitter things, while others are more sensitive to acid. My first question back is what to you, is ‘What do you like?’ I know a lot about wine, but you know more about you. Selecting a wine for someone is almost like speed dating.”
Corriss was thrilled to join the team at Vino e Vivo, where he can use both his experience and passion for wine in a culinary setting with Chef Paul Callahan, a James Beard semifinalist, and work collaboratively with owner Tony Callendrello.
“Chef Paul’s food is some of the best, if not the best, on the Seacoast which makes selecting wines to accompany his food extremely rewarding. I’m surrounded by great wine, great people and great food,” he said. “Along with that, I am looking forward to an opportunity to grow in my career at a cocktail bar we are opening in a new space next summer, where I will be leading development of the drinks program.”
Outside of work, Corriss is a prolific writer of fantasy novels, poetry and most recently script writing. After completing a script writing seminar with Diver in Productions Dive In Incubator, over the summer, he is looking forward to further developing a one-act play he wrote called “Ice and Snow.”
He sees creative connections between his work in wine, hospitality and writing.
“We’re at the center of universal human experiences. We are connections. We are a place where people can relax, a place where people can lose themselves for a bit,” he said. “Despite the rise of AI in society, stories and food and wine remain real tangible, practical things that people can experience. To be a part of that, and a part of preserving humanity through that is very important to me.”
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