The Wine List, Inc.
Importer & Distributor of Fine Wine
About
Dominique Simon founded The Wine List, Inc., which imports and distributes fine wines throughout the United States sourced from Europe and South America. The Wine List specializes in boutique wineries that produce less than 3,500 cases or fewer per year and with a focus on organic and sustainable viticulture.
As part of The Wine List services, Dominique hosts wine tours to France focusing on Burgundy, Champagne and the Loire Valley where Dominique was born and raised. These tours offer intimate, highly personalized experiences in artisanal food and wine discoveries.
Prior to founding The Wine List, Inc., Dominique spent over 30 years owning and operating best-in-class
restaurants in Paris and the United States such as Bouley, Bouley Bakery, and Lespinasse in New York, Michelin star Michel Rostang and Guy Savoy as well as the famed Ritz Hotel in Paris. He also opened the award winning Fennel, a French-California restaurant for Michel Rostang in Los Angeles. A third-generation restaurateur, wine and hospitality specialist, Dominique has an acute knowledge of all aspects of wine, restaurant operations and management. Dominique is internationally recognized as an expert on wines from around the world and is member of the prestigious Confrerie des Chevaliers du Tastevin, Chapter du Clos Vougeot, Beaune, France.
Today, in addition to operating The Wine List Inc., Dominique offers management consulting services to fine restaurants providing detailed assessments, reports and recommendations to clients, with the goal of creating first-in-class hospitality experiences.
What the critics say…
“The key that winds this mechanism is Dominique Simon…who may be as important as Mr. Bouley to the dining experience. When reading a customer from across the room he seems to know the difference among a frown of confusion and a frown of distress. The intensity of the service at Bouley Bakery is remarkable.”
William Grimes, Restaurant Critic, The New York Times
“If Dominique Simon could be cloned there would be many happy restaurant goers in New York…With superb management skills and effortless charm Mr. Simon makes Bouley Bakery run seamlessly. And he makes it all look effortless.”
Marian Burros, Restaurant Critic, The New York Times
Ruth Reichl, then editor-in-chief of Gourmet Magazine adds: “What every great Chef dreams of is having someone in the front of the house to anticipate his wishes and treat his guests exactly as he would if he were not busy in the kitchen… …David Bouley has been lucky. In Dominique Simon he has the perfect restaurateur: A man who translates the Chefs wishes so exactly that diners feel that the Chef is not only in the kitchen, but in the dining room as well.”
Ruth Reichl, Editor-in-Chief, Gourmet Magazine
“Dominique Simon is a veteran, a true professional in our industry. He has great experience and deep understanding of the food and wine industry.”
Drew Nieporent, The Myriad Restaurant Group, New York
“Dominique re-invented the service level in fancy restaurants while raising the bar for wait staff in wine knowledge and lightened the ambience with his sense of humor and humanity.”
Bill Yosses, White House Pastry Chef 2008-2016
Wines
