New York

NEW YORK RETAIL

Cat Stephani 
Associate Specialist, Fine Wine Sales
Cat.Stephani@sothebys.com

After over a decade immersed in the rich culture of New York City fine dining, Cat joined Sotheby’s Wine in 2021, bringing her vast experience as a sommelier, beverage director, and wine educator at some of the top beverage programs across the country to the Sotheby’s Retail Wine Department.

From humble beginnings as a cellar hand for Laurent Tourondel, to her work with three Michelin-starred wine lists, Cat is thrilled to now be sharing her visceral expertise of the fine wine world directly with Sotheby’s clients. She brings a tailored approach to a wide range of curation, inspired by the culture, history, and sense of place that a glass of wine somehow tethers and invites us together to share.

“What drew me to working with Sotheby’s was very simple. You have an unparalleled selection at your fingertips. The immediacy of storied classics alongside emerging lights of both traditional and developing wine regions offers a rare and rewarding sense of discovery, one I have never been able to resist.”

Cat holds a Level II Certification through the Court of Master Sommeliers as well as a Level III Advanced Certification through WSET, where she is currently pursuing the Diploma Program.

Tom Baxter 
Associate Specialist, Fine Wine Sales
Tom.Baxter@sothebys.com

Tom joined Sotheby’s in August of 2020 as Administrator for Wine and Spirits in London. With no previous auction house experience, his first foray into the auction world was a steep learning curve, but one that taught him a great deal.

Prior to joining Sotheby’s, Tom worked at two Michelin-starred establishments in London, gaining experience both as a wine buyer and as a sommelier on the restaurant floor. Alongside this, he obtained the Certified qualification from the Court of Master Sommeliers in 2019 and in 2021 passed the WSET Diploma in Wine and Spirits.

Tom holds an MA (Cantab) in Chinese Studies from Pembroke College, Cambridge and speaks French, Spanish and Mandarin Chinese. He relishes every opportunity to use these languages in his work.

In his current role as Associate Specialist in New York City, he enjoys nothing more than learning about wines within their cultural context, sharing his passion with others and making new discoveries in the ever-evolving beverage market.

Gabrielle Gaeto 
Operations Manager
Gabrielle.Gaeto@sothebys.com

NEW YORK AUCTION

Richard Young
VP | Senior Specialist
Richard.Young@sothebys.com

Richard Young joined Sotheby’s Wine Department in 2018 after over seven years of fine wine auction experience at Christie’s, where he successfully managed the sale of numerous important private collections. He was also instrumental in the success of launching wine online sales in 2012.

Based in New York, Richard advises a network of top wine collectors in the Americas, Europe, and Asia. Over the years, Richard has been entrusted by the most important collectors to handle their rarest bottles including Château Mouton-Rothschild 1945, Château d’Yquem 1811, DRC La Tâche 1966, JCA & C Terrantez 1715, Jacques Selosse 1990, Sine Qua Non Hospice du Rhone 1998, Screaming Eagle 2010, The Penfolds Ampoule, all successfully achieving record prices. 

Richard graduated from Cornell University where he was awarded the prestigious Julius Wile Commanderie de Bordeaux aux Etats-Unis d'Amérique Bordeaux Education Prize and winning the Clear Indexes LLC ETF Competition for his work on Bordeaux and Weather Futures. He is also a certified sommelier by the Court of Master Sommeliers.
 

Alexandria Cubbage
VP | Specialist
Alexandria.Cubbage@sothebys.com

Alexandria is a lawyer turned wine professional, and since pursuing a career in wine has worked in wine in both New York and Hong Kong with some of the world’s top collections and collectors. In 2006, Alexandria decided to take a sabbatical from her job as a public defender in Brooklyn at the Legal Aid Society, and during this period her love for cooking and food inspired her to obtain a retail sales position as temporary holiday help at Sherry-Lehmann. After the holiday season ended, Alexandria was asked to stay on as a retail sales associate and so her career in wine began.

With the completion of a year in retail, she wanted the opportunity to be hands-on in combining the complexities and flavors she’s found in wine with similar nuances found in food. She started as a Cellar Steward for Phil Pratt at the ‘21’ Club. While there, Alexandria learned about the history of New York’s dining and wine culture. Next, she worked as a sommelier at Gordon Ramsay’s restaurants at the London Hotel in New York for a little over two years. From there, she joined as a sommelier at Veritas where she worked with top wine professionals Tim Kopec, Kelli White and Rubén Sanz Ramiro as well as the wine collection of Park B. Smith and Don Stott.

After nearly four years of working in the wine program at Veritas including leading it after Rubén’s departure, Alexandria entered the auction field of wine with Zachys at the end of October 2013. During her first year, she was sent to work on a sale in Hong Kong and that experience propelled her interest in the growth of the fine wine market in Asia leading her to make a proposal to join the Hong Kong team. At the end of October 2016, Alexandria moved to Hong Kong to work with collectors in Hong Kong and other parts of Asia on both bringing their wines to auction including inspecting and packing up wines in Taiwan and Hong Kong as well as making buying recommendations for new and experienced collectors seeking to grow their collections.

After a year of working with the Zachys team in Hong Kong, Alexandria was offered a position with the Hong Kong-based fine wine retailer, the Fine Wine Experience. Wanting a greater understanding of the wine market in Asia, she joined this company where she focused on business development including coordinating wine events, primarily Burgundy-focused, in mainland China and Singapore as well as hosting events in Hong Kong and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. During this time, Alexandria worked on opening a brand new location for the company in Hong Kong representing the largest wine retail store in Hong Kong as well as one of Hong Kong’s top restaurants for wine, Bâtard, and a second shop and wine lounge in Tsim Sha Tsui’s K11 Musea. Now, she has returned to New York to focus on the inspection and coordination of bringing wine collections from North America’s top cellars to auction. She has obtained certification from the American Sommelier Association’s Intermediate Viticulture and Vinification Course and earned an Advanced Certificate with distinction from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust.

WORLDWIDE

 Victor Rabot 
 VP | Head of Buying, Merchandising, and E-Commerce 
 Victor.Rabot@sothebys.com

Victor joined Sotheby’s Wine Hong Kong in 2016. After working 8 years in the wine and spirits industry in Hong Kong, Victor moved to New York in 2019 as AVP, Fine Wine Buyer in charge of wine and spirits merchandising and category management for both New York and Hong Kong Retail.

A French citizen who grew up in Agen (in southwest France), Victor had lived in Hong Kong since 2011, when he began working for Jebsen Fine Wines in their private/corporate division. Victor’s passion for wine started in 2005 after visiting domaines in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, meeting the people and learning the story behind their wine. “It was something very special,” Victor says. “Since that time, my passion has never stopped.” After high school, he spent two years studying winemaking and viticulture in Saint-Emilion. Victor has a bachelor’s degree and an MBA in Wine Marketing and Management from Bordeaux International Wine Institute (part of INSEEC Group). His studies allowed him to work in various wine regions of France, from Bordeaux (at Château Pape-Clément) to Bandol.

“What is enjoyable with wine is that it brings people together, but it’s also about discovery, because each wine is different,” he says. “When I am not working with wine, I read about it to learn more.” Victor is always open to new producers and regions, but his favorite is the Rhône Valley. He also enjoys film photography, watching movies, trying new restaurants, going to the beach, and surfing.

Vanessa Conlin, MW
Global Head of Wine Retail
Vanessa.Conlin@sothebys.com

Master of Wine Vanessa Conlin is the Global Head of Wine Retail for Sotheby’s, overseeing all wine e-commerce and brick-and-mortar retail, as well as content and Sotheby’s owned labels.

Previously, she was the Chief Wine Officer for Wine Access, a national online wine provider. Vanessa is also the co-creator of Pas de Cheval, a line of Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignons in collaboration with winemaker Maayan Koschitzky.

Vanessa has served as the Director of Sales and Marketing for several of Napa’s most prestigious luxury estates including Arietta Wines and Dana Estates. Previously she was the wine buyer for two prominent Manhattan wine retailers and the Wine Director for a Manhattan-based wine bar.

As an avid supporter of charitable causes, Vanessa is on the Board of Directors for Jameson Humane, a Napa Valley-based animal rescue and sanctuary, and has chaired the organization’s annual charity wine seven times.

Prior to falling in love with wine, Vanessa worked as a professional musician, performing internationally and on Broadway, and holds a Master’s Degree in Music.

Nick Pegna
Global Head of Wine & Spirits
Nick.Pegna@sothebys.com

Nick joined Sotheby’s in August 2023 as Global Head of Wine & Spirits. Nick has 30 years of industry experience in the fine wine trade in setting up, leading and managing wine & spirit businesses internationally.

Prior to establishing his own fine wine brokerage, Nick spent 23 years at Berry Bros & Rudd where most recently he ran the global sales fine wine teams. Before this, he set up and ran Berry Bros Asian businesses in Hong Kong and Singapore, in the early days of the expansion of those markets. Nick was Co-Chair of the Hong Kong Wine & Spirit Industry Coalition which successfully lobbied the Hong Kong government for the abolition of wine duties in 2008.

Nick was a member of the Board of Directors of BB&R Limited from 2006 to 2016, and from 2016 onwards, Nick led Berry Bros wine & spirits business across the whole of Asia-Pacific.

A graduate of St. Andrews University, Nick has worked in the wine trade across general management, with sales, marketing, finance, buying, HR and strategic planning all areas of his key experience.

Nick has been involved in tasting and buying from barrel in Bordeaux since 2000 and Burgundy since 2005. Nick was appointed Commandeur D’Honneur de L’Ordre du Bontemps, Medoc & Graves – Sauternes & Barsac in June 2005 in Bordeaux, and Commandeur de Bordeaux in 2006; Nick was also appointed Chevalier of La Confrerie des Chevaliers du Tastevin in Dec 2006 in Burgundy.

Serena Sutcliffe, MW
Honorary Chairman


Serena is the Honorary Chairman of Sotheby's Wine, having previously been Worldwide Head for twenty-five years, from 1990 to 2015. She is a Master of Wine, passing the exam at her first attempt, and is considered one of the world’s leading authorities on wine.  A former Chairman of the Institute of Masters of Wine, Serena was made a Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French Government in 1988.  She was elected to the Académie Internationale du Vin in 1993 and, in 2002, she received the New York Institute of Technology’s Professional Excellence Award.  In 2006, she received the Lifetime Achievement Award from The Society of Bacchus America. Also in 2006, Serena was awarded the title of Chevalier dans l’Ordre National de la Légion d’Honneur for her seminal work in promoting and selling French wines.  She is the first person in the British Wine Trade to receive this honour. 

Serena is an internationally recognised wine writer and renowned taster, and writes regularly for many international publications.  She is a regular lecturer and broadcaster in Europe, the United States and Asia.