Now in his sixteenth year as Beverage Director at Rothmann’s Steakhouse, Sean Gantner enjoys wearing many hats: mixologist, whiskey and tequila curator, beer connoisseur...though his favorite is that of sommelier. A 2007 graduate of the American Sommelier Association, Sean has built a career shepherding award-winning restaurant wine programs on Long Island.
He is a three-time (2011, 2015 & 2017) member of the Sommelier Stars Team at Taste of Sonoma ~ Wine Country Weekend, the largest charity event in the county, which raises millions of dollars each year for underprivileged children.
In 2016, Sean was among fifteen sommeliers selected to participate in the Napa Valley Vintners Steakhouse Sommelier Summit, with applicants and participants from across the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.
In 2019, Raymond Vineyards asked Sean to be among the thirteen sommeliers chosen to create the 2017 vintage of its “Sommelier Selection” California Cabernet Sauvignon.
Sean was the guest sommelier in the VIP lounge for the inaugural Fine Food and Wine Festival at Nassau Coliseum in 2018 and again in 2019. Sean served as a judge in the 2014 Sud de France wine competition, which recognizes the finest producers in the Languedoc-Roussillon region of France.
Since 2016, Sean has regularly visited Bordeaux, tasting barrel samples at the legendary châteaux Lafite and Mouton Rothschild, Margaux, Haut-Brion, Petrus and Latour, as well as scores of other Classified Growths. Sean’s appraisal of the 2017 vintage at Château Cos d’Estournel earned him a place in their international press release video. In 2024, he received the highest honor the Bordelaise bestow: induction into the prestigious Commanderie du Bontemps.
Each year also sees expeditions to and visits with the most prestigious producers in Barolo, Barbaresco, Tuscany, Burgundy and the Northern Rhône.
Throughout the pandemic, Sean partnered with the Real Men Wear Pink division of the American Cancer Society to host a number of Zoom wine tastings, bringing in thousands of dollars for breast cancer research. He has also served as the guest sommelier at the Cooley’s Anemia Foundation annual spring fundraising dinner.
Gantner is frequently quoted as a wine and beverage expert in industry journals and lifestyle programs, including 25A, Beverage Media and L.I.E. (Long Island Entertainment).
He is a three-time (2011, 2015 & 2017) member of the Sommelier Stars Team at Taste of Sonoma ~ Wine Country Weekend, the largest charity event in the county, which raises millions of dollars each year for underprivileged children.
In 2016, Sean was among fifteen sommeliers selected to participate in the Napa Valley Vintners Steakhouse Sommelier Summit, with applicants and participants from across the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.
In 2019, Raymond Vineyards asked Sean to be among the thirteen sommeliers chosen to create the 2017 vintage of its “Sommelier Selection” California Cabernet Sauvignon.
Sean was the guest sommelier in the VIP lounge for the inaugural Fine Food and Wine Festival at Nassau Coliseum in 2018 and again in 2019. Sean served as a judge in the 2014 Sud de France wine competition, which recognizes the finest producers in the Languedoc-Roussillon region of France.
Since 2016, Sean has regularly visited Bordeaux, tasting barrel samples at the legendary châteaux Lafite and Mouton Rothschild, Margaux, Haut-Brion, Petrus and Latour, as well as scores of other Classified Growths. Sean’s appraisal of the 2017 vintage at Château Cos d’Estournel earned him a place in their international press release video. In 2024, he received the highest honor the Bordelaise bestow: induction into the prestigious Commanderie du Bontemps.
Each year also sees expeditions to and visits with the most prestigious producers in Barolo, Barbaresco, Tuscany, Burgundy and the Northern Rhône.
Throughout the pandemic, Sean partnered with the Real Men Wear Pink division of the American Cancer Society to host a number of Zoom wine tastings, bringing in thousands of dollars for breast cancer research. He has also served as the guest sommelier at the Cooley’s Anemia Foundation annual spring fundraising dinner.
Gantner is frequently quoted as a wine and beverage expert in industry journals and lifestyle programs, including 25A, Beverage Media and L.I.E. (Long Island Entertainment).
