USA

Eduardo Bolaños

Eduardo is an American Sommelier living and working in Los Angeles, California. Originally from Guatemala, Eduardo’s earliest recollection of wine comes from the bottle of Rioja Reserva or Gran Reserva which his father would open each Thanksgiving. The appreciation of the wine which his father showed must have stuck with him, because after landing a job as a busboy at Spago restaurant in Beverly Hills, Eduardo’s fascination with the vast wine cellar caused him to ask the Wine Director if he could help out. Through loading and unloading wines when off his shift, Eduardo impressed the Wine Director, who would then let him take home leftover wines to taste. Since then, Eduardo has gone on to become a CMS Advanced Sommelier, with the ultimate goal of becoming a Master Sommelier. His motivation to attain the MS is varied: on a personal level, his “drive to continuously evolve and grow” himself provides impetus; but on a broader note, it comes from his desire to build a more inclusive future in the wine industry. He envisages “a world where Latinos are seen and respected beyond picking grapes”; a world where the “diverse melting pot of communities with all income levels” that makes up LA are all able to access wine. To many people, despite his CMS Advanced Certification and years of experience in the industry, he is still a busboy because of his appearance. Eduardo is determined to change that, and the vision of the wine industry that he wants to see is best explained in his own words: “Imagine walking into a room where you see sommeliers who are representative of the society, hear laughter from people with diverse backgrounds, and taste wines that elevate the stories of people from underrepresented backgrounds. I believe that diversity in the wine industry will trickle into creating a new social fabric for meaningful conversations, new job opportunities, and societal advances for historically underrepresented populations.”