Matt Weiss
Co-host, The Wine Centric Show · Sommelier
Matt Weiss is the co-host of The Wine Centric Show and a sommelier certified through the Court of Master Sommeliers and the American Sommelier Association, where he later taught as an adjunct professor. He led the wine and beverage program at BLT Prime in New York before moving into wine sales with Wilson Daniels, the importer of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti. He lives in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Reviewed September 2026Matt's passion for wine began at 17 during a Clark Griswold-esque family vacation through the Relais & Châteaux of Southern France. It was there he first connected with sommeliers and discovered an affinity for food and wine. After studying history at NYU and training as an actor at the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute, Matt pursued acting roles in New York City and Los Angeles.
In 2004, Matt worked for Joe Bastianich at his original NYC restaurant, Becco, where he "cut his teeth" in Italian wine and laid the foundation for his career in wine and beverage. He later returned to LA to manage the wine program at Café Del Rey. Matt went on to study at the American Sommelier Association in New York, earning his first of two sommelier certifications. He later completed the certification level through the Court of Master Sommeliers.
With these credentials, he worked for a who's who of Michelin-starred restaurants and acclaimed NYC chefs, including David Bouley, Christopher Lee, and Laurent Tourondel, leading the wine and beverage program at Tourondel's BLT Prime. After more than a decade in restaurants, Matt shifted to wine sales, joining Wilson Daniels, the importer of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti. He also served as an adjunct professor at the ASA. Drawn to North Carolina's rising wine and culinary scene, Matt has established roots in Raleigh with his wife, two boys, and their dog.
On The Ryan Vet Show, Matt Weiss takes apart the headline that Gen Z quit drinking. His first move is arithmetic: Gen Z currently spans roughly 14 to 29 years old, so less than half of the generation can legally drink at all, and comparing it to a fully adult generation is not apples to apples. Host Ryan Vet, a sommelier and wine bar investor himself, calls that the Generational Prism.
From there the two follow the money. Ryan cites a figure that 93% of non-alcoholic buyers also buy alcohol, and Matt reads the zero-proof boom as moderation rather than abstinence. By his account, the roughly $1.2 billion alcohol lost across 2024 into 2025 was picked up almost exactly by THC beverages and gummies. The drink did not disappear. It changed shape.
The second half is the long arc of American wine, from Prohibition and the jug-wine era through Robert Mondavi, the 1976 Judgment of Paris, and Robert Parker's 100-point scale, to a generation of winemakers who went back to farming first. Matt's thesis is that wine is cyclical, the same swing Ryan calls the Generational Pendulum. His one piece of advice for drinking better: develop a relationship with a local retailer.
ultimately wine is cyclical
even bigger wine companies are focusing on place and farming first before manufacturing and manipulating a wine in the winery.
the main tip I can give anybody if they want to enhance their wine drinking journey is develop a relationship with a local retailer.
Who is Matt Weiss?
Matt Weiss is the co-host of The Wine Centric Show, a long-form interview show with the winemakers, critics and educators who shape the wine world. He is a sommelier certified through the Court of Master Sommeliers and the American Sommelier Association, led the wine and beverage program at BLT Prime in New York, and moved into wine sales with Wilson Daniels, the importer of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti.
Did Gen Z really quit drinking?
Not in the way the headline suggests. Weiss points out that Gen Z currently spans roughly 14 to 29 years old, so less than half of the generation can legally drink, which makes comparisons to fully adult generations misleading. He reads the non-alcoholic boom as moderation rather than abstinence, and notes that more recent numbers show Gen Z starting to drink more again.
What does Matt Weiss mean when he says wine is cyclical?
That American wine swings between extremes. Prohibition gave way to a let's-drink era, Robert Parker's 100-point scale pushed winemakers toward big, showy wines, and a later generation swung back to farming and terroir. He expects Gen Alpha to swing back toward the classics.
What is Matt Weiss's best advice for choosing better wine?
Develop a relationship with a local retailer. A knowledgeable shop owner who knows what you already like will point you to what to try next, and a good wine professional is not trying to upsell you.
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