About me
Jack Mason, Director of National Sales and Fine Wine Portfolio at Banville Wine Merchants, achieved Master Sommelier status at the very young age of 27 and is one of the youngest to do so. He is one of only 12 esteemed Master Sommeliers currently in the state of Texas and one of 172 Master Sommeliers in North America. Mason’s interest in wine was piqued while taking a wine education requirement class while pursuing a culinary degree from the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in Hyde Park, New York. After graduating, Mason soon left to enroll in Hospitality Management at Cornell School of Hotel Administration. Mason returned to Texas following his graduation to begin his career in Houston as a Sommelier at the Grand Award-winning Pappas Bros. Steakhouse. In 2013, Mason moved to New York City to work in various notable restaurants (Ai Fiori + Marea). The following year, Jack joined famed restaurateur Danny Meyer to open Marta as the wine director, where he focused on wines from Italy and Champagne. In 2015, Jack passed the Master Sommelier Examination and was inducted into the Court of Master Sommeliers. Mason has been featured in Forbes’s annual “30 Under 30” list of outstanding young professionals nationwide, Zagat’s “30 Under 30” list in New York City as was named Wine & Spirits “Best New Sommelier 2015.” He was also featured in the series “Uncorked” on the Esquire Network that followed his journey to receiving his MS certification.
