How the Wine School Helped Spark Neil Ross’s Career in Wine

Alisha Miranda’s Jan. 18, 2024 article, “The Art of the Pivot: Advice on Changing Careers From My Loup’s Former GM,” published by Philadelphia Magazine.

By the time Philadelphia Magazine interviewed Neil Ross, he had built an impressive career in some of the city’s best restaurants: beverage manager at Estia, assistant general manager at Vernick Fish and general manager of the acclaimed My Loup.

But when writer Alisha Miranda asked where his interest in wine began, Ross went back to the Wine School of Philadelphia.

Ross recalled taking a class with then-associate director of education Zach Morris. During a lesson on Italian wine, Morris wasn’t satisfied with simply saying a Pinot Grigio smelled like an apple. He broke the aroma down further — what kind of apple it resembled and what was happening to the fruit that produced that particular smell.

For Ross, “a light bulb went off.”

That early lesson in objective tasting helped launch a much deeper engagement with wine. Ross went on to pursue wine certification while rising through Philadelphia’s restaurant industry and helped shape notable restaurant wine programs.

At Estia, a trip to Greece further transformed his understanding of wine, farming and hospitality. He returned determined to make the restaurant a Philadelphia destination for Greek wine and became beverage director for the restaurant group in 2016.

By 2024, Ross was making another move: leaving his position at My Loup to join The Wine Merchant, returning wine to the center of his professional life.

“I missed working with wine directly,” he told Miranda.

His career ultimately traveled through restaurants, management and hospitality, but the moment he identifies as the beginning of his fascination with wine happened much earlier — in a classroom at the Wine School of Philadelphia.