Hungarian born John Szabo was the first Canadian to earn the title of Master Sommelier in 2004. Listed in 2012 as “Canada’s best-known sommelier” in Meininger’s Wine Business International, John is a principal critic for winealign.com, Canada’s largest independent wine website. John is currently wine editor of Toronto’s CityBites Magazine, and recently authored Pairing Food and Wine For Dummies published in December 2012, and Sommelier Management, a textbook used by the Canadian Association of Professional Sommeliers.
John’s current wine program is featured at the several new restaurants at Toronto's Pearson International Airport, The Joey Restaurant Group, and at Cafe-Bar-Pasta, the newest wine hot spot in Toronto's west end. He counts the Trump International Hotel and Tower Toronto, the National Arts Centre and the Terroni Group of Restaurants among past clients. To round out his experience and get closer to the land, he also owns a small vineyard in Eger, Hungary, the J&J Eger Wine Co.
John is a panellist at the ‘Excuse me waiter, where is the Australian section please?’ business session.
