Kelly McAuliffe

Kelly McAuliffe has been the only American sommelier working in France for the past 17 years. Not an easy task for someone from the land of Coca Cola® and McDonalds®. Before he became a sommelier he had spent 10 years living and working around the world in fashion to where he developed his love for wine and food. He began studying wine through the University of Berkeley and then moved to Avignon and continued studying wine at the Université du Vin near by. After doing an internship in Alain Ducasse's 3-star Michelin restaurant in Paris Kelly was asked to run his new chic restaurant in Monaco which was filled with international celebrities. Eventually he was asked by the chef to run his uber successful restaurant back in Paris called Spoon.

He left Chef Ducasse to be the head sommelier at Christian Etienne in Avignon to be closer to his wife and family. This also allowed Kelly to meet and befriend the best wine makers in the Rhone. He is now a specialist of the Rhone and instructs professionals from around the world about its wonderful wines. After 6 years in Avignon Chef Ducasse convinced Kelly to run his hugely successful restaurant in Las Vegas called Mix at the top of the Mandalay Bay Hotel.

Kelly was then offered the French Wine Specialist position at Southern Wine & Spirits in Las Vegas. On a daily basis he would work with with the best sommeliers and Master sommeliers of Las Vegas.

For the past few years Kelly has been leading the French Wine Society's Rhone education program and working with the different appellations promoting the great wines of the Rhone. He also gives private wine tours to professionals and tourists throughout France.