Master Sommelier Joins Daniels Faculty

Jill Zimorski is part of the most prestigious group of wine experts in the world, but she won’t let that cloud how she approaches the beverage. She starts with one simple rule in her classroom.

“It’s a no snobbery zone. I am very clear about that,” she said.

Zimorski is one of 299 master sommeliers in the world and the newest faculty member in the Fritz Knoebel School of Hospitality Management at the Daniels College of Business. Zimorski will be teaching wine and beverage courses at Fritz Knoebel, bringing her industry experience into the classroom.

“We are absolutely thrilled to add Jill to our full-time faculty. Doing so helps take what is already a distinctive, remarkably strong beverage focus to the next level,” said David Corsun, director of the Fritz Knoebel School of Hospitality Management. “Our students will benefit enormously from Jill’s knowledge and experience. We are also looking forward to opening a portfolio of opportunities in beverage education for the community with Jill on our team.”

If you aren’t familiar with the credential, the journey to becoming a master sommelier is no small feat. The Master Sommelier Exam is a rigorous three-part test that combines theory, service and blind tasting. Candidates must be invited after previously successfully passing the Introductory, Certified and Advanced Sommelier Exams and must first pass the theory portion of the exam, which starts a three-year clock to complete the remaining two sections. (The exam is only offered once a year). After that three-year clock expires, if you haven’t passed the entire exam, you must retake all sections again, starting with theory.

“It’s really hard and you really have to be dedicated. There’s no halfway,” Zimorski said. “And it’s so mental. It’s really difficult to stay calm and prepare and do your best work.”

Zimorski’s journey to becoming a master sommelier was a bit of an odyssey, and she passed the exam on her 5th attempt.

But her journey into wine wasn’t always clear.

Zimorski was first introduced to the hospitality space while she was an undergraduate student at the University of Virginia. She worked part-time at a high-end boutique hotel, polishing plates, silverware and glassware. She would sit in on menu meetings and tastings, gradually becoming more involved in service. It was a crash course on hospitality that would set the table for the rest of her career.

After graduating, Zimorski traveled for a few months and thought about law school, but was bitten by the hospitality bug and decided to stay in the restaurant space. Moving to Washington, D.C., her career took off. She worked in and managed restaurants across the city, quicky narrowing her focus to beverage programs, and started working as a sommelier.

In D.C., “I learned how you can make a career in wine,” she said, and she spent the majority of her time in Washington working for Jose Andres’ ThinkFoodGroup, first as a sommelier and then, ultimately, as the company’s beverage director.

After a decade in D.C., she moved to Colorado looking for a change, working at Hotel Jerome and Casa Tua in Aspen. It was there that she intensified her preparation for the Master Sommelier exam, becoming a “theory beast” under the tutelage of legendary master sommelier Jay Fletcher.

Her career would take her next to Chicago, where she served as sommelier and wine director for Alinea and The Alinea Group. The restaurant, which at that time held a three-Michelin-star rating, would be her last job on a restaurant floor.

While she loved working in hospitality, Zimorski would eventually transition into academia, teaching at DePaul University as an adjunct professor in the School of Hospitality and Sports Business while enrolled in an MBA program. The experience was the perfect blend of business and hospitality. She’d look at classes like negotiations, strategy and behavioral economics through the lens of restaurants and wine. The master sommelier designation and MBA degree gave her a perspective that is rare in the industry and has helped inform her own teaching.

“I always incorporate business education into my wine classes because you can’t get a job these days in the wine trade without understanding that,” she said. “Just knowing vineyards and producers and vintages isn’t enough.”

In her new role, Zimorski will bring her experiences into the classroom, teaching students in a high-energy, conversational style that makes wine approachable.

“We keep things very humble, very down to earth and also have a lot of fun,” she said.

Zimorski’s personal favorite grape variety is chardonnay and her favorite type of wine is champagne, which she guesses makes up at least half of her personal collection. She also loves craft cocktails and the occasional beer but acknowledges that there’s a time and place for everything.

After years away, Zimorski is thrilled to return to Colorado and is hoping for a snowy winter. Until then, you can find her sharing her expertise on wine with students and and anyone else who is interested.