"Wine is all about celebration,” said Daniel Johnnes during a recent wine pairing dinner at Charlie Bird in lower Manhattan. "The joy is in sharing it with neighbors and the community." Johnnes is the man behind the world-renowned La Paulée festival and its affiliated events: La Fête du Champagne, La Tablée, and Convivio del Vino. Additionally, he oversees Pressoir, a company that provides unique wine experiences and education.
Considered a pioneering sommelier, Johnnes's decades-long career began in the 1980s at New York's legendary Montrachet restaurant, where he helped build one of the United States most well-known Burgundy wine lists. His early days at Montrachet led him on a lifelong path of helping people to discover and appreciate fine wine.
"We educated people that wine, like Chablis, came from a place in Burgundy," says Johnnes, "and we converted a clientele who had been cocktail or Bordeaux drinkers to Burgundy."
Celebrating French Wine Regions
La Paulée is held annually in the late winter in New York, with satellite events in other U.S. cities. Inspired by a century of harvest celebrations in Burgundy’s Meursault, La Paulée is perhaps Johnnes's most renowned festival. Attendees are offered a wealth of educational options, including walk-around tastings, focused masterclasses, intimate dinners, vertical tastings, and a grand gala finale.
"We create these exciting experiences," Johnnes adds, "but it's really the winemakers, from both well-known and small estates, who make it special, trusting us to bring the right crowd."
La Fête du Champagne, co-founded by Johnnes and Champagne expert Peter Liem, takes place every October. The event brings Champagne lovers together with top producers, from prestigious Maisons to boutique cult growers. In November, Johnnes and his team host La Tablée, a festival celebrating the wines of the Northern and Southern Rhône Valley, including small and medium growers as well as large négociants.
Each event has its own flavor, but they all share Johnnes's passion for connecting people with great wine and helping participants discover what excites them.
All photos by Mikhail Lipyanskiy
“What makes the festivals so special is the chance for clients to interact with their favorite producers,” says Raj Vaidya, Director of Operations at La Paulée. "The winemakers know that the attendees genuinely care about the wines—they're not just there because it's an expensive tasting they're supposed to enjoy."
Vaidya recalls an unforgettable moment at his first La Paulée: "Six of my heroes, whose magazine articles about their wines I had saved, were teaching me the difference between two bottles of La Tâche. It was pretty wild."
The events are, essentially, a 'who's who' of the wine world. At La Paulée, you might rub elbows with Aubert de Villaine from Domaine Romanée-Conti, while at La Fête, it could be Olivier Krug of Krug Champagne, or at La Tablée, Philippe Guigal of E. Guigal. However, it’s not just about mingling with the wine world's elite; these gatherings also include lesser-known talents. They show that wine culture is, at its core, warm and welcoming, filled with passionate individuals who generously share their knowledge and love of wine.
"Daniel has been a friend to many very influential winemakers for over 40 years,” says Jaime Dutton, Executive Director of La Paulée, "and a big part of our success is the personal relationships."
Dutton says the energy at her first Paulée made her realize this was where she belonged in the wine industry. “It's the community of winemakers, sommeliers, chefs, and our team bringing all these components together,” she says. “They create an exciting experience that's educational, convivial, and fun. It's shared enjoyment and pleasure."
Johnnes is also the founder of Pressoir, a spin-off of the festivals that gives wine lovers several chances to connect all year long. These smaller gatherings focus on specific themes where attendees explore wine in an intimate setting. Additionally, Pressoir provides expert wine consulting for restaurants and private clients.
A New Festival in the Works
As Johnnes looks to the future, he is excited to debut a new festival, Convivio del Vino, celebrating Italian wines. He has teamed up with Italian wine expert Jeff Porter, whose expertise and Italian wine connections bring together several producers, including notable names like Emidio Pepe, Gravner, G.B. Burlotto, Graci, and Foradori. Set to take place in early May 2025, the inaugural event will include family-run wineries from nearly every region of Italy.
For Johnnes and his team, who are always searching for new experiences to bring to their clients, this marks a thrilling shift from their usual focus on French wines. "We love Italy. We love Italian food, Italian people, Italian coffee—and we're selfish," says Johnnes. "We only drink wines we love to drink, so we're really excited about spending more time with Italy and welcoming the Italians to New York. They're so chic and so fun."
Giving Back
In addition to creating unforgettable experiences for wine lovers, Johnnes gives back to the sommelier community. In 2015, he established the Sommelier Scholarship Fund, a 501c3 nonprofit for sommeliers passionate about a career in wine. The educational program offers all-expenses-paid trips to Burgundy, Champagne, and Rhône Valley, where budding sommeliers gain access to top estates and learn directly from winemakers. The program has been incredibly successful, with hundreds of sommeliers applying yearly.
Like everything else he does, Johnnes has created the Scholarship Fund with the spirit of conviviality. For Johnnes, wine is not just about the product in the bottle—it’s about the people behind it, the experiences it creates, and the connections it fosters.
For more information on the festivals and experiences, visit pressoir.com.
