OUR STORY
Charlie Berg
SOMMELIÈR, OWNER
Charlie began working in fine dining to pay the bills when he was 23 and discovered wine along the way. He quickly found that the vast subject of wine lay right at the intersection of his existing interests; the study of wine includes biology, agriculture, anthropology, language, chemistry, geology, meteorology, history, sensory experience, and of course gastronomy. He was hooked. He quickly took over the wine cellar at The Troutdale Dining Room in Bristol, Tennessee, and was approached by a representative from the Court of Master Sommeliers to participate in one of their wine exams happening at the Darden School of Business. He passed this first exam, then the challenging Certified Sommelier Exam, and finally the exponentially more difficult Advanced Sommelier Exam. This career path led him from working with Alinea and Charlie Trotter alumnae John and Karen Shields at the nationally recognized Town House restaurant to Four Seasons and Mina Group in Washington, D.C., the French Culinary Institute in New York City, the Head Sommelier position at Blue Hill Stone Barns, Sommelier at Eleven Madison Park, and finally to being one of the Sommeliers to build the 6 million dollar wine program for Tilman Fertitta at The Post Oak/Mastro’s in Houston, Texas.
His goal has always been to achieve the full realization of his God-given purpose and potential while loving and serving others. He is excited to now serve his hometown as they provide an exceptional wine list, delicious food, and hospitality that inspires each guest to feel at home at Summers.
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Coming Home…
As I rose through the ranks in the competitive environment of world-class wine and hospitality, the pressures and pace became increasingly more intense. I often missed the peace of my childhood and younger years: running in the pastures and woods with my brothers and sisters, listening to my mother read the Bible to us in the mornings, and sweet moments walking with my wife Anastasia in the early days of our marriage.
As the Lord orchestrated it, an opportunity arose to return home and fulfill my desire to jump into the world of business ownership with my brothers, David and Nathan. We’ve enjoyed the creative process of designing and launching a rooftop and wine cellar hospitality venue in Abingdon’s turn-of-the-century Summers Building. We began collaborating on a vision for food and wine service that would pair fine dining with a sense of home…and the story continues!
—Charlie
