Eric Spragett, CWE
Cellar Master

Ask Eric Spragett, cellar master and sommelier at Different Pointe of View, what the best bottle of wine is in the restaurant’s award-wining collection, and he’ll reply, “The best wine is the wine you like best.” This is the approach that Spragett uses to guide dinner guests through Different Pointe of View’s incredible selection of wines.

Spragett joined Different Pointe of View in 1987 and has since developed one of the most respected and coveted wine collections in Phoenix.  Each of the more than 700 selections of rare vintages and international varietals has been hand-selected by Spragett.  Using a unique approach to determining what wines should make the list, Spragett and his team participate in what is called a “blind tasting.”  The process includes stripping bottles of their labels so that wines are selected based solely on the merit of its taste and texture.

As sommelier, Spragett’s other responsibilities include supervising the sales and inventory of the expansive wine collection as well as maintaining the cellar, a mountainside cavern where the wines are stored.

Prior to joining Different Pointe of View, Spragett spent six years in New Orleans where he served as sommelier at the Fairmont Hotel. He also worked as dining room captain and second Maitre’D at Arnauds Restaurant and food and beverage manager at the Hyatt Regency Hotel.

British-born, Spragett worked as a marketing administrator in the mid-seventies for the campaign for Real Ale, a well-known British Institution promoting the distribution of quality malt beverages.  During this time, he was instrumental in developing the first Great British Beer Festival.

Spragett received his education at Tweeddale School in Carchalton, Surrey, England and is one of only two certified wine educators in the state of Arizona, as well as being certified by the Court of Master Sommeliers.  Spragett is also one of only two certified wine educators in the state of Arizona.

Spragett also contributes locally as a wine columnist for various publications and has traveled extensively through the wine-growing regions of France, Italy, Austria and California.