Vitalii Dascaliuc & Tess Rose Lampert

Teaches at Astor Center

Vitalii grew up working on his family’s vineyards in Moldova, and naturally fell in love with wine culture. He made his first barrel of wine when he was sixteen. Today, Vitalii works as a sommelier at Compagnie des Vins Surnaturels NYC as well as a tasting coordinator for Wine and Spirits Magazine. In addition to teaching at Astor Center, he also leads wine classes at Murray’s Cheese and City Wine Tours. 

Vitalii is a certified sommelier with the Court of Master Sommeliers, a certified specialist of wine with The Society of Wine Educators, and holds the advanced WSET certificate, which he passed with distinction. When not tasting wine, Vitalii is cooking, enjoying a good hike, or studying a new foreign language.

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Tess, now NYC based, has been a lifelong world traveler and lover of food and drink. She holds the advanced certification from the Wine & Spirit Education Trust, as well as an MA from University of East Anglia in Philosophy of Food and Drink. With a taste for the esoteric, she works closely with fortified and dessert wines, as well as Eastern and Central European wines. Her love of all things Mexican has made her a recognized agave expert—which pairs well with her knowledge of craft spirits, amari, and cocktails. You can find her indulging a passion for aesthetics and education while teaching, eating, and drinking in New York City and beyond. 

Teaching Profile: Tess uses a laid back approach to make each seminar feel like a conversation where questions are always welcome. The goal is always to offer knowledge that will help individuals get the most out of each wine drinking experience and ignite a curiosity for the unknown.