May Matta-Aliah

Interview with a wine expert

For close to 20 years, May Matta-Aliah has had her finger on the pulse of the wine and spirits scene in New York City. She’s President of In The Grape, represents several wine and spirits regions as their regional ambassador guiding their strategic and educational initiatives stateside, and is a long-time instructor at the prestigious International Wine Center where she teaches WSET classes.

May is also a celebrated wine speaker, presenting at a wide range of conferences around the world; a skillset she illustrates in full flow during Chief Wine Officer events.

In this interview, May discusses her Lebanese heritage, appreciation for sweet wines, and the fact that she can’t believe she calls what she does ‘work.’

Chief Wine Officer: Tell us a little about your background – how did you first become interested in wine?

May Matta-Aliah: “I was born in Lebanon and my earliest memories of wine were as a child, going with my family to visit wineries up in the Bekaa Valley at the end of each summer so they could buy their cases of wine for the winter. I loved walking into the cold cellars and smelling the recently fermented juice. As an adult I continued to enjoy wine as a hobby until I attended by first professional wine class. It opened my eyes to all that wine can be, and the possibility of working in wine professionally. I have not looked back since.”

What’s the best thing about your job?

“I love so many things about my job – it’s what most people do for fun! I taste delicious wine, I eat amazing food, I meet passionate people that inspire me with what they do, and I get to travel to some of the most beautiful places in the world, and I get to call all of this work!”

What wine do you think people should appreciate but don’t?

“Fortified wines such as Sherry and Port, but especially Sherry, one of the most historic wines in the world, yet it is remains so misunderstood. While the sommelier community has started to embrace these wines, the wine drinking public has been slow to catch on. They are not the easiest wines to appreciate but they are amazing food wines. Give me a class of chilled Manzanilla with some prawns in olive oil or a glass of Amontillado with a rich wintery stew and I am happy as a clam. Let us not forget a class of aged Port with a ripe blue cheese, delicious!”

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Some of the best and most expensive sweet wines in the world achieve their sweetness through grapes that are harvested when they are ravaged by a fungal rot that shrivels each berry into a dried-out purple-coloured raisin.

– May Matta-Aliah

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What is your favourite expensive wine, and your favourite affordable wine?

“For an expensive wine, here again I am drawn to fortified wines, and possibly one of my favorite expensive wines would be an old glass of Verdelho, from the island of Madeira. I am enchanted by the earthy, mushroom aromas along with savoury herbal notes and hints of caramel that leap out of each glass that are then mirrored on the palate. And while the wines are gently sweet, the acidity in this grape keeps them vibrant and fresh. If you have not had Madeira wines yet, you should.

“As for affordable wines, my husband would attest that I am a very disloyal wine drinker as I enjoy trying new wines all the time, but some classic go-to wines for me are Pinot Blancs from Alsace or Alto Adige, Beaujolais-Village with a light chill, a dry Riesling from Germany, and in the summer nothing beats a chilled glass of rosé from my favorite Lebanese winery, Domaine des Tourelles.”

What wine fact can you share with our readers so they can impress their friends?

“Some of the best and most expensive sweet wines in the world achieve their sweetness through grapes that are harvested when they are ravaged by a fungal rot that shrivels each berry into a dried-out purple-coloured raisin.”

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Give me a class of chilled Manzanilla with some prawns in olive oil or a glass of Amontillado with a rich wintery stew and I am happy as a clam.

– May Matta-Aliah

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If you were hosting a dinner party, who would you invite (from anytime, anywhere)?

“The first person would have to be David Bowie, he was more than just a talented musician, he was a ground-breaking performer, an entrepreneur and a creative genius. Mikhail Baryshnikov is another person that I greatly admire, not only is he one of the best classical ballet male dancers, he also transitioned to modern dance, he is a choreographer, an actor and later he founded his own company and eventually an arts center. I would love to invite Barbe-Nicole Ponsardin, aka Veuve Clicquot who flouted every convention of the time to become the first woman to take over a champagne house, and introduced the process of riddling to clarify Champagne before releasing it on the market.

“Last but not least, I would invite Greta Thunberg, who in her brief 17 years, has done more to bring attention to climate change than scientists have managed to do in 30. Her courage, her conviction and her dedication have made an impact that I hope will effect meaningful change for years to come.”

What is your wine guilty pleasure?

“On an overnight flight, I put all wine preferences aside and drink whatever is on the food cart to try to relax and get some sleep.”

Meet May

Attend a CWO event in New York and meet the wine expert herself

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About May

Visit May’s website for a breakdown of her expertise and services as wine expert, educator, and presenter

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Any questions?

If you have any wine tasting or wine industry questions for May, email us and we’ll send them on