Board

David Keck, Owner, Stella 14 Wines & Director of Hospitality, Golden Dog Farm

Master Sommelier David Keck discovered his love for wine while pursuing a career as an opera singer. He has a Master of Music Degree from Rice University, an undergraduate degree in English and Comparative Literature from Columbia University and attended Juilliard for opera performance. After years of working in hospitality between gigs, David took the Introductory Sommelier course with the CMS in 2010 and decided to change careers. David was named one of Food & Wine’s Sommeliers of the Year in 2016 and passed his Master Sommelier exam later that year. He was awarded the StarChefs Rising Stars Restaurateur of the Year award in 2019 for his work opening numerous establishments and founding a hospitality group in Houston, TX. David has presented seminars for the Court of Master Sommeliers, GuildSomm, Vine Society, and numerous other educational organizations.

 He is a featured presenter at events such as the Aspen Food & Wine Classic, Pebble Beach Food & Wine, TEXSOM, Nantucket Food & Wine, and is a sought-after wine judge for competitions both nationally and abroad. He founded the Houston Sommelier Association and created LoireFest, a Texas-wide celebration of the Loire Valley. David has worked in every aspect of the beverage industry: He has opened wine bars, honky-tonks, and retails shops, as well as working in sales and directing wine programs for distribution companies. He now farms a vineyard in his home state of Vermont and makes wine for Stella14 Wines, a brand he and his partner Lauren started in 2020.