David Lynch

[Jason Perlow]

David's Bio

Although the surname may seem incongruous for a specialist in Italian

wine, David Lynch is nevertheless half Italian. He grew up in

Glastonbury, CT, where he became versed in the subtleties of spaghetti

sauce as prepared by his Italian mother, grandmother, and assorted

aunts. But even his grandmother was a generation removed from the Old

Country. For David, who spent most of the year 2000 in Italy researching

the acclaimed Vino Italiano: The Regional Wines of Italy (click for Amazon Listing)

(Clarkson-Potter 2002; $35), the creation of the book was not only a

professional challenge but a chance to trace some of his roots.

David, 34, was a Senior Editor at Wine & Spirits for more than three

years, but left the magazine in May of 2000 to travel from the top to

the toe of Italy with his wife, Josie. He visited more than 300 Italian

wineries over the course of seven months, meeting with owners and

winemakers in amassing much of the information contained in Vino

Italiano. On returning to New York City, he took on a new challenge in

becoming the Wine Director at Babbo, which is co-owned by his

collaborator on "Vino Italiano," Joe Bastianich.

Working in a restaurant is a big change in direction for David, who has

been a writer and editor since graduating from Boston College in 1989.

He published his first articles in a Boston-area weekly called The Tab,

then took a job a trade newspaper that covered the New England

restaurant industry. He moved to New York in 1993, joining what was then

Jobson Publishing as an Associate Editor of Cheers, a beverage magazine

for restaurateurs. Eventually he became the Editor of Cheers, while

simultaneously writing articles for other consumer and trade magazines.

In the summer of 1996 David joined the staff of Wine & Spirits, where he

covered a wide range of wine topics. The highlight of his tenure at the

magazine was his receipt of a 2001 James Beard Journalism Award for one

of his Wine & Spirits pieces. His writing has also appeared in GQ; Food

& Wine; New York Magazine; Time Out New York; Sidewalk.com; Chef; and

P.O.V.

And while the wine program at Babbo is a full-time commitment, David

remains active as a writer, contributing regularly to Wine & Spirits and

other publications. He and Josie live in Manhattan.