Long Island's Finest Sommeliers Share Their Stories
by Alexandra Reisner

Natalia Zalevska’s interest in wines began backwards. She took her first wine course in Crimea, an island part of her native Ukraine, which produces some of the world’s best dessert wine. At the time it was only an addendum to her education, as she had earned bachelors and masters degrees in Russian, Ukranian and English language. When Natalia came to America in 1986 and took a position with Anthony Capetola, owner of the Carltun, he rekindled her interest in wine. She supplemented her first course with two certifications, from the American Sommelier Association and the International Wine School in Manhattan, respectively. She studied with Andria Immer, one of only 10 female master sommeliers in the world. Natalia herself is, to her knowledge, the only certified woman sommelier on Long Island.

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As such, she juggles expertly the demands of the position. Natalia purchases wines for restaurants and catering, sometimes at auction; she has done her bidding at Christie’s, Sotheby’s and Morrel & Co. She often attends wine tastings to bring new tastes to the table. The collection developed magnificently under her command. “We have such a great Bordeaux collection,” she says, “With practically every first growth made including Chateau Lafite 1868, the oldest in the
collection.” This one bottle is valued at about $5000. A Chateau Cos d’Estournel 1928 from John F. Kennedy’s personal collection demands a cool $7500. As a result of her skill, Palm Court earned the Wine Spectator’s Best of Award of Excellence every year since 1998.

Despite her impressive familiarity with wine, Natalia does not spend all her time alone with glass and grapes. Her position has her hosting events and helping customers. Every Friday night, she brings diners into her domain for a six course dinner with wine pairings held in the cellar. Four or five times a year the eatery holds a special wine dinner, featuring a specific country, region and producer. She also assists patrons one on one, helping them to navigate the 85-page wine list, the hazard of such an impressive collection. From auction block to tabletop, Natalia brings the best of wine to the Carltun’s clientele.

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