2026 Team USA
Different backgrounds. Shared purpose. Four world-class wine professionals representing the United States at the World Tasting Championship, coached by FIVE-time competitor Kristen Shubert.
Ryan Robinson
Team Captain 2026 · Connecticut
Ryan Robinson is a wine educator, communicator and consultant based in Connecticut. He serves as Director of Education for Brescome Barton and Worldwide Wines, is an Adjunct Professor at the University of New Haven, and is Principal of SommCentric, a beverage education and consulting agency.
He holds the Advanced Sommelier credential through the Court of Master Sommeliers, the WSET Diploma, and is a WSET Educator in Wine, Sake and Beer. His additional credentials include Rioja Wine Educator, VIA Italian Wine Ambassador, Wine Scholar Guild Educator and Spanish Wine Specialist, and Certified Scotch Whisky Professional through the Council of Whiskey Masters.
As a wine communicator, Ryan writes as the Wine Columnist for the Connecticut and Rhode Island Beverage Journal and hosts a podcast for Italian Wine Podcast based on Attilio Scienza's The Art of Wine Storytelling. Ryan brings Team USA a powerful combination of advanced tasting ability, broad beverage knowledge, teaching expertise and communication skills.
Brian Brill
Team Member 2026 · Texas
Brian Brill brings a rare combination of scientific rigor and deep wine expertise to Team USA. With a PhD in Theoretical Astrophysics and 25 years as a software industry professional, Brian brings an analytical and highly disciplined approach to wine and spirits.
He is an Advanced Sommelier and holds the WSET Diploma in Wine and Spirits. He is currently a Stage 2 Master of Wine student and has passed the Master Sommelier Theory examination. His credentials also include Certified Specialist of Wine and Spirits, Certified Cicerone, and Certified Sake Professional.
As Proprietor of Monopole Wines, a Texas-based distributor, Brian combines his technical knowledge with hands-on experience evaluating, sourcing and representing wines in the marketplace. He is also an experienced blind tasting competitor, having competed in the Vila Viniteca competition in Barcelona, with plans to compete again in Madrid.
Phil Laramore
Team Member 2026 · Colorado
Phil Laramore has spent more than three decades immersed in blind tasting, wine education and the international wine trade. His career has included roles as a sommelier, French portfolio manager, sales and marketing executive, import director, partner and, since 2014, Founder and President of Samandla Wine Imports.
Phil passed the Advanced Sommelier blind tasting examination on his first attempt in 1997 and has continued to develop his tasting skills through rigorous daily practice and competition. He was a finalist in the Top Somm Midwest Regional competitions in 2016 and 2017 and won the Somms Under Fire competition in Austin in 2019.
His work as an importer provides continual access to wines from around the world and opportunities to taste with producers and winemakers in their regions. For Phil, blind tasting is both a competitive discipline and an essential professional tool for assessing quality, typicity and how wines fit within a broader program.
Greg Spalding
Team Member 2026 · Chicago, Illinois
Greg Spalding's journey into wine began in 2009 with a simple suggestion: try a glass of wine instead of a beer. That first sip sparked a career dedicated to helping others discover the same sense of curiosity and enjoyment through wine, education and hospitality.
Greg is an Advanced Sommelier through the Court of Master Sommeliers Americas and has passed the theory portion of the Master Sommelier Examination. He is also an Italian Wine Ambassador through the Vinitaly International Academy.
A highly active member of Chicago's sommelier community, Greg has been involved with Second City Sommeliers, an organization focused on mentorship and the development of wine professionals in tasting, service and beverage knowledge. He served on the organization's board for five years and continues to support its educational mission. Today, Greg works as a Fine Wine Specialist at Vin in Chicago.
Kristen Shubert
Coach · Board President
French Wine Scholar & Spanish Wine Scholar certified with Highest Honors, and WSET III certified with Merit. Current United States Champion Wine Taster, competing at the international level in 2016, 2018, 2022, 2023, and 2024. She was third place in the world in 2016, and ninth place in the world in 2023 at the La Revue du Vin De France Magazine International Wine Tasting Competition. She was the first woman to compete for Team USA in 2016.
She is currently crafting wine for her own label and is a freelance journalist for wine industry publications, SommJournal and Winemaker Magazine. She also volunteers as the President of Cellarmasters of Los Angeles amateur winemaking group, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and is President of the Chatsworth Neighborhood Council in Los Angeles, CA.
She is a graduate of UNLV with a Bachelor of Science in Hospitality Management, and a Culinary Certificate in Culinary Sciences. She put her Certified Sommelier skills to use at her wine bar, Vintura in Ventura, CA, from 2016 through 2019, where she created the trademarked wine game, Wine Wars.
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