Laura DePasquale MS is an American Master Sommelier (see sommeliers). She is the Vice President & General Manager for the boutique wine division at Southern Glazers Wine & Spirits Florida called ARTisanal Fine Wines, a concept for SGWS dedicated to small wineries, new trends and brand development combining a smaller, lighter approach to the market with educational events and consultative selling. In addition, Ms DePasquale is a speaker and wine judge participating in Decanter World Wine Awards, 5Star Wine Awards, TexSom, Aspen Food & Wine, South Beach Food & Wine and others. She is the former Vice Chair for the Court of Master Sommeliers – Americas.

DePasquale began her hospitality career as a teenager, working for a fast food chain, but quickly moved into fine dining. Her first serious introduction to wine was in New York City, where she worked as a bartender at Arizona 206, followed by a stint as beverage director at the Royalton Hotel. In the early 1990s, she moved to Miami and worked as an award-winning sommelier at Norman’s restaurant until she was recruited by Palm Bay International in 2001 as Florida state fine wine specialist. In 2004, DePasquale achieved the Master Sommelier Diploma and has been an active educator, examiner and speaker for CMS-Americas. She lives in Miami, FL and Savannah, GA with her husband and dogs.