Vail Resorts Welcomes Master Sommelier Sean Razee as New Beverage Director for Vail Resorts’ Mountain Division

Beaver Creek, Colo.,

Trail Ridge Winery (Photo credit: paulswansen)

–Sean Razee, MS, AIWS, has accepted the newly formed position of beverage director for Vail Resorts’ Mountain Dining Division. One of only 135 master sommeliers in North American, Sean brings more than 25 years of experience in the restaurant industry to the mountain dining teams where he will be working collaboratively with the food and beverage directors, restaurant general managers, and sommeliers at all 10 of the company’s resorts.

“We’re fortunate to have someone with Sean’s expertise, especially with his certification as master sommelier, oversee our beverage programs across the Mountain Dining Division,” said Beth Howard, vice president of mountain dining and clubs for Vail Resorts.

Sean developed his knowledge while creating award-winning wine and spirits programs for The Ritz-Carlton and Wolfgang Puck’s Spago. After gaining the prestigious title of Master Sommelier, Sean went on to complete another internationally recognized diploma from the Wine & Spirits Education Trust. More recently he also earned the title of Certified Sake Professional.

Prior to accepting the position with Vail Resorts, Sean held the position of Key Account Wine Specialist for Southern Wine & Spirits of Colorado. When not lecturing, conducting staff trainings, or working with aspiring students, Sean also works as one of the teaching and examining Masters for the Court of Master Sommeliers.

Sean’s curiosity in wine was set in motion while studying food science for his under-graduate degree in college and through weekend trips to the Santa Barbara wine-country. His aptitude for the sciences led him toward pursuit of a graduate program in wine-making, but shortly before heading to U.C. Davis, Sean was given the chance to run a wine and spirits program. This turned out to be a watershed moment in Sean’s career, allowing him to combine his love of wine, food, and service.

Although he holds the industry’s most prestigious academic titles, Sean maintains a down-to-earth approach to wine and food, and believes strongly in removing the formality and pretence surrounding wine. Striving to become a “highly-acclaimed” home chef, when he is not on the road visiting each of the resorts, Sean can be found spending much of his free time cooking, exploring exotic markets, and finding innovative food and wine combinations.

About Vail Resorts, Inc. (NYSE: MTN)
Vail Resorts, Inc., through its subsidiaries, is the leading mountain resort operator in the United States. The Company’s subsidiaries operate the mountain resorts of Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge and Keystone in Colorado; Heavenly, Northstar and Kirkwood in the Lake Tahoe area of California and Nevada; Canyons in Park City, Utah; Afton Alps in Minnesota and Mt. Brighton in Michigan; and the Grand Teton Lodge Company in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. The Company’s subsidiary, RockResorts, a luxury resort hotel company, manages casually elegant properties. Vail Resorts Development Company is the real estate planning, development and construction subsidiary of Vail Resorts, Inc. Vail Resorts is a publicly held company traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: MTN). The Vail Resorts company website is www.vailresorts.com and consumer website is www.snow.com.