Meet Our Team
Our team is built of industry leaders. We’ve worked in the world’s finest restaurants, achieved the highest wine certifications, shoveled thousands of tons of grapes, won James Beard awards, written books, traveled the globe, and have certainly drunk more than our fair share of wine. All of that passion has led us to SommSelect, where we use our cumulative knowledge to the benefit of our customers. Our palates are as varied as our experiences.
Carolyn McBride
Chief Executive Officer
Carolyn McBride hails from California, and has worked in the technology sector leading teams. Carolyn attended UCSB before moving to the Bay Area. She's passionate about music, her cat Whisky, her family, and wine.
Carol Stephenson
Customer Service, Sunshine Officer
Carol is the customer service lead at SommSelect. Originally from the South Bay, Carol lives in Sonoma County with her beloved dog and husband.
Ruthie Guido
Club Manager,
Certified Specialist of Wine CSW
Ruthie is our Wine Club leader at SommSelect. Originally from Tampa Bay, she got her undergraduate degree at Cornell University. She has worked in the wine industry for 10+ years. Ruthie has obtained her WSET Level 3.
Shane Soldinger
Wine Director,
Certified Sommelier CS
A Certified Sommelier, Shane has worked in the industry for 15+ years with a beavy of wine companies.
Neil Mechanic
Store Manager / Concierge & Sourcing Specialist
Neil has dedicated his working career to promoting boutique fine wine domestically and internationally for over 20 years. Passionate about the undiscovered gems, with a long commitment to promoting the great wines of Europe. Neil oversees our expanding online store, as well as works with our VIP collectors and to source incredible wine finds.
Master Somm
Head of Wine Selection,
Certified Master Sommelier MS
Our Master Sommelier brings decades of top-tier experience at the highest levels of the wine world, with a palate shaped by global benchmarks and a career spent sourcing at the absolute pinnacle. His identity remains private to keep the focus where it belongs: on rigorous selection, uncompromising standards, and the bottles themselves—not personal notoriety.
This one’s for the true wine geeks: A six-pack of world-class wines, wrapped in black tissue paper and numbered, for blind tasting.
