SHARRON Ann McCarthy is the vice president of wine education at Banfi Vintners, one of the country’s premier names in imported fine wines. She is a past president of the U.S. Society of Wine Educators. 

Over the past three decades she has traveled the 50 states, sharing with others her boundless knowledge and enthusiasm for the joy of wine. From wine clubs and consumer groups, to law firms and Fortune 500 companies, to hospitality and grad students at some of the country’s most prestigious centers of learning, to floor staff at wine stores and restaurants, in addition to frequent appearances on radio and TV, McCarthy is in constant demand as one of the wine industry’s most popular and effective guest speakers.

A native of Long Island, New York, McCarthy’s wine business career began in 1978 when she joined the consumer affairs department at Banfi Vintners.  Her career has been multi-faceted and includes working with the Shannon College of Hotel Management in Shannon, Co. Clare.

McCarthy traces her Irish ancestry to Belfast and Downpatrick, Co. Down. “My Irish heritage is quite important to me.  My dad’s parents, brother and sisters emigrated to the in the late 1920s to the United States, where my dad was born.  I grew up proud and fascinated by my Irish background,” McCarthy says. McCarthy, still a resident of Long Island, has a daughter, Kathryn O’Dell. 
 

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