Meet Todd Wernstrom

Todd Wernstrom, founder of Urban Pour Tastings, tasting white wine during a wine education and sommelier experience in New York City.

Wine Writer & Certified Sommelier

Todd Wernstrom has spent more than two decades writing about, working with and studying wine. His path into the wine world began after stepping away from a successful personal injury law practice in the late 1990s to pursue an interest in writing about wine, which touched on both his love of wine and its intersection with history, his undergraduate major.

Published Writer & Industry Experience

Todd has been published in local, regional and national publications, including serving as Executive Editor of Wine News, a national bimonthly publication based in South Florida.

He is also a certified sommelier, bringing both formal training and real-world experience to his work.

Todd Wernstrom, founder of Urban Pour Tastings in NYC, holding a glass of white wine and bottle during a wine education and tasting experience.

Importer & Distributor

After relocating to New York City in 2007, Todd moved into the business side of wine, founding his own import and distribution company, Ice Bucket Selections.

Through this work, he partnered with small, family-owned producers from regions including California, Oregon, Washington, the Hudson Valley, Champagne, the Loire Valley, Chablis and the Côte de Beaune.

These wines were placed in Michelin-starred restaurants and boutique wine shops throughout Manhattan and Brooklyn.

Todd later merged his company with a larger importer and continued in the industry as a sales director.

Mockup of “A Cook’s Table: Food and Wine Together” by Todd Wernstrom displayed on stacked books against a neutral background.

Current Work & Projects

In recent years, Todd has returned his focus to writing and education within the wine space.

He co-authored the cookbook A Cook’s Table, which includes a strong focus on wine and food pairing. The book approaches pairing in a way that is thoughtful, practical, and accessible, helping readers feel more confident and less intimidated when selecting wine.

  • “ONE OF THE MOST FUN EVENINGS I’VE HAD IN A LONG TIME!”

    I recently had the pleasure of booking an in-home wine tasting experience with Urban Pour, and I have to say, it was one of the most fun evenings I’ve had in a long time! He took the time to ask about my tastes beforehand, ensuring that the wines would be to my liking, what a thoughtful touch!!

    – MERIDITH BROWN, NYC

    ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

  • "HE HAS A WAY OF ENGAGING EVEN THE MOST RELUCTANT WINE TASTER."

    Great, surprising wine selections and great, fascinating stories about the wine growers, the grapes and the wine tradition. Todd is an authority on wine and has a way of engaging even the most reluctant wine taster. Everything is explained. Everything is captivating and comfortable. When Todd was done, I felt like I was more educated about wine and that I had found some wines I really enjoyed and wanted to drink again.

    – DAVID STARR

    ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

  • "TODD HAS A WAY OF EDUCATING YOU ABOUT WINE."

    Todd was WONDERFUL. He has a way of educating you about wine, while reassuring you that you know more than you think about wine. He makes you feel confident about the types of wine that you like. He encourages you to try others while reinforcing you to feel confident in what you know and what you like.

    – DEANNA LEWIS, NYC

    ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

  • "A PERFECT ADD FOR A DINNER PARTY."

    Wonderful experience with Urban Pour Tastings and Todd. Dinner party with wine tasting for 8. Great fun. Very informative. Delicious selections. A perfect add for a dinner party. Highly recommend.

    – NERI TANNENBROWN, NYC

    ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

  • “WHAT WE DIDN’T PLAN FOR WAS TODD TO BECOME THE 7TH BEST FRIEND.”

    Todd showed up like a wine fairy godfather, driving out to our remote cabin with glasses, gorgeous bottles and a full tasting setup, ready to turn our casual ‘let’s have some wine’ evening into an actual event. He was funny, warm, endlessly knowledgeable and clearly put real thought into curating pours that matched our taste.

    Between the stories, the laughs and genuinely stunning wine, Todd turned out to be one of the best parts of the whole weekend.

    – ALLIE
    ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

  • “HE DESIGNED A PERFECT, PHENOMENAL TASTING.”

    I hired Todd to do a wine tasting for a friend’s bachelorette party in Upstate NY. She is getting married in the Langhe in Italy and he designed a perfect, phenomenal tasting of 8 wines from the region.

    Todd was professional, communicative, and a delight to work with. I am already dreaming of other parties to throw where he is (rightfully) the main event.

    – ADRIENNE MARCINO

    ★ ★ ★ ★ ★