Brian Duncan is currently a partner and wine director of Chicago’s famed BIN 36, where his expertise has garnered the restaurant a James Beard Award nomination in the national Outstanding Wine Service category, spotlighting Duncan’s commitment to making wine education and appreciation fun and approachable.  Under Duncan’s direction, BIN 36 received an Award of Unique Distinction from Wine Enthusiast for its commitment to delivering the most wine-friendly experience to its guests and BIN 36 was chosen as the “Best Wine-Pairing System” in the nation by Wine & Spirits magazine.

With 20 years of expertise in the field, Duncan’s passion for wine includes a desire to create a whole new generation of wine drinkers by doing everything possible to add to his guests’ wine knowledge.   At BIN 36, Duncan writes accessible and exciting wine descriptions for the wines available by the glass and regularly meets with the staff to discuss interesting food and wine pairings.  In addition, Duncan has developed BIN School, which addresses various levels in learning about wine and food and wine synergy, and the “Discovery Series,” an interactive series of seminars that includes executive training for creating win-win dining and wining situations.

Duncan has been featured as one of America’s leading wine experts in GQ and Food & Wine magazine; is a return seminar leader and panelist at the Aspen Food & Wine Classic; is a previous recipient of the prestigious “Good Eating” award from the Chicago Tribune; and has been thrice-nominated for Chicago’s Jean Banchet Awards for Culinary Excellence in the Best Sommelier category.  Honing his wine knowledge through years of experience at such nationally acclaimed restaurants as Spruce, Frontera Grill/Topolobampo and Zinfandel, Duncan’s mission is to share his love of wine by making it accessible to everyone.