Sam Aaron (October 7, 1911 – July 21, 1996) was a

wine Wine is an alcoholic drink typically made from fermented grapes. Yeast consumes the sugar in the grapes and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Different varieties of grapes and strains of yeasts are m ...

merchant and co-founder, with his brother Jack, of Sherry-Lehmann Wines and Spirits. At the end of Prohibition in 1934, Jack Aaron purchased the liquor store in the old Louis Sherry building. He and Sam set about recreating the shop with Sam shifting the emphasis to wine, having been influenced by a meeting with the writer and wine importer,

Frank Schoonmaker Frank Musselman Schoonmaker (August 20, 1905 – January 11, 1976) was an American travel guide writer, wine writer and wine merchant. He was born in Spearfish, South Dakota, and attended for two years at Princeton University, after which he droppe ...

. In 1946, the shop moved across the street, where it remained until a second move in 2007. Aaron and his brother hired sometime actor and food enthusiast

James Beard James Andrews Beard (May 5, 1903 – January 23, 1985) was an American chef, cookbook author, teacher and television personality. He pioneered television cooking shows, taught at The James Beard Cooking School in New York City and Seaside, ...

to run Alanberry's, the gourmet shop next door.

Biography

During the postwar years, Aaron continued to write about wine, now for the popular market: with Beard, he co-authored ''How to Eat Better for Less Money'' and with the book critic

Clifton Fadiman Clifton Paul "Kip" Fadiman (May 15, 1904 – June 20, 1999) was an American intellectual, author, editor, radio and television personality. He began his work with the radio, and switched to television later in his career. Background Born in Bro ...

, he wrote a coffee table book, ''The Joys of Wine''. He was a judge at the

New York Wine Tasting of 1973 The New York Wine Tasting of 1973 was organized by pioneering wine journalist Robert Lawrence Balzer. He assembled 14 leading wine experts including France's Alexis Lichine, who owned two chateaux in Bordeaux, a manager of the Four Seasons restauran ...

which featured many of the same French and American wines that would be judged at the

Judgment of Paris Judgement (or US spelling judgment) is also known as ''adjudication'', which means the evaluation of evidence to decision-making, make a decision. Judgement is also the ability to make considered decisions. The term has at least five distinct u ...

. In 1984, he was honored by the vignerons of Bordeaux, the shippers of Burgundy, Beaujolais and Champagne with gala parties in each of those regions, in celebration of Sherry-Lehmann's half-century and of Aaron's contributions to the international wine trade. Jack Aaron died in 1967 and his place in the business was taken by Sam's nephew, Michael Aaron. Sam Aaron retired in 1990.New York Times '
Sam Aaron, 84, the Dean of Wine Merchants, Is Dead
'' Obituary He had four children with Florence Goldberg, one of whom is animator

Jane Aaron Jane Frances Aaron (April 16, 1948 – June 27, 2015) was an American filmmaker and children's book illustrator, best known for her work on ''Between the Lions'' and ''Sesame Street''. Aaron mixed live-action shots and animated images to teach ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Aaron, Sam 1911 births 1996 deaths American food writers 20th-century American non-fiction writers American writers of Russian descent Deaths from respiratory failure City College of New York alumni 20th-century American merchants