March 1, 2024
Terrell Johnson steps in as McNinch House sommelier
20-year Charlotte restaurant veteran takes over from the late “Wes” Wesley
by TM Petaccia
Terrell Johnson is the new sommelier at McNinch House. TM Petaccia/UP
Terrell Johnson took the long, hard route to landing one of Charlotte’s premiere sommelier jobs. Three weeks ago, he assumed the wine post at McNinch House Restaurant, replacing Anthony “Wes” Wesley, who passed away on January 27.
“It’s an honor to carry on Wes’ legacy and to create a path myself, based on the path already laid by him,” Johnson says.
Johnson came to Charlotte from New York at the age of 20. “My first restaurant job was at IHOP in Pineville,” he says. “I was there for two years and just worked my way up.” From there, his career path took him to Cracker Barrel and Outback Steakhouse before he landed a job at SouthPark’s Del Frisco’s.
“That changed my life,” Johnson says. “It was like going from a Honda Accord to driving a Lamborghini. I’d never heard of a sommelier before. They had this 40-page wine list. Once I got settled in, I saw these big bottles going out and friends making significant income from it. So at first, it was just the incentive to increase my finances, but once I got into it, I began to love everything about wine.”
A friend convinced Johnson to study for the Level 1 sommelier exam from the Court of Master Sommeliers. “It was nine months, two hours per day,” he says. “I loved the process of learning something new and challenging myself. The things that are innate to me — history, language, culture, all things that tap into what wine is. He put me on the correct path. As a former college athlete, dialing in to be focused on my goal came into play too. I passed the exam with flying colors.”
In a storybook twist, his friend took Johnson to McNinch House to celebrate passing the exam in 2018. “Out walks out this well-dressed African-American sommelier, and I said to myself, ‘Wow, who is this guy?!'” he says. “I didn’t tell him why I was there, but my friend did, and Wes lit up like a Christmas tree. He poured us some Champagne, being as gracious as he was. We were friends ever since. He became a mentor. We would discuss wines and strategy, stuff like that.”
Johnson stayed at Del Frisco’s for a total of seven years before taking on stints at La Belle Helene, Aria, Soul Gastrolounge/Kiki’s Bistro, and Steak 48, among others, before taking on the wine program at Sam Hart’s Biblio. He later read about a sommelier opening at McNinch House on Indeed.
“I said to myself, ‘Whoa, that’s Wes’ job!’ I called him to see if it was true. He said, ‘You know that I’m sick. I don’t know what time I have. I need a little help with this. You should talk with ownership about the job. You have my blessing.'”
On Terrell Johnson’s first day as McNinch House sommelier, he saw ‘Wes’ Wesley’s favorite suit sitting on a chair. “I told ownership please don’t take this away,” he says. “I want to keep him here, I want his presence here. This is his cellar and I want to acknowledge him everyday I’m here.” Photo courtesy
The appointment didn’t come quickly, it was a two-month process involving a lot of candidates. Johnson’s name reappeared once Wes entered hospice in a conversation between McNinch owners Mitch and Dee Dee Clark, Wesley, and Wesley’s nephew, Charlotte food photographer Jonathan Cooper. He then got the job.
Johnson has no current plans to make significant changes. “This is still Wes’ house,” he says. “It’s an honor to step into this role and to follow a legend like him. I want to use the template for what he built, but add my own style and touches. It also hasn’t escaped me that Wes was an African-American sommelier coming from New York to be replaced by a Black sommelier from New York. It’s a Black circle, and I want to honor that too.”
His biggest challenge will be doing a complete inventory of McNinch House’s impressive wine cellar. “The entire collection was in Wes’ head, not so much on paper,” Johnson says. “So that’s going to keep me busy for a period of time. I keep finding all the little bottles hidden in the cooler, some stuff not on our list.”
He also plans to add more “heavyweight” wine producers to the McNinch list. “Wes was great at finding obscure small-producer wines that drink above their price points,” he says. “I want to bring in some higher-end high-profile cabernets and chardonnays, some grand cru bottles.” He also plans on adding some sake options to the wine list, as he also received his Certified Sake Advisor accreditation from the Sake School of America.
“I’ve been prepping myself for this moment for quite some time,” Johnson says. “It’s the only position I’ve ever truly wanted, and it’s here now. Every day is a new challenge. I’ve never felt more alive.”
