Daniel Veit, Wine Director at Wally's in Santa Monica, has built his career around the idea that great wine service should feel as natural as it is thoughtful. After an early career in consumer electronics – alongside strong restaurant roots growing up – he transitioned into wine, moving through roles at Del Frisco's in Denver before shaping lists in Santa Barbara and Malibu. Along the way, his approach has been defined by a deep interest in research, wine history, and the way bottles evolve alongside food. At Wally's – a hybrid wine bar and retail concept – Daniel oversees an ambitious by-the-glass program that balances education with hospitality, underscoring his belief that execution matters just as much as selection.

You came to wine after an early career in tech, but with strong restaurant roots growing up. What was the moment wine stopped being an interest and became the path you knew you had to follow?

"I had been laid off from my job in the consumer electronics space, and, as a way to generate income during my job search, I began doing private wine tastings. I enjoyed the performative aspect of these tastings, but what I really fell for was the research on each wine. The history, geography, different styles of wine and culinary connection captivated me."

From Del Frisco's in Denver to Santa Barbara and Malibu - Which environments most shaped how you think about what a great wine list should actually do for guests?

"I would have to say that each stop along my journey created an impression on me of what a great wine list should do for guests. I would be difficult to pick just one environment. The Del Frisco's wine list was at the time roughly 3,000 different wines featuring most of the great wines that we would expect in a Fine Dining Steak House, aged Bordeaux, aged Barolo and aged Napa. There was certainly a wow factor working with that list, and we had an excellent team of sommeliers."

"In Santa Barbara, I predominantly worked with wine lists that featured the local Santa Barbara County wines, which was excellent for both visitors and locals searching for something new to try. In Malibu, I was building a list that would balance the coastal lean of our menus with great champagne and Chablis selections along with the Blue-Chip producers from Tuscany, Napa and Bordeaux."

"An excellent wine list should be easy for guests to navigate, have brands which may already be familiar to the guest, well priced, match the cuisine and diverse. Wine is as much about comfort and familiarity as it is about discovery."

You've spoken before about using mature and auction wines as teaching tools. Why do older wines matter so much for education, and how do they change the way guests understand value in a glass?

"Well stored, aged wines are an important showcase for guests to understand the evolutionary journey a wine goes on. Think for a moment about the journey from a youthful, pale gold white Burgundy into the deep golden hue of an aged white Burgundy, or the bright, deep red color of young Bordeaux evolving into a tawny color, tannins fully resolved, with those beautiful tertiary notes."

"From a guest standpoint, there is real and perceived value in tasting a wine that is in its drinking window next to a current release, important in both a retail and restaurant scenario."

With such a broad BTG offering, execution matters as much as selection. What operational or service details separate a theoretically great by-the-glass program from one that actually delivers on the floor, night after night?

"Correct, it begins with the selection, but execution is what separates a good guest experience from a truly memorable experience. My sommelier team is passionate about what they do and I prioritize transferring that enthusiasm to our servers, bartenders and retail associates. It's the tastings we do at our daily lineups and as sommeliers, we taste through each wine to ensure they are showing well. We wouldn't be able to do what we do without the Coravin."

Los Angeles and Santa Monica guests are increasingly knowledgeable but also more selective. How have you seen guest expectations around wine service evolve in recent years – and how should sommeliers respond to that shift?

"I feel that guests expectations have evolved a bit and people are more comfortable with service that fits the concept. Dining at Spago, I would expect certain steps of service to be explicitly followed, guided by the Court of Master Sommeliers standards, but opening the same caliber of wine at say a more casual concept, I would expect the service to match the service standard set by that restaurant, still hitting key points and progressions but maybe in a T-Shirt and jeans. I think sommeliers should always read the room and ensure that the service matches the concept."

Outside of Wally's, where do you personally love drinking wine by-the-glass in LA, and what are those places getting right that others often miss?

"Outside of Wally's, I enjoy the wine by the glass format of Juliet in Culver City. They offer both avant garde and iconic producers wines in several different pour sizes allowing you the opportunity to taste many wines that typically are not offered in a by the glass setting. Kudos."

Looking ahead, as people drink less but better and lists become more intentional, how do you see the role of the sommelier changing – particularly in hybrid spaces like Wally's?

"At the end of the day, I don't see the role of the sommelier changing as much as I see the role consolidating. The current state of the restaurant industry is challenging to say the least, and, since the COVID shutdowns, I have seen wine lists getting smaller and smaller as operators look for ways to maintain cash flow and profitability."

"As it relates to hybrid concepts, sommeliers are still super important for a concept such as Wally's because we get to open wines during dinner service and actually have them perform at the table, and, if the guests really enjoyed what they had, they can take bottles home. That connection could be your next big client."

If you could sit down with one historical figure (dead or alive) over a single glass of wine, who would it be – and which wine are you drinking together?

"I grew up in the Philadelphia area and always loved learning about and exploring the rich history of the city. So, sticking with the hometown, the person would be Benjamin Franklin, and the wine most certainly would be a Sercial Madeira, likely from Cossart Gordon. I don't think Franklin drank Madeira because it was fashionable, I think he drank it because it traveled well, aged intelligently and rewarded patience."

Daniel Veit
Wine Director, Wally's Santa Monica
Images: Provided courtesy of Daniel