For over two decades, Frank Hersey has cultivated a reputation as one of Nantucket’s most trusted wine experts. A seasoned sommelier with a career that began in high-end restaurants in Florida, Hersey spent nearly two decades shaping the wine list at The Galley before joining Épernay Wine & Spirits. Today, he splits his expertise between Épernay and the Great Harbor Yacht Club, where he curates wine programs rooted in seasonal pairings, a curiosity for undiscovered wines, and close ties with clients.

N Magazine caught up with Hersey ahead of the busy summer season to talk underrated bottles, approachable pairings and what keeps him rooted on Nantucket.

How did you first get into wine and what sparked your interest in becoming a sommelier?

I got into wine in the early ’90s. I worked for a high-end restaurant in Florida, and you had to learn. You had to know everything about everything. We had Armagnac tastings. We had wine tastings. And I just found that I had a palate for wine. Wine that I liked, people seemed to enjoy.

What brought you to Nantucket?

I was working in Florida, and I met Howard Clark and Nelson Doubleday. Nelson used to own 21 Federal back in the day, and Howard Clark lived on Nantucket. They were telling me for years to come to Nantucket. Finally, I took their advice, and Howard called David [Silva] and Geoffrey Silva at The Galley, and I started working at The Galley.

For someone intimidated by wine lists, what’s your go-to advice when making a selection?

It’s funny because I’m doing retail for the first time ever. I was at The Galley for 19 years. When I was at The Galley, the less expensive wines—people were more intimidated to talk about with a sommelier. Whereas high-end wines—if you’re spending money on a really expensive bottle of wine, it should be good. We take a lot of time and effort to make the less expensive wines the best that they can be but people don’t ask questions. They should talk to the sommelier and not be intimidated. If you just say ‘I’m looking for a $60 or $30 bottle of wine,’ we would generally steer you towards what you’re looking for.

Is there a rule you think people should feel free to break, like red wine with meat or white with fish?

You know, I’ve been doing this for over 30 years, and most of the time—most Americans or most people in general—pick a bottle of wine out before they’ve even decided what they’re having for dinner. So I feel like most people, if they’re going to have fish and they love Cabernet, they’re going to drink Cabernet. It’s interesting because pairing doesn’t seem to be as much of apriority as to what they’re drinking that they like.

Any clue as to why? Do you think it just kind of comes in waves?

It’s wavy. I feel like it started with New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs, and a lot of people got tired of that grapefruit, citrusy style and then evolved to drier, leaner French Sauvignon Blancs. I noticed that about three or four years ago and now you literally can’t keep them on the shelf. It will be interesting, because they had a disastrous season over there, so the production is absolutely minuscule.

Can you name an underrated or overlooked wine people should be paying more attention to?

Whites—Arneis. They’re the perfect summer porch wine for me that people don’t really have a grasp on. Red wines—Spanish like Riojas, Tempranillos Grenache—that seems to be an overlooked wine.

What’s a bottle that always surprises people, either by taste or value?

We’ve done tastings with Arneis twice now at Épernay and I feel like that’s one. It’s hard to say, because I’ve been doing this for so long and I have a lot of relationships with people, so we geta lot of wines that aren’t in the norm. We get a lot of surprises in general, because people haven’t heard the name before. But because I’ve been on the island for so long, and I have such a great clientele list, people just generally trust me and they’ll drink whatever I tell them.

If someone is just starting to build their wine knowledge, what’s one region or varietal you would recommend they start with?

Ithink you should try everything. That’s one of the things that I’ve always tried to have—this memory of my clients and what they’ve drunk. I never try to have them drink the same wine twice unless it was a special occasion. If you like white Burgundies, I would get them to drink different white Burgundies that they might not have ever had. So one week they might have a Puligny, the next week a Meursault, the next week a ChassagneI’ve always tried to get people out of a rut. Then they’re always excited when they try a new wine, because generally, 99 percentof the time they like my selections.

What’s your approach to building the wine program at the Yacht Club or Épernay? Are there any new additions you’re excited about?

My approach has always been the same. I try like two or three thousand wines a season. I try to find the best $60 Pinot Noir that I can. I try to do a wine list like that. There were wines that Great Harbor and Épernay have never been able to purchase. And now they can get those wines.

Outside of wine, what do you enjoy most about being on Nantucket?

Everything. I gave my car to my brother and I walk to work every day. It’s just an iconic place. I do private dinners at people’s houses, and my client list is amazing. Being able to make memories for people that are my friends and clients—and individuals that I’ve gotten to meet— there’s no other place like it in the world. I feel very blessed and lucky to have the clients and the friends that I have on this island.