A world of experience committed to the future.
Christopher Bates has spent over 25 years excelling in all aspects of the hospitality industry. His years of experience have taken Bates around the world to perfect his craft and realize his passion for all things hospitality. His well-rounded perspective has been shaped by his extensive global travel as well as experiences at award-winning properties such as the Inn at Dos Brisas and Hotel Fauchère, both Relais & Châteaux. Under his direction as General Manager and Sommelier at the Inn at Dos Brisas and General Manager & Executive Chef at Hotel Fauchère, both Relais & Châteaux properties were named one of the 100 most exciting wine programs in the US by Wine Enthusiast.
From his early years as a freshman at the Cornell School of Hotel Administration, Christopher had the opportunity to learn from a number of formative influences from professors to peers that would inspire his interest in wine. Already a fan and student of single malt scotch, he was encouraged to learn more about wine by his father Robert (co-owner of Element Winery). Christopher became obsessed with not only wine, but beverages as a whole, adding to his obsession for food and cooking.
Christopher’s relentless passion would bring him to Immich Batterieberg in the Mosel Valley region of Germany to learn the art of winemaking and the harvest. His ongoing drive for excellence would reach major career milestones in 2012, when Bates was named Best Young Sommelier in the World after winning Best Young Sommelier in America in the same year. He went on to win TopSomm 2013, the most important sommelier competition in America, before passing his Master Sommelier Exam in May 2013, making him the 199th person in the world to do so, and the first ever to achieve this prestigious accomplishment as a working Executive Chef.
Christopher has since returned home to the Finger Lakes region of New York accompanied by his wife Isabel Bogadtke with hopes to help the place where he grew up move forward and prosper. As owners of Element Winery and the F.L.X. Hospitality Group, which features a growing portfolio including F.L.X. Table (a restaurant concept focused on a communal tasting menu format), F.L.X. Wienery (a relaxed dining experience specializing in artisanal, high-quality food served fast), and F.L.X. Culture House (a nano-brewery focusing on sours and barrel aged beers) Chris and Isabel are integral contributors to a growing hospitality industry in the Finger Lakes and are committed to building the future of this wine region with the belief that one day, it will be recognized as one of the great wine regions of the world.
