Apogee is a European cafe. Apogee is your after work bar. Apogee is a cozy neighborhood hole in the wall. Apogee is the culmination of hard work, dedication, and love for good wine, food and people.

Meet Simone

Simone got her start in wine while traveling through South America on her honeymoon. She had a lightbulb moment at a winery at Argentina and never looked back.

Simone is a certified sommelier through the Court Of Master Sommeliers and holds a level three award from the Wine and Spirit Education Trust. She owns the wine bar with her husband Patrick and has three small children, the newest member having just been born June 2020. 

Meet Alexander

Alexander is a Certified Sommelier through the Sommelier Society of America based in New York City. His love and passion started back in 2012 as a banquet server working the ‘Finger Lakes International Wine Competition’ here in Rochester. As head banquet server he was taught the world of wine by the awarded judges of the event and ever since then his life’s passion continued to grow.

As General Manager of Apogee, Alexander’s passion and knowledge shines every night behind the bar. He strives to bring a pleasant, approachable environment to Apogee while adding a fun educational aspect with the eclectic varietals we offer. Feel free to ask anything about the world of wine!

“My affinity for wine stems from the ability to experience a small region and culture of the world from the humbleness of your living room. Wine makes you forget the face paced life around you and focus on the moment. It’s poetic.”-Alexander

Meet Patrick

Patrick is a commercial real estate developer passionately dedicated to the revitalization of the city of Rochester.

In his spare time you can find him working on his passion project, a fixer upper cottage in the finger lakes, on the lacrosse field, bike riding in the neighborhood with his kids or at apogee especially when there’s new beer on the menu.