Originally from Salt Lake City, Utah, Joshua Orr got his start in the wine industry while
attending Cal Poly University in San Luis Obispo, California. He worked for Breakaway Wine
Tours as well as at Taste Wine Bar, a tasting bar for the Edna Valley Vintners Association.
Following graduation from Cal Poly, he lived and worked for a year in the famed Burgundy
wine region of France. Upon returning from France, Orr moved directly to Las Vegas to begin
work as a sommelier at B&B Ristorante in the Venetian and then Fiamma Trattoria in the MGM
Grand. He left Vegas for San Diego where he was wine director for Vineagogo as well as the
Marina Kitchen at the San Diego Marriott Marquis. With the birth of his first son, Brady, in 2015
he moved to the sales side of the industry with Epic Wines and now works for Broadbent
Selections, a national wine importer.
Orr is one of the US’s newest Master Sommeliers, having passed the exam in 2019. He also
was top of his class when passing the advanced exam for the Court of Master Sommeliers. He is
also a certified specialist of Sake from the Sake Education Council. Orr was named Ranch and
Coast's Best Sommelier in San Diego in 2012 and 2014. Also in 2014 he won the Top I Somm
competition for best sommelier in the US.
Orr currently lives with his wife and two sons in San Diego and is the Director of Education as
well as manages sales for SoCal, Hawaii and Nevada for the importer, Broadbent Selections.
