He has charmed countless gourmands at A-list restaurants in Manhattan with his wine knowledge, but now the award-winning sommelier Aaron Von Rock faces charges of assault with intent to cause serious injury with a weapon after an altercation with his wife.
Von Rock appeared in a Manhattan criminal court on Aug. 7 wearing a suit with a pocket square and a smug look on his face as he exited the building, the New York Post reported.
The former wine director of two Michelin-starred restaurants allegedly stabbed his wife at their New York apartment in the Murray Hill neighborhood, slashing her several times on May 5. According to a criminal complaint, his frightened wife told police, "My husband tried to kill me." She suffered multiple injuries, including a gash on her hand and wounds on her leg and foot, police said.
Prosecutors at the hearing requested the accused 55-year-old be held on bail, but after pleading not guilty, Von Rock was released on his own recognizance and is essentially a free man pending trial. The judge, however, kept in place a temporary order of protection from his wife. The New York Post reported that Von Rock kept silent throughout the arraignment and "smirked" as he left the courtroom.
The sommelier sits at the helm of his own wine consulting company with many high-end clients on his roster. He was born in Maryland and described how he stomped Concord grapes with his siblings as a child for the family's homemade wine, according to an interview with "Wine Spectator."
After graduating from Boston University, he worked his way up through the ranks of the New York restaurant world, eventually landing prestigious wine director positions at Michelin-starred restaurants Benno and Telepan.
It appears the couple may have had ups and downs over the years, according to his wife's X account, who began posting cryptic references to relationship woes in 2023.
In one post on January 23, she shared a sarcastic "LifeTip":
"If you're going to cheat on your partner, do not to start fights/arguments with them for no reason. Just looks bad for you in the end. Be old school and give your partner money."
According to her Facebook account, she studied at Cornell University and Georgia Court University in New Jersey, and the couple became engaged in 2016.
Von Rock is represented by criminal defense attorney Bruce Yerman, who has declined to comment to the press. He is due back in court on Sept. 30.