Support truly
independent journalism
A former top sommelier at a Michelin-starred restaurant in New York has appeared in court accused of stabbing his wife at their Manhattan home.
Aaron Von Rock was arrested on May 5 and charged with assault with intent to cause serious injury with a weapon, according to court documents. Von Rock is said to have slashed his wife multiple times with a knife at the couple’s apartment in Murray Hill.
The victim was left with a gash on her hand and foot, along with a stab wound on her leg. She told police “my husband tried to kill me,” according to a criminal complaint seen by The Independent.
Von Rock was arraigned on May 6 and pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The wine buff appeared at a Manhattan criminal court hearing on Wednesday and was released without bail. Judge Marva Brown placed a temporary order of protection on his wife, who has not been named.The New York Post reported that Von Rock remained silent during the hearing.
The 55-year-old is the former wine director at the Michelin-starred Mediterranean hotspot, Benno, in Kips Bay.
The restaurateur was born in Maryland and got his first experience with wine at the age of three, stomping Concord grapes along with his siblings for the family’s homemade wine, according to an interview with Wine Spectator.
After graduating from Boston University, Von Rock moved to New York and worked as a bartender and server at upscale contemporary restaurant Verbena, becoming wine director in 1997.
He now runs a wine consulting company and developed the lists at top end eateries including Italian hotspots Alto and Della Rovere in New York, and Aperitivo Plus in Westchester, New York.
Von Rock joined Upper West Side bistro Telepan as wine director when it opened in 2005 and won Wine Spectator’s Award of Excellence in 2007. Telepan closed in 2016.
In 2019, he became wine director for the Michelin-starred restaurant Benno, at the Evelyn Hotel, before it too was forced to shut during the pandemic.
Von Rock is due back in court on September 30, according to court documents.
