Hotshot sommelier at Michelin star-rated NYC hotspot accused of stabbing wife: ‘My husband tried to kill me’
These are the grapes of wrath.
A rising-star sommelier who formerly worked at two acclaimed Manhattan restaurants allegedly stabbed his wife in a wild attack at their home — leading her to proclaim, “My husband tried to kill me,” according to police.
Aaron Von Rock, 55 — a former wine director at the Michelin star-rated Kips Bay Mediterranean hotspot Benno — is accused of slashing his wife multiple times with a knife at their Murray Hill apartment on May 5, according to a criminal complaint.
His terrified spouse, who was not identified, was left with a gash on her hand, along with wounds on her leg and foot, the complaint states.
Wearing a dapper suit and sideburns, Von Rock appeared for a hearing Wednesday in Manhattan Criminal Court, where Judge Marva Brown kept in place a temporary order of protection from his wife.
The wine snob remained mum and stared straight ahead with no expression at the short hearing, then briefly smirked while leaving the courtroom.
In 2019, Von Rock worked as the wine director at Benno, inside the Evelyn Hotel on East 27th Street and Fifth Avenue, which earned a coveted Michelin star before it shut down during the pandemic, according to Business Insider.
He also earned Wine Spectator’s “Best of Award of Excellence” for his sommelier work at the now-shuttered new American restaurant Telepan on the Upper West Side in 2007.
His current LinkedIn page says he’s affiliated with the Patina Restaurant Group, which didn’t immediately return calls from The Post.
Von Rock faces charges of assault with intent to cause serious injury with a weapon, according to court records.
After the attack, his wife allegedly told police, “My husband tried to kill me.”
He pleaded not guilty to the charges at his arraignment on May 6.
Although prosecutors requested bail at the time, Van Rock was released on his own recognizance and referred to an alternative court program.
His attorney, Bruce Yerman, declined to comment.
Van Rock is due back in court Sept. 30.
