What is my passion? My passion is doing the best job imaginable for my clients. It goes hand in hand with my commitment, my dedication, my loyalty and my expertise.
What I love about my work is finding a wine that is stunning, delicious and turning others on to it – not because it was well received by the press or because it is the hot new winery, but rather because it showcases the results of a great effort in the vineyard and the winery.
I am a wine professional of over twelve years experience, with proven success in the wholesale and producer segments of the industry. During this time I have developed and nurtured many long-term relationships within the wine trade. You'll find me dedicated, capable, and self motivated, with a history of managing aggressive sales growth. I'm personable, enthusiastic, and have a reputation for strong follow though and a commitment to the highest level of service.
About my experience:
At The Henry Wine Group , I was the North Bay Regional Manager (Sonoma, Marin, Mendocino, Humboldt Counties). I managed a team of seven Fine Wine Specialists and achieved double digit sales growth every year
At Seghesio Family Vineyards, I was Western Regional Manager and contributed to Seghesio becoming recognized as one of California's top Zinfandel producers. I was responsible for managing the distribution and sales of Seghesio’s wines in eleven Western states, including California. I traveled extensively through the territory, meeting and working with key players in all the markets--distributor managers, sales teams, sommeliers and buyers. I established all pricing, programming and incentive programs. I demonstrated the ability to consistently gain distributor and account loyalty and to win preferential treatment for Seghesio.
It was the need to pay tuition for graduate school that lead me down the golden path to discover the great pleasures of wine and food.
The first step in my journey was at Café Fanny (Alice Waters’ café in Berkeley) where I learned to make a outstanding café au lait. From there I went to Greens Restaurant in San Francisco, where I opened my first bottle of wine with the corkscrew upside down! From there I joined the opening staff at Cypress Club as a captain. Cypress Club—at the time the hottest ticket in town—had three Master Sommeliers on staff. They helped me develop my passion for great wine. I was introduced to the Henry Wine Group by the late Michael Bonaccorsi, M.S., where I took a job as a fine wine specialist selling to both on and off premise accounts in San Francisco. I tripled the sales in the territory over a four year period.