Beverage Professionals

Amizetta McFaddin Clark was born in Beaumont, Texas into to one of the earliest Texas ranching families. Her great great grandfather, WPH McFaddin was an original Mexican land grantee. She grew up enjoying weekends and summers with her father and grandfather on the McFaddin ranches. Her maternal grandfather owned a successful Spice Production Facility called McClancy Company. Both [...]

Andrea Robinson is one of only 17 women in the world to hold the title of Master Sommelier and the first woman to be awarded Best Sommelier in America.

Since 1995, Andrew Rich has been sourcing fruit from some of Oregon and Washington’s best vineyards to craft wines of character and authenticity.  While it has been said that Andrew has never met a grape variety that he didn’t like (what would you expect from someone who spent nearly six years at Bonny Doon Vineyard?), [...]

Anthony Giglio is one of the most entertaining wine authorities on the planet. He is a journalist, sommelier, educator, author and raconteur who has written several books, including three editions of Food & Wine Magazine’s annual Wine Guide review of 1,000+ wines; five editions of the enormously popular Mr. Boston Official Bartender’s Guide, and his [...]

In June 1997, Decanter magazine named Bartholomew Broadbent one of the “fifty most influential people in the wine world” and one of “the faces to watch in the new millennium.” This was reaffirmed by Wine & Spirits magazine [2008], which polled leaders throughout the industry and named him one of ten in the world who [...]

Bobby began his distinguished career working in restaurants in Arizona until he moved to Colorado in 1995 to join the staff of The Little Nell restaurant in Aspen as a sommelier. During his five-year tenure, the restaurant received numerous awards for wine and service: • Gourmet’s “Best Wine Service” Award • Mobile Travel Guide’s Five [...]

Growing up and working in his family’s restaurants across the globe, Boris Van Dyck has an unparalleled amount of experience in the Food & Beverage Industry. His time in Europe, The Caribbean, and The US has cultivated a life-long passion for food, wine, and spirits. With a goal to bring a new level of professionalism [...]

Ball is a Certified Sommelier through the Court of Master Sommeliers and just finished his MBA with a wine industry focus through BEM in Bordeaux.

Bio coming soon.

Brett deLeuze, ZD Wines President was the ripe old age of four when ZD was founded. Having grown up in the wine business, he knows ZD Wines from beginning to end. Working with his father and brother in the cellars in the late 70’s and early 80’s set the stage for Brett’s knowledge of the [...]

Brian Larky founded Dalla Terra in 1990, but not before first sailing around the world, climbing from Tibet to Nepal, and guiding rivers in North America, Europe, Asia, and Africa (including the first-known crossing of equatorial Africa by boat through the waterways between the Indian and Atlantic Oceans). His joie de vivre as an entrepreneur [...]

Noted for his love for wine and a passion for creating and sharing bespoke Krug moments in the far corners of the earth, Carl Heline is the US Director for Krug Champagne.  Carl grew up in Cognac, the son of a vine grower and eaux de vie producer. He maintained infinity for the vineyard and [...]

Born in Santiago – Chile in May 20th. 1966 Carlos graduated from Saint George´s College (high school) in Santiago. He is Commercial Engineer from Universidad de Chile graduated in 1991. He has an MBA degree at Bordeaux Business School of University of Bordeaux (France) where he graduated the year 2005. During his wine career he [...]

Best American Brand Ambassador, two times Golden Spirit Award winner at Tales of the Cocktail, James Beard recognition and TV appearances on Top Chef Masters and Next Iron Chef America and a recent trip to London to cover the Royal Wedding with CBS news make for exciting times for British born mixologist Charlotte Voisey. Charlotte [...]

Bio coming soon.

Chris Winn started his F&B Career almost 20 years ago in Hawaii, and discovered Craft Beer upon moving to Colorado in 1994.  While there he had the opportunity to work for New Belgium Brewing as the head of a crack team of Beer and Bicycle Advocates, traveling the western US raising money various cycling not-for-profits, [...]

Daughter of Jayson Pahlmeyer, Cleo grew up with the family business but never visualized herself actually joining the winery. Her education took her to the East Coast for both boarding school and university. After receiving her BA in Art History from the University of Virginia, Cleo went on to study in London at Sotheby’s Institute [...]

Sommelier and author David Lynch has added a new title to his ever-expanding résumé: restaurateur. His new tavern in San Francisco, St. Vincent, opens this spring on Valencia Street in the Mission District. Named for the patron saint of vine-growers, St. Vincent is both a restaurant and wine shop, with an ever-changing list featuring 100 [...]

David Merritt is the owner and brewer of COAST Brewing Company. Professionally brewing for 15 years in various South Carolina breweries, he launched his own with his wife Jaime in 2007.   Jaime Tenny is the President of the SC Brewer’s Association and ran the Pop the Cap SC group, lifting the 6% alcohol cap on [...]

Doug, a former Sommelier and award winning restaurateur, is emerging as one of the nation’s top “up and coming” regional wine importers specializing in natural, organic and biodynamic wines. With over 25 years of experience in virtually every aspect of the food and wine industry, Doug has developed deep insight into many levels of the [...]

Bio coming soon.

I am the proprietor at Barker’s Marque Wines, Blind River, Marlborough, New Zealand. Along with my brother Simon, our winemaker, and his viticulturalist wife Vanessa, we planted our vineyard in 2003. It is here in the Awatere Valley that Simon and Vanessa lavish personal care and attention on the vines and make wine with “minimal [...]

Earned his undergraduate degree in Viticulture and Enology from California State University at Fresno and previously studied Viticulture at Napa Valley Junior College. Edward worked part time for the Fresno State winery during his undergraduate studies and has been involved with the day to day family vineyards and winery for many years leading to his [...]

Pascual Toso, founder of Pascual Toso winery in Mendoza, Argentina, emigrated from Piedmont to Argentina in 1880. During his first ten years there, he realized that there were good winemaking prospects in the country. Toso founded his estate in 1890, and it grew over the next several decades into a thriving wine enterprise. Enrique and [...]

Bio coming soon.

Because his mother Francoise and his father Jean-Lin found in the United States  the man who’s name Benjamin FRANKLIN allowed them to settle a Christian name on Franck-Lin, the boy red hair as an Irish deserved perfectly well to be called like that.   The early youth of Franck-Lin was already to confirm it by his [...]

Gary Brookman originally cut his teeth making wine in 1980 at Joseph Phelps Vineyards. It was there he worked with a myriad of varietals, constantly refining his skills with each passing harvest. From there he spent two years at Franciscan Estates garnering an obvious love for wild yeast fermentation. He’s been at Miner from day [...]

New York City native, Ginevra Altomara is Certified Advanced Sommelier by ASA since 2001, became the youngest female Wine Director in NYC, at the age of 23 worked for top restaurateurs in the City,  including Danny Meyer, Steve Hanson, Richard Sandoval, Terrance Brennan and Main Street Restaurant Partners, worked as Wine and Beverage Director for [...]

After earning a degree in agricultural engineering, specializing in wine growing and oenology, and working in different estates and wine institutes (Schug Carneros Estate in Sonoma , Grands Chais de France, Clos Triguedina in Cahors, and ITV – Wine Institute of Gaillac France), I decided to come back to my family estate (Domaine JOSEPH CATTIN) [...]

Bio coming soon.

Bio coming soon.

Jonathan Calo brings 10 years of experience in the food and beverage industry as well as a talent for crafting innovative cocktails to the Indigo Road Group, which he joined in February 2011. A native of Rye, N.Y., Calo has lived in Charleston since 2007. Though he began bartending as a back-up plan right out [...]

Julian P. Van Winkle, III is the third generation Van Winkle to produce bourbon whiskey in Kentucky. He joined his father, Julian, Jr., in 1977. At that time, Old Rip Van Winkle produced only two labels of their wheated bourbon whiskey. They were a 10-year 90 and 107 proof Old Rip Van Winkle. Since then [...]

Junior Merino is arguably the best known mixologist on the planet. Between his commercial ventures, his consulting work with top spirit brands and restaurants around the world, his public appearances judging competitions and teaching; and his unsolicited press mentions, Junior’s name and brand – The Liquid Chef,Inc. – have been seen by over 60 million [...]

Katie Wetzel Murphy has lived in the Alexander Valley since 1979, when she started working for her family’s winery, Alexander Valley Vineyards.   Her parents Maggie and Harry Wetzel purchased a large portion of a homestead built by Cyrus Alexander, the valley’s nineteenth-century namesake, in 1962.  With an eye to their neighbors in nearby Napa Valley, [...]

Kevin Pike is a well-known educator on the wines of Austria, Germany and Champagne.  He has worked with importer, and James Beard Award winner, Terry Theise, for the past ten years and has lectured around the country for both the trade and consumers.  Kevin has led seminars at the Aspen Food & Wine Classic, the [...]

Lia Tolaini Banville itogether with her father Pierluigi tolaini s the owner of Banville & Jones Wine Merchant’s a National Wine Importing Company, based in New York. Banville & Jones was started in 2004 when they bought a small defunct importer. Lia with a hand chosen team rebuilt the importing Company and re-named it Banville [...]

Mark is General Manager and Winemaker of Childress Vineyards, overseeing the 35,000 square-foot winery operations and 100 acres of vineyards. One of the most award-winning winemakers in America today, Mark has received hundreds of medals and his wines have been twice named to the 50 Best Wines of the World. A native of Long Island, [...]

Born in Naples in family restaurant business Came to NYC to pursue MBA in accounting Owned and operated two restaurants in NYC: De Rosa and Pierino – both restaurants were written up in NY Times These restaurants promoted the greatest selection of wines from Campania ever assembled in the US Maurizio entered the wine business [...]

Bio coming soon.

A world traveler, spirits expert and single malt obsessive, USA Ambassador for The Balvenie Nicholas Pollacchi has spent his entire career committed to educating, entertaining and illuminating crowds across the planet.  From the cocktail bars of his native Scotland to the four corners of the globe, Nicholas has developed an expertise and knowledge that sets [...]

Patrick Emerson is an Advanced Sommelier of the Court of Master Sommeliers, as well as a Certified Specialist of Wine (CSW). He is one of only two professionals in the state of South Carolina to hold the Advanced level certification, with less than 100 in the United States.

Earned his undergraduate degree from University of California at Davis in Viticulture and Enology and his MBA from the Graduate School of Management at UC Davis. Perry spent his summers during college working at Sterling Vineyards and Louis Martini Winery. These internships helped him gain a better understanding of how the “bigger” wineries operated. After [...]

Though food was Rajat Parr’s first love, wine became his great passion. Luckily, Parr works in the best of both worlds as wine director for Mina Group and its signature restaurant, MICHAEL MINA, where he presides over a list that comprises wines from all over the world, including an in-depth list from Burgundy. Parr also [...]

Rick began his wine career at age 21 speed tasting wines at the Glyndebourne Opera house in England.  “The opera house was known for fast fine dining as it would serve a five course meal during a 90 minute intermission.  My job as a cellerman was opening and decanting pre-ordered wine to ensure they weren’t [...]

Rob began his career in Louisville, KY managing the on-premise trade with Commonwealth Wine & Spirits.  He then became On-Premise Manager for Beam Global Spirits, managing the state of KY. Most recently, Rob served as Beam’s Downstate IL Manager for both on and off premise, based in Bloomington, IL.  Rob and his family are in [...]

Ryan Eleuteri is the Owner of the Charleston Beverage Company and the creator of Charleston Mix, a locally created and brewed brand of Bloody Mary Mix in Charleston, South Carolina. Born and raised in Philadelphia, PA, Eleuteri traded his Northern roots for a little Southern comfort when he came to the College of Charleston. He [...]

Sara Floyd began her wine career in her early twenties by working as an assistant to Larry Stone, MS at Rubicon restaurant in San Francisco. It is at Rubicon where she began her studies for the Master Sommelier exams.  In 1996, Ms. Floyd moved on to become the Wine Director for Vertigo Restaurant at the [...]

Spencer was born and raised in Houston, Texas. His family owned and operated a large rice drying facility and cultivated  thousands of acres of rice in South Texas. As a teenager, he worked summers on the ranch dealing with all aspects of the growing and packaging rice. From an early age, Spencer showed a love of farming [...]

Steve German started his career in the hospitality industry nearly 30 years ago.  During the decade he spent working in various Houlihans restaurants, he developed an appreciation and love of quality, flavorful beers. It was that passion for quality that took him to the Gretz Beer Company, where as the Specialty Brand Manager and Off [...]

Tahmiene is funky with her own style and likes music blaring in the winery. She believes that the wine also feels the funk and the vibrations. She is a fun loving gal that wants to have fun and when she wants to get something done, she puts everything into making it happen. This clearly describes [...]

After twenty years of working as a winemaker in every corner of the world, Winemaker Todd Graff landed at Calistoga’s Frank Family Vineyards in 2003, just an hour drive over the mountains from his hometown of Petaluma. He has yet to look back. At Frank Family, Graff has applied his deep expertise in making both [...]

Tuck Beckstoffer, President and CEO, of Tuck Beckstoffer Wines, produces an exciting group of California wines, known for their ability to over deliver in terms of wine quality, creativity, and pedigree. These wine brands include The Seventy Five Wine Company, Hogwash, Amulet, Melée, Semper, Mockingbird and Tuck Beckstoffer. Tuck and his family moved to the [...]

He is a very energetic guy who has no doubt seen a lot of New Belgium’s growth, changes, and pivotal moments in our history over the past years He has spent 7 years at New Belgium managing the Liquid Center, responsible for spreading our brand story to thousands of visitors a year. The Liquid Center [...]