Claude Thibaut
Champagne Master / Owner and Wine Maker
Thibaut Janisson Winery, VA
Jan 21 - Panel on Wine Making and Winery Development
Claude Thibaut is a champagne master with wine making experience in France, Italy, California and Australia. He started Thibaut-Janisson in 2006. His blanc de chardonnay was recently served at the state dinner at the White House.
Rachel Martin
Executive vice President
Boxwood Winery, VA
Jan 21 – Panel on Wine Making and Winery Development
Rachel is the daughter-in-law of owner Kent Cook and in charge of all operations at the winery and the three wine bars / remote tasting rooms. Boxwood was designed and developed to produce world class red Bordeaux blends in Virginia and uses the finest materials, processes and technologies to deliver on its promises. And it has.
Ed Boyce
Owner & President
Black Ankle Vineyards, MD
Jan 21 – Panel on Wine Making and Winery Development
Edward Boyce and wife Sarah O’Herron purchased a farm in 2002 which they converted into a vineyard and winery. The vineyard is managed using biodynamic principles and aims at becoming 100% organic. The winery was built entirely with recycled materials and is wind-powered. Black Ankle Vineyards aim at producing the best wines the Maryland terroir has to offer. With that in mind, it currently grows seven red varietals (Syrah Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Malbec , Petit Verdot and Pinot Noir ) and four white varietals (Albarino, Chardonnay, Gruner Veltliner and Viognier)
William Earle
President
National Association of Beverage Importers, DC
Jan 21- Panel on Wine Importing and Distributing
Bill Earl retired in 2004 after a 33 year career with the BATF. In 2007, he became the president of NABI. In this capacity, he has helped numerous wine & spirit importers develop their business and improve their profitability. Mr Earl will share with us lessons learned as far as the main key success factor for a wine importer are concerned.
Mark Clinard
Co-founder and CEO
Well Oiled Wine Company, VA
Jan 21 – Panel on Wine Importing and Distributing
Along with business partner Richard Riddell, Mark Clinard launched Well-Oiled Wine Company in 2005. Well-Oiled Wine Company is an importer of fine wines from Spain, Australia and Argentina and is currently investing other countries. However, it is first a foremost a wine brand builder. Wines are sourced in a given country and a brand is created for the US market. Its requirements are demanding yet simple: Outstanding wine, Memorable branding, Excellent pricing
Beth Ann Roth
Founder and President
Calypso Organic Selections, DC
Jan 21 – Panel on Wine Importing and Distribution
Beth-Ann Roth started Calypso Organics in 2006 after a career as a lawyer. The company imports organic only wine, beers and spirits from all around the world and give back 1% of its profits to community development
James Roth
Owner
Red White and Bleu, VA
Jan 21 – Panel on Wine Stores / Liquor Stores
Brothers James and Adam Roth co-founded Red White & Bleu in Falls Church Virginia. Red White & Bleu carries a selection of small production high quality wines especially selected (and tasted) by the management team. Along with wines, the store also sells cheeses, charcurterie, craft beers, pastries and bread. An event room connects to the store and numerous wine & beer classes, wine & food pairing presentations and other events are regularly presented.
Rodolphe Boulanger
President
The Wine Messenger, NY
Jan 21 – Panel in Wine Stores / Liquor Stores
The Wine Messenger was launched in 1995 and is today one of the most successful online wine store. Rodolphe Boulanger has been its president since 2005, succeeding to his father. The Wine Messenger focuses on small productions high quality wines from around the world. The team tastes all the wines that are presented for sale, from everyday wines to the very best wines in the world. Selection typically rotates to ensure that only the most interesting wines are on sale on the site. The Wine Messenger direct imports some wines and also works in close relationship with numerous specialty wine importers
Tom Natan
Owner
First Vine Wine Import and Sales, DC
Jan 21 – Panel on Wine Stores / Liquor Stores
First Vine is a retailer without a store located in the District of Columbia. First vine direct imports an exclusive selection of French wines for small producers and sells its wines through events, parties and classes only. There is no physical location to buy the wines. People order the wines online and have them delivered to their doors the next day.
Jean-Charles Boisset
President
Boisset Family Estates, CA
Keynote Speaker - Jan 21
Jean-Charles Boisset grew up in the vineyards and developed a life-long passion for wine – both its production and its enjoyment. He possesses a long-term vision for his family’s company that stems from a dedication to innovation and the environment while continually focusing on crafting fine wines of distinction. This vision has led to pioneering efforts in sustainability from the vineyard to the vessel. He has implemented sustainable, organic, and biodynamic farming practices at the family’s vineyards, while simultaneously introducing alternative packaging innovations that reduce a wine’s environmental impact and carbon footprint.
John Pucciano
President
Pucciano Consulting, VA
Jan 21 – Panel on Wine Bar / Hospitality Business
Before starting his own consultancy, John Pucciano was the director of Operations of DC based Latin Concepts where he worked in close cooperation with well known restaurant developer Mauricio Fraga-Rosenfeld. Pucciano participated in particular in the opening and management of restaurants, wine bars and lounges such as GuaRapo, ChiCha Lounge, Mate, Gazuza and Ceviche that accompanied the rise of Latin American wines. Currently, he consults for a number of restaurants and wine establishments in the DC area.
Omar & Fatima Popal
Owners
Bistro Napoleon & Champagne Lounge, DC
Jan 21 – Panel on Wine Bar / Hospitality Business
Brother and sister Omar & Fatima Popal own two restaurants and a champagne lounge in Washington, DC. Bistro Napoleon and Champagne lounge is well known for its wine list and especially its Champagne Lounge. It attracts mostly the Millenial generation, thanks to regular champagne events and a savvy use of online social media.
Daniel Madhavian
President
Refuel Consultants, FL
Jan 21 - Panel on Wine Bar / Hospitality Business
Daniel Madhavian is the president of Refuel Consultants and is based in Miami, FL. Daniel has experience first as sommelier for establishments such as the Ritz and the Saint Regis and then as a marketer of fine wine & spirits, designer of award winning wine lists and consultant to numerous hospitality businesses including services such as realistic concept development, strategic business planning, smart revenue management, innovative process, competitive cost analysis, realistic operating budgets, brand and talent management, and associate tastings and training.
Sam Meddis
Deputy Managing Editor
USA Today, VA
Jan 21 - Panel on Wine Journalism
Sam Meddis is the Deputy Managing Editor / Editorial Technology at USA Today. Sam has been covering technology trends since 1982. He is a wine aficionado and avid wine blogger. He is in particular interested by the intersection of technology and the wine industry.
Kevin Whelan
Executive Producer
The Winemakers (PBS Show), CA
Jan 21 - Panel on Wine Journalism
Kevin Whelan is the executive producer of the Winemakers. The first season is currently airing on PBS. The second season is being shot in France. Twelve men and women compete for a chance to create and launch their own wine label nationwide. In each episode they will face challenges on every aspect of wine making from viticulture and enology to sales and marketing, but in the end only one contestant will win the title of Wine Maker.
Tina Caputo
Editor-in-chief
Vineyard & Winery Management Magazine, CA
Jan 21 - Panel on Wine Journalism
Tina Caputo has over 10 years experience in wine journalism, writing for publications such as the San Francisco Examiner, San Francisco Chronicle and Wine X before becoming managing editor of Wines and Vines Magazine where she was also the wine marketing columnist. Since May 2008, she is the editor-in-chief of Winery and Vineyard Magazine. Tina has lived through the transformation of the wine journalist profession of the past decade.
Macky Barch
Founder
Vintner's Charitable Cooperative, MD
Jan 21 - Panel on Wine and Charity
After leaving Friedman, Billings, Ramsey, a D.C. investment bank, Mackie Barch traveled through South America and discovered his passion for wine and interest in charity. He returned to join a small Florida wine importer as Director of Imports. After several years in the wine industry, he started several of his own business ventures and currently serves as Executive Vice President of HealthRite Pharmaceuticals and Director of Sales for Clotamin, a firm which has developed a unique and complete multivitamin formulated without vitamin K to meet the special nutritional needs of people taking blood thinning medications. Mackie also holds a seat as Kensington Town Councilman in Maryland where he currently resides. Vintners Charitable Cooperative (VCC) is an online wine marketplace created to help nonprofit organizations raise money while at the same time celebrating the world’s greatest winemakers. Bringing these two groups together as our Vintner Partners and our Charity Partners, VCC hopes to raise funds for nonprofit organizations while at the same time offering a unique opportunity for winemakers to showcase their product. VCC will give 50% of the net profits to its Charity Partners!
Heidi Arnold
Executive Director
The Heart's Delight Wine Auction, VA
Jan 21 - Panel on Wine and Charity
Heidi Arnold is the executive director of the Heart's Delight Wine Auction that benefits every year for the past 10 years the American Heart Association. The wine auction is a three day event focusing mostly on Bordeaux wines. Dinners are held at various embassies on the first night, and a winemaker dinner & auction featuring a first growth takes place on the second night. On the third day, numerous tastings, seminars and auctions also take place. Heart's delight has raised over $8M for the American Heart Association.
John Corcoran
Founder
Charity Wines, MA
Jan 21 - Panel on Wine and Charity
In 1998, John started his wine sales career at Western Distributing in Colorado. Having never sipped a drop of wine before, he tasted a Napa cabernet at his first sales meeting and knew he’d found his passion. In the following years, he worked for suppliers in Vail, Boston, and Nantucket. In 2005, John co-founded Charity Wines, an idea sparked by his father’s second battle with cancer. John uses his industry expertise to create wine brands for charitable fundraising purposes and donates 75% of the gross profits. Partnering with dozens of famous sports figures and their favorite charities, Charity Wines has raised $1.5M in donations and has sold over 40,000 cases to date
Margie Tosch
President
OTL Consulting/ Wine & Hospitality Network, CA
Jan 22 - Panel on Wine and Social Media
Margie Tosch founded Outside the Lines, Inc. (OTLConsulting.com) in 1997 which focuses on recruiting, training and consulting for the wine & hospitality industry. It is also operating the industry job board WineAndHospitalityJobs.com and one of the most successful dedicated wine industry business & social network, WineAndHospitalityNetwork.com.
Alyssa Rapp
CEO
Bottlenotes, Inc., CA
Jan 22 - Panel on Wine and Social Media
Alyssa J. Rapp is the Founder and CEO of Bottlenotes, Inc., the premier online wine community. Bottlenotes, Inc. has been mostly known as a leading provider of wine club solutions as well as for its wide spread informational email "The Daily Sip". But the site also features numerous web 3.0 applications and functionalities that makes a lively wine community. Alyssa is the author of Bottlenotes Guide to Wine: Around the World in 80 Sips. (Adam's Media, Released October 2008). Alyssa was also named in Inc. Magazine's "30 Under 30". coolest entrepreneurs in America in September 2008.
Hardy Wallace
Country Lifestyle Correspondent
Murphy Goode Winery, CA
Jan 22 - Panel on Wine and Social Media
In early 2009, Hardy Wallace won the Murphy Goode Winery contest "A really goode Job". Along with thousands of contestants, he posted a video on Murphy Goode Winery website about why he would be a good candidate to become the Murphy Goode Country lifestyle correspondant. Thousans of people voted for his video and after the top ten candidates spent a week end at the winery, he got the job. Hardy manages all the online social accounts for the winery from Facebook to Twitter to youtube and their blog. Hardy will visit us to report from the line of duty.
Laurent Guinand
President
GiraMondo Wine Adventures, MD
Jan 22 - Panel on Franchising Opportunities in the Wine Industry
Laurent Guinand founded GiraMondo Wine Adventures in 2004 after 10 years of organizing wine tastings and classes as a side activity. Shortly after he started packaging events, Laurent met with the founder of Cinerea, a wine event company based in Paris, France who had been franchising wine events for a number of years. Laurent secured the master-franchise for the US of all Cinerea events and added his own events to create a unique wine event franchise. It is the first time that Laurent is presenting a franchise opportunity to US entrepreneurs with first location to open late 2010, early 2011. He will discuss in particular events such as Vini Vegas (c), Wine Making Academy(c), or Wise on Wine(c)
Jason Doyle
CEO
The Wine Loft, LA
Jan 22 - Panel on Franchising Opportunities in the Wine Industry
The Wine Loft was born in 2002 out of Jason Doyle's desire to create a business that was recession proof and complimented by a sophisticated interior ambience. Along with a well trained staff, they filled a niche of creating a comfortable, relaxed environment, where WINE would be used as a conduit to create a unique social experience. The business filled its niche and further refined to offer wine education courses, various promotions focused on turning higher margined inventory, afternoon happy hours, and monthly social events sponsored by different wineries. It has now 31 franchises in the US.
Scott Wayne
President
SW Associates LLC, DC
Jan 22 - Opportunities in Wine Tourism
He is the President of SW Associates, an author and a Senior Scholar in tourism planning at George Washington University. Scott consults internationally on tourism projects with the goal of pursuing sustainable development through tourism. Scott has worked in particular on numerous wine tourism projects in emerging markets and will discuss cases in Lebanon, Kosovo and the Republic of Georgia.
Chris Parker
Founder and President
New Horizon Wines, VA
Jan 22 - Panel on Wine Tourism
Chris Parker is the founder of New Horizon Wines, a 'wine lifestyle' company. Originally from London, England, he has lived in Virginia for 20 years. Prior to New Horizon Wines, Chris was co-founder and CEO of 4FrontSecurity, a security and risk management software firm. His passion for wine, culinary arts and the 'wine lifestyle', timed with the acquisition of the software company he co-founded, opened the door for Chris to take his concept of creating a 'wine lifestyle' company to reality. New Horizon Wines was born. New Horizon Wines is a 'wine lifestyle' company. It combines import/export of high quality wines with wine tourism and education. New Horizon Wines is primarily focused on introducing wines from Virginia into the U.K. market. Virginia, with its historical connections to the U.K., is developing a reputation for world class wines that is now being recognized internationally. We offer the best wines of Virginia and innovative wine tourism experiences.
Michael Evans
Co-founder & CEO
Vines of Mendoza, Argentina
Keynote Speaker - Jan 22
After tackling the worlds of politics and technology, Michael Evans decided it was time to move to a new field—literally. He traveled around the world, and his final destination, Mendoza, Argentina, affected him more deeply than he ever could have fathomed. Evans had long been passionate about wine and spent much time in the Napa Valley, and other vineyards throughout the world. Inspired by the quality of the wines, and intrigued by Mendoza’s wine culture in the midst of meeting his current business partner Pablo Gimenez Riili, Evans began researching the sun-drenched land with hopes to provide a different kind of experience to Mendoza, a high quality, tourist-friendly wine destination and enterprise. With Riili, Evans raised money from friends and family and purchased 900 acres of land in the Uco Valley, and created The Vines of Mendoza’s one-of-a-kind Private Vineyard Estates. They've since sold parcels to more than 65 owners from around the globe, including prominent culinary and wine industry notables.
Adon Kumar
President
Wine Searcher, Aukland NZ
Jan 22 - Panel on Wine and Technology
Wine searcher was founded in 1999 by Martin Brown. Adon Kumar is currently the president of the company. Wine Searchers is the biggest and most used independent search engine for wines. It provides a comprehensive range of free and paid services that is of value to wine consumers, connoisseurs, merchants, retailers, wineries, wine marketing companies, auction houses, brokers, wine collectors or users who just want information on wine. The site can be used by anyone for free, and also lists wine merchants for no charge. Wine-Searcher attracts over 700,000 visitors each month. Over 32 million searches are made on the site each year. There are more than 15,000 wine stores and 3+M different wines listed.
Eric V. Orange
Founder and President
LocalWineEvents.com, PA
Jan 22 - Panel on Wine and Technology
Eric Orange launched LocalWineEvents.com in 2000, after working with Paterno Imports and a short stint at WineShopper.com. LocalWineEvents.com is a free calendar and the world's largest calendar of wine and food events. The Juice, its weekly newsletter goes out to more than 120,000 subscribers. More recently, Eric has launched WineLabelWorld.com, a repository of wine labels.
Julie Brosterman
CEO & Founder
Women & Wine, Inc., CA
Jan 22 - Panel on Wine and Technology
Since its founding, in 2005, Women & Wine has morphed into a lifestyle purveyor -- for both women and men. Beyond its Beverly Hills shop, Wine Valet; its wine club; and its online resources, Women & Wine designes wine-related experiences for individuals, groups and organizations. Julie Brosterman is a heavy user of technology and understands very well how technology can help drive interest and eventually sales.
Roger Archey
Communications Director
ReCORK America, CA
Jan 22 - Panel on Innovation in the Packaging Industry
Roger Archey is a communications consultant with over thirty-five years of marketing and public relations experience for an international clientele — twenty of those years were as president of his own agency. Roger has been working in the wine industry since 2000. In 2007, he was asked by Amorim of Portugal, the world’s leading producer of natural cork wine closures, to head up Amorim’s U.S. recycling initiative, ReCORK America. Roger has traveled extensively in Portugal as co-host for numerous media visits to the cork forests, wine-growing regions and Amorim’s manufacturing operations.
Antoine Clermont Tonnerre
VP Marketing
Sparflex, CA
Jan 22 - Panel on Innovation in the Packaging Industry
Antoine Clermont-Tonnerre joined Sparflex California in 2008 to form the US Marketing & Communication arm of the French maker of wine capsules and closures. In this position he develops sales strategies for the US market, provides direct support to the US sales team and manages California's Central Coast territory.
Ed Martin
VP Business Developement
Exal Corp., OH
Jan 22 - Panel on Innovation in the Packaging Industry
Ed Martin heads the Business Development area of Exal Corporation, a global leader in the design and production of aluminum bottle packaging. He is a 20 plus year veteran of the packaging industry with experience in operations as well sales, marketing and business development. He is recognized as a thought leader in the area of innovative packaging and is considered the driving force behind the commercialization of many aluminum bottle packages in North America.
Phil Bradley
Financial Consultant
GiraMondo Wine Ventures, MD
Jan 22 - Panel on Business Angels and Venture Capital
Phil Bradley is the lead consultant at GiraMondo Wine Ventures working with wine entrepreneurs to improve their business plan, help them raise funds or both. Phil has worked for Robert Sinskey Vineyards and MKF in Napa Valley. Phil Bradley and Laurent Guinand co-authored an article entitled "10 ways to lose a wine business investor", Phil will be presenting the main conclusions of this paper at the conference.
Jon Staenberg
Managing Partner
Staenberg Ventures, WA
Jan 22 - Panel on Business Angels and Venture Capital
Jon Staenberg is a veteran venture capitalist based in Seattle, WA. Beside investments in traditional industries, Jon invested in companies including Hand of God Wines and RivkaSimone Wines. In addition, he serves on the board or as an advisor to the following companies: Cellar Tracker, City Winery, Crushpad, Vines of Mendoza, and Wine 2.0
