ABOUT

Today I call Napa Valley home, where I work for Saintsbury — the "quiet legends" of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, as our peers in a valley devoted to Cabernet Sauvignon have come to call us.

Before Napa, I spent several years alongside a great mentor of mine, respected Winemaker, Pax Mahle, while working my way through the UC-Davis Winemaking Certificate Program. Prior to that, I worked under Master Sommelier Dustin Wilson at Verve Wine in San Francisco, where I learned to bridge retail and hospitality, all while completing an MBA in Wine Business at Sonoma State University.

Before I came to the west and beyond, however, the city of Chicago is where my desire to get serious about wine began. Here is where I found myself working with my first true mentor in wine, the late Flavio Gentile of Printer's Row Wine Shop. For nearly a decade I assisted him in running his two family-owned shops as a buyer & operations manager. It was Flavio's mastery of bootstrap business-building, profitability and most importantly, creating authentic relationships that still shapes the way I approach the complex issues of succeeding in beverage alcohol.

From restaurants and retail, working in iconic cellars across California, Oregon, New Zealand and France to sitting for rigorous wine exams — I have spent nearly twenty years building a diverse education in a famously complex business.

I bring a grounded approach with formal, as well as, hands-on education across multiple disciplines of the wine business. Strategy and problem solving that lead to optimizing sales and your business overall are my expertise.

I look forward to working with you.

— Daniel

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ABOUT