Special Guests
Master Sommelier (MS) – February 2008 Wine & Spirits Education Trust Diploma (DipWSET) – July 2011 Certified Sake Professional (CSP) – July 2012 Sean Razee is one of only 236 wine professionals worldwide and one of the first 100 people…
Ashley Hausman is the first Colorado Master of Wine. She holds a Master of Arts in English and American Literature from New York University. Import sales, wine writing and education fills her days. Ashley is an Enology instructor at Metro…
William Davis started in restaurants at the tender age of 15 in the Dallas -Ft. Worth area. A career in economics was not as fun as working the floor, so he stayed in the hospitality industry both in Texas and…
Based in Vail, Kim Fuller is a yoga teacher and freelance writer, editor and photojournalist. She is the co-owner and publisher at Jaunt Media Collective, a Colorado company behind the publications CO YOGA + Life® Magazine and SPOKE + BLOSSOM.…
Molly Harrison, owner of Hovey & Harrison, is an awarded chef with a diverse culinary background. After graduating from the CIA and 15 years spent working in and running top restaurants around Chicago, Atlanta and New York she moved to…
Braiden Albrecht joined Mayacamas the winemaking team in August 2013. Braiden manages the winemaking and vineyards operations on the property. He is driven to make high quality, long-lived wines that are true to style and that represent this beautiful, diverse…
Partner/Proprietor, Sandhi, Domaine de la Côte & Evening Land Vineyards Co-founder of Domaine de la Côte, Rajat is a three-time James Beard Award winner and regarded as one of the world’s foremost experts on wine. A trained chef, Rajat grew…
Mike Reynolds began at the inception of the winery, shortly after Craig and Kathryn Hall returned from Austria in 2002. Mike served as Winemaker and General Manager during the infancy of the winery, and was promoted to President in 2006.…
In 1992, I created Diamond Wine Importers out of the belief that Greece, with its natural terroir of mountain vineyards, maritime influenced climate, volcanic and alluvial soils, and over 200 ancient indigenous varieties, can once again become a source of…
Born and raised in Colorado, Brett Zimmerman discovered his passion for wine while working his way through the University of Colorado, first as a busboy and then a waiter. The owners of Boulder’s Laudisio and Flagstaff House saw his potential…
Mark Neal's life-long involvement with the Napa Valley started with working with his father Jack Neal. In 1968 after working years for other farmers, Jack Neal started a vineyard management business in 1968 Mark began at an early age and…
Lyle Railsback began cooking in restaurants during college, then moved into wine and became a sommelier at age 21, working in restaurants in San Francisco, Portland, Oregon, and the Willamette Valley. During his exploration of wine, France soon took center…
Will Costello is a Master Sommelier by the American Chapter of the Court of Master Sommeliers. Costello has competed in numerous wine related competitions including the The Court of Master Sommelier’s TOP/Somm, The Chaine de Rotisseurs “Young Somm Competition,” the…
Michael Brughelli, co-owner and winemaker of Scar of the sea wines, has worked his way through a variety of vineyard and winery roles over the years. Having served in winemaking positions in Enda Valley, Arroyo Grande Valley, Napa, and New…
Chefs
Kevin Erving, Beano’s Cabin Kevin grew up in the Pacific Northwest and started his culinary career in Seattle, WA over 30 years ago. He landed a job with The Four Seasons Hotel and Resorts at the age of 19 as…
Chef John was raised on a 165 acre dairy turned hobby farm that feature a range of animals including ducks, geese, goats, pigs, and chickens. After high school he attended Le Cordon Bleu in Minneapolis where he graduated with an…
Executive Chef Daniel Maguire's point of view is to utilize the best local ingredients, giving them their truest expression on the plate. Chef Dan studied at Johnson & Wales in Providence, Rhode Island, and turned his culinary eye to the…
Heather Romero was trained at the Le Cordon Bleu Culinary institute where she received her degree specializing in Patisserie and Baking. She then came to Vail Colorado as an intern working for Rimini Gelato. 5 years later she became the…
Brian Ackerman has been with Splendido for over a decade, working as a sous chef and then for years as chef-de-cuisine. He purchased the restaurant in the spring of 2016, and as executive chef he is committed to carrying on…
Chef Josh was creating his own websites and graphics by age 11 and was going to pursue a career as a computer programmer and web developer. In order to buy a new computer for himself, he took a job as…
A graduate of Johnson & Wales University, Paula worked in fine dining restaurants in her home state of New Jersey (as well as Providence, Rhode Island and London, England) before finding her way to Colorado in 1994. In Colorado she…
Chef McCaw has had a long tradition of culinary excellence in Colorado - he was born and raised there! With the ample game meats available in the Rocky Mountain state, Tim has worked with Lamb, Venison, Elk, Bison, and not…
Jason started his career bouncing around the country gaining experience in a variety of culinary styles, targeting locations that are recognized for their cuisine. Some areas of focus were around seafood in the Pacific Northwest, smoked meats in the Texas…
Born and raised among the mountains, lakes and wildlife of Utah, Tyson Peterson realized his passion for cooking while growing up alongside a large and tight knit extended family. Completely inspired but unable to wrangle his creativity, Peterson struggled in…
Chef Martin began his culinary adventure at a young age working in his grandfather's restaurants in South Dakota. After graduating culinary school Martin won Gold Medal from La Chaine des Rotisseurs. This award provided him the opportunity to work in…
Jose has been masterfully creating beautifully prepared dishes at the Chophouse from the restaurant’s inception. Beginning at the age of 14 he has proven himself time and time again working up from a dishwasher to being named Executive Chef. Chef…
Angel Munoz Jr. is the Executive Chef at the award-winning Maya at The Westin Riverfront. Chef Munoz - who was born and raised in Tijuana, Mexico before he started his cooking career in San Diego - has been greatly influenced…
Riley Romanin was born in Evergreen, Colorado before moving to the Vail Valley with his family when he was ten. His fascination for food and cooking manifested early, and he spent his childhood hovering close behind his mother and grandmother…
Growing up in Denver Colorado, Jay Spickelmier joined the restaurant industry at age fourteen. His culinary career quickly took shape in Boulder, Colorado's restaurant seen, which included the iconic Flagstaff House. Finding his passion and the entrepreneur spirit, Chef Spickelmier…
Jack Ridenour attended the Western Culinary Institute and graduated with an Associate's Degree in Culinary Management. Ridenour takes pride in training culinary students from all over the world. He describes his biggest challenge as providing the freshest food at an…
Mike Sheard graduated from the Culinary Institute of America with an Associate's Degree in Culinary Arts and Hotel and Restaurant Management. Sheard is the Executive Chef at Two Elk Lodge and has worked with Vail Resorts for 26 years, starting…
Born and raised in North Carolina, Chef Amick has been living in Eagle County for almost three years, and has worked in progressive cuisine for 25 years. Growing up surrounded by agriculture, he began his education at an early age…
Moe’s Original Bar-B-Que was founded by three Alabama boys: Ben Gilbert from Athens, Mike Fernandez from Tuscaloosa, and Jeff Kennedy from Huntsville. After meeting at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, they instantly became friends and had a mutual interest…
Michael Irwin had started his career in the Vail Valley in 1994 working at Sweet Basil until 1999. This is when he left Sweet Basil to open Larkspur with Thomas Salamonovich. Over the course of his early days working in…
Known for his passion for food, fresh ingredients and commitment to sourcing the best culinary products, Executive Chef Kenneth Butler brings his knowledge and creativity to Manor Vail Lodge and The Fitz Bar & Restaurant. Chef Ken developed his culinary…
Chef Paul Wade is a California wine country native with a national reputation for his creative, unpretentious approach to new American cuisine. Early in his career he was cited as a rising star by the San Francisco Chronicle and has…
While many young children grew up playing with make-believe food, Marcus Stewart was cooking real, organic, soulful food alongside his grandmother in Andrews, South Carolina at a tender age. "Just like the vegetables and herbs grown on my grandparents' organic…
Chef John was raised on a 165 acre dairy turned hobby farm that feature a range of animals including ducks, geese, goats, pigs, and chickens. After high school he attended Le Cordon Bleu in Minneapolis where he graduated with an…
Wineries
Brett deLeuze, president/partner of ZD Wines in the Napa Valley, began his winery career at the young age of 4 when his parents founded ZD Wines. Growing up with the family business, he helped with picking grapes, then to bottling…
Dan Parrott of Jax Vineyards is the Operating Partner and manages the operations, sales and distribution for the winery. Dan has a strong background in hospitality, sales and marketing across multiple segments of the wine business. For over decade, he…
After 38 vintages - Winemaker Daniel Moore is focused on one of the most exciting projects he has worked on - West County Winery. He is currently building on two consecutive 8 barrel Pinot Noir vintages from the prestigious Frere…
Cris Cherry is a former Vail Valley resident and Vail Mountain School alum. He spent his childhood on the slopes while his parents owned and operated the Minturn Saloon. Food and wine have always been an important part of Cris’s…
"We aim to preserve the character of our terroir, the personality of the vintage, and the quality of the wine. It's in this process that we truly capture the essence of the vineyard." – Michael D. Etzel, Winemaker Mikey Etzel's…
Bernard Retornaz’ professional involvement in the wine world began in 1984, after graduating from Electronics School and spending seven years in International Sales and Marketing. His first experience was with MAISON LABOURE-ROI based in Nuits-Saint-Georges, France. Bernard was an Export…
Alyssa is at Barlow Vineyards, the family behind the vineyards are farmers at heart. They have farmed their estate since they purchased the land in 1994. Coming together as if following a recipe out of a cook book, Warren Barlow…
Dave Guffy first became interested in wine as a Food Science student at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. During his college years, he was working in restaurants where he had the opportunity to sample a variety of different…
Martin Clubb is Managing Winemaker and co-owner with his wife Megan of L’Ecole N° 41. This third generation, family-owned winery is located in the old Frenchtown Schoolhouse depicted on their label. Founded in 1983, L’Ecole was the third winery in…
Canard Vineyard has been making hand crafted wines in Napa Valley for over thirty-five years. They are well known to enophiles and wine collectors, but have managed to stay a bit of a secret as they are not open to…
Alana discovered her passion for wine while doing a study abroad in France in 2005. During the summer of 2009, she moved from Connecticut in order to pursue a career in the wine industry. Having completed the WSET Intermediate and…
Kevin Hall has studied wine and winemaking techniques across the globe, but the AVV winemaker says his philosophy has always been to respect the inherent qualities of the estate grapes right at his doorstep. “I get beautiful fruit from here…
Germán Bistué is a Founding Partner at Wine Bridge Imports and assistant winemaker at Bistue Cellars winery in California. Growing up in Mendoza, Argentina, Germán has always been involved in the wine industry. After graduating from college, he managed a…
Carolina Bistué is a Proprietor and Winemaker at Bistue Cellars winery in California. Growing up in the heart of the Mendoza wine region in Argentina, the world's fifth largest wine-producing country, Carolina developed a strong passion for wine early on.…
Izzy Driscoll has been part of the Huia vineyards family since 2002. Initially Izzy represented the winery locally, selling Huia wines through a wine distributor in CO. After many years doing that, she moved onto working directly for the importer…
Since 2012, Ladera’s acclaimed wines have been made by gifted Winemaker Jade Barrett. An internationally trained winemaker, with extensive experience throughout New Zealand, Australia and California, Jade is recognized for making structured and sophisticated mountain Cabernet Sauvignons, as well as…
Intrigued by the potential of the microclimate and its ability to produce evocative Pinot Noir, Carl and Marilynn Thoma were among the first to choose the foothills at the mouth of the Van Duzer Corridor to build their family estate…
In his own words, Michael Beaulac learned about winemaking from “the school of hard knocks, starting as a cellar rat and working my way up.†Originally hailing from Burlington, Vermont, reading a single interview with winemaker Christian Moueix of Bordeaux’s…
Rick Moshin Moshin Vineyards Back in 1989, then-math professor and grape broker Rick Moshin purchased his first Pinot Noir vineyard in Sonoma County's Russian River Valley—and started a new career as a farmer and winemaker. Now celebrating its 30th anniversary,…
Valeria Antolin was born in Mendoza Argentina and she comes from a family of winemakers. She is a 4th Generation winemaker. She studied at the Liceo AgrÃcola y Enológico, where she graduated with an agricultural winemaking degree. Next she graduated…
With over 80 years of family tradition behind him, Vittorio Marzotto is no stranger to the fascination for wine culture. Inspired in early-childhood by his great-grandfather Gaetano’s invaluable contributions to the Italian wine industry, Vittorio continues to pass on this…
Antonia joined Banshee in July 2018. Her appreciation for wine was prompted in Spain, and evolved during wine immersion courses at the New York French Culinary Institute. Antonia jumped into the wine industry working in the cellar and vineyards at…
Born in San Martin, Mendoza, Ramiro Balliro is oenology graduated from Don Bosco University. His successfull career was built on severals experiences abroad and in boutique wineries in the Uco Valley. Now, he's in charge of DiamAndes production, supported by…
Neil was born and raised in Bristol, England. Trained as a chef, he moved into winemaking with stints with John Munch at Adelaida Cellars and Ken Volk at Wild Horse. At Adelaida, Neil met Robert Haas and the Perrins of…
Reichsrat von Buhl has been a family-owned winery for more than 150 years, and has belonged to the circle of the most prestigious wineries in Germany for just as long. Since it was founded in 1849, Reichsrat von Buhl has…
Founding winemaker, Sean Capiaux, has established an impressive and notable career over the past twenty-six years at prominent wineries around the globe. He graduated from California State University, Fresno (BS, Enology; minor in Chemistry) in the late-80’s and began his…
Matthew Regan is the Vice President/Partner of VGS Chateau Potelle Winery in the Napa Valley. Matthew joined Chateau Potelle in 2000, and now manages all aspects of the VGS experience. Prior to his appointment at VGS Chateau Potelle, Matthew managed…
Winemaker / General Manager “Winemaking is a science and entails technical skill, but just as critical is having deep intuition, keen observation, and a sense of wonder.” Chris Kajani became the winemaker and general manager at Bouchaine Vineyards in April…
Zach Locke, owner of Old World Wine Co, started importing French wine into Colorado in 2004. Wine from France remains a focus, but Old World Wine Co. is now bringing fine wines from across Europe to Colorado. Formally trained in…
Pascal Boyé was born in Libourne, France from a family of Bordeaux vintners. The last of a tribe of six children, he grew up to become a quietly determined personality. After studying civil engineering in Bordeaux, he flew to the…
I have had the privilege of working in the Cool climate, Fine Wine/ Boutique wine industry of South Africa for 25 years in various capacities, ranging from tasting room manager to assistant winemaker and more recently Marketing and Sales manager.…
7th Generation of Winemaker in the Becker Family, responsible for winemaking since the 2005 vintage. Worked at the following Estates before: 1996 Georg Moßbacher - Forst / Pfalz 1997 Klostergut St. Lamprecht – Duttweiler / Pfalz 1998 Heger – Ihringen…
Tim Colla discovered his passion for winemaking while traveling through Argentina during a post-high school gap year. After completing his studies in Fine Art and Chemistry at Columbia University, he returned to Argentina to start his career in wine with…
