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The Argentine Wine Specialist ®
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| Our People |
Alejandro Bonacalza Agente de Representación, Buenos Aires Ale, a certified public accountant, mans our Buenos Aires representative office.
Ale oversees bookkeeping and winery orders.
Ale is also in charge of all sales and marketing reports. Ale lives in Buenos Aires with his family. Email AleBon |
Michele Burger Director of U.S. Distributor Operations
Michele, a native of Northern California with over twenty years in the wine business, has been in
Sales, Operations and Customer Service. As one of the original employees of Central Coast Wine
Company (now Henry Wine Group), Australian Wine Producer Penfolds (US Operations Office)
and Epic Wines, she has much experience in building a solid operation and connections with her
customers. Michele lives on the Monterey Peninsula in California with her husband Mark where she
manages US Vino del Sol distributor operations.
Email Michele |
Alejandro Darago Agente de Representación, Mendoza Alejandro, an Argentine industry insider and the former Sommelier of the
Alvear Palace Hotel (the highest-ranked hotel in South America), forms
the heart of our Argentine selection team. Ale lives in Mendoza where he
oversees quality control and our logistics, as well as always looking
for the next Argentine Rising Star. Email Alejandro |
Mark-Thomas Gavigan Midwest & New England Manager
Mark-Thomas believes in authenticity: of wine, of place, of food
and of people. He
began his professional journey in '98, cutting his teeth in sales in
CT and Boston. Studying under two Masters of Wine in Boston, he completed the advanced certification of the WSET program.
He took the opportunity to manage the New England market for Domaine Select and relocated to
Chicago in '06, where he managed growth in the Midwest for Eric
Solomon Selections and Groupe Thienot.
Email Mark
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Mara Gonzalez Director of Purchasing
Mara oversees our purchasing, inventory management, compliance, and depletions analysis.
She was an integral part in the growth and success of Billington Imports, and later worked at Winebow before coming to Vino del Sol in 2011.
Mara, a native of Argentina, lives in Virginia.
Email Mara
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Matt Hedges President
Matt splits his time between Argentina and the U.S., serving as the conduit between our great producers and great distributors.
Read how Vino del Sol began. Email Matt |
Tom Jung Eastern Regional Manager
Tom obtained an AOS degree from New England Culinary Institute in 1991. He then worked in the food service industry
before becoming a sales representative
for Vintage Imports. In 2002 he was hired as Key Market Manager for The Australian Premium Wine Collection and World Wine HQ.
Tom brings immense passion and experience for fine wine and food.
Tom resides in Raleigh, NC along with his wife Georgette, and their three children.
Email Tom
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Kevin Millman Southeast Regional Manager
Kevin is a tenacious sales manager who enjoys nothing more than being out on the street in the middle of the action. Kevin came to Vino del Sol from Winebow & Billington Imports where he was an integrate part in building the Argentine and Chilean segment into the powerhouse it is today. Prior to the supplier side of the business, Kevin spent many years working in wholesale calling on all channels of trade. Kevin lives with his wife and daughter in Atlanta.
Email Kevin
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Thane Prichard VP Sales
Thane Prichard, aka "The Gaucho," is a writer, wine educator, horseman, and avid fly-fisherman
who travels between Argentina and Northern California. He has worked in
the wine industry for the past 20 years. He has represented
such wineries as Silver Oak, Dunn Vineyards, Geyser Peak, Bonny Doon, Cavit, Grgich Hills, and many others in international distribution.
In 2004, Thane co-founded Vino del Sol and is the national director of sales.
Email Thane
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Kent Smith Western Regional Manager With many years
of retail and restaurant experience under his belt, Kent moved to the
distribution side of the wine business in 1997 with Epic Wines. He first
worked in the California market before becoming Epic's Western Regional
Manager. Kent has represented Vino del Sol wines since 2005, and became Vino del Sol's
Western Regional Manager in 2010. Kent lives in San Diego. Email Kent
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Scott Thomasen Mountain West Regional Manager
Scott Thomasen has worked in the wine industry for over twenty five years in roles ranging from vineyard management to warehousing to retail/wholesale
sales.
During this time, Scott completed his undergraduate and graduate degrees, with emphasis on the international wine industry.
Scott previously managed the Southeastern region for Epic Wines.
Now employed by Vino del Sol, Scott and his family relocated to Denver, Colorado to further develop sales in the Mountain West region.
Email Scott |
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