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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 |
Tom Clare
Mid-Atlantic Regional Manager
Tom has made a study of wine since owning his own shop in the '80's. He then worked the streets for different wineries until finding his true niche with Argentina & Chile while serving as Northeast Regional Manager at Billington Imports. Tom lives in New Jersey with his wife Kathie and their Very Spoiled Boston Terrier Marty. Tom's friends, customers and associates will tell you that he has immeasurable energy and an unstoppable dedication to the wines he represents. Try keeping up with him some day...
Email Tom |
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. Ale co-founded Vino del Sol in 2004.
Email Alejandro |
Jill Davis
Florida Field Manager
Jill became passionate about wine while pursuing her Master's at Georgia Tech and began working at a local wine shop. After graduation, she moved to Mendoza to develop a wine tour program for a tour agency and familiarize herself with the South American wine industry.
Now she is back in the US working the Florida market for VDS. Jill is adventurous, energetic, and would be happy to talk to you about wine, running, or anything else in English, Spanish, or French!
Email Jill
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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 fell in love with wine while studying abroad in Argentina, and started Vino del Sol as a result. Matt, a National Merit Scholar, received his B.S. from Vanderbilt and his MBA from the University of Mississippi, who honored him with their Outstanding Young Alumnus Award. Matt handles Vino del Sol's administration, finance, and marketing. He and his family split their time between the U.S. and Argentina.
Read how Vino del Sol began.
Email Matt |
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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Rich Potenza
Texas Field Manager
Rich began his career in the wine industry over 20 years ago, working for an East Coast distributor before relocating to Southern California. He held positions as a restaurant and hotel wine buyer, as well as the general manager for two of the largest retail wine stores in San Diego. In 2006, Rich joined Epic Wines where he was one of the top-selling sales representatives for VDS wines in California. In 2013 he moved to Texas and became Vino del Sol's Texas Field Manager.
Email Rich
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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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