Ten Fine Wine Leaders in Major Markets Bring Expertise to Company During Exciting Growth Period
Napa Valley, CA (June 10, 2021) — Demeine Estates, a Napa Valley-based négociant of fine wines, is pleased to announce the appointments of ten fine wine industry leaders: Leila Pearson as Senior Vice President of Sales; Matt Adler as Director of Wholesale Operations; Patrick Hakes as Sales Operations Manager, John Vidal as Regional Sales Director, West; Moxy Castro as Regional Sales Director, Central; Scott Leverenz as Regional Sales Director, East; Joanne Schmidt as Regional Manager, Upper Midwest; Jennifer Sollinger as Regional Manager, Southeast; Mariana Larsen as Western Regional Manager; and Heidi Van de Ryt as Executive Assistant and Office Manager. Additional region managers to be announced in the coming weeks for New York and Northern CA. All bring valuable expertise and dynamic energy to the company during an extremely positive period of expansion and brand development, with the launch of new collection Brendel Wines and acquisition of a new winery space for Burgess Cellars.
“We could not be more thrilled to welcome such industry powerhouses to our Demeine Estates team,” says President Philana Bouvier. “Leila, Matt, Patrick, John, Moxy, Scott, Mariana, Joanne, Jennifer and Heidi are all passionate, brilliant, and highly respected individuals within their fields of expertise. Demeine Estates is on an extraordinary growth trajectory, and we look forward to working with all of them to bring our vision to life and share our esteemed portfolio of estates.”
A native to wine country, Leila Pearson joins Demeine Estates as Senior Vice President of Sales, where she will lead a sales team of eight and continue to develop and implement best in class strategies to drive incremental growth, profitable business, and increase in market share. Pearson will collaborate with Demeine Estates President Philana Bouvier, the soon-to-be announced SVP of Global Brand Strategy & Marketing, and newly appointed Director of Wholesale Operations, Matt Adler to accomplish these goals. A highly respected and recognized leader in U.S. distribution, Pearson’s previous experience includes Western General Manager for Gundlach Bundschu, one of America’s oldest family-owned wineries. In addition, she served as Import Manager at American Wine & Spirits, where she managed a team of eight fine wine specialists.
Joining the team alongside Pearson, Matt Adler has been appointed Director of Wholesale Operations for Demeine Estates. In this role, Adler will assume responsibility for managing national planning and logistics for the wholesale team and Demeine Estates’ dynamic portfolio of wines. Prior to joining the team at Demeine Estates, Adler served as a Senior Regional Manager for Deutsch Family Wine & Spirits, overseeing and managing all segments of trade in Northern California while leading a team of nine regional and district managers. Bringing with him more than eight years of experience, Adler is a recognized professional in the U.S. distributor network.
Patrick Hakes is Sales Operations Manager for Demeine Estates. Previously Patrick led the sales operations team for Heitz Cellar. He is now overseeing Demeine Estates sales logistics, planning, and analytics. Along with Matt Adler, the sales operations team will be implementing new technologies to ensure best in class execution to support the wholesale team and Demeine Estates global and domestic producers.
John Vidal is Demeine Estate’s Regional Sales Director, West. A native of Manhattan Beach, California, he has previously worked in a Sales Manager role for Wine Creek Cellars and Wilson Daniels.
Residing in Austin, Texas, Moxy Castro is Demeine Estate’s Regional Sales Director, Central. She was previously a Regional Sales Director for Southern Glazer’s D&E Fine Wine Group for Central Texas.
Demeine Estate’s Eastern territory is managed by Regional Sales Director, East Scott Leverenz. Based in Boston, Massachusetts and a Certified Sommelier through the Court of Master Sommeliers, Americas, Scott has developed his skills at Kobrand, Constellation and the Domaines of Albert Bichot.
Joanne Schmidt is the Regional Manager for the Upper Midwest. She previously managed Midwest sales for Schied Family Wines, Gerard Bertrand Wines, and Sokol Blosser Winery. Joanne splits her time between Chicago, Illinois and Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Jennifer Sollinger is Demeine Estate’s Regional Manager, Southeast. A native and current resident of Atlanta, she brings nearly 20 years of experience in distributor management and sales as well as luxury hotel and restaurant management to the company. Born in Mexico and currently residing in Long Beach, California, Mariana Larsen is Demeine Estate’s Western Regional Manager. She was previously the Regional Account Director for Fiji Water, Justin Wines and Landmark Winery.
Heidi Van de Ryt has been appointed the role of Executive Assistant and Office Manager. A Sonoma County native, she will be implementing superb office functionality and administration at Demeine Estates.
The Demeine Estates portfolio currently includes Heitz Cellar, Burgess Cellars, Brendel, Stony Hill Vineyard, Haynes Vineyard, Ink Grade (set to launch in Fall 2021), and a soon-to-be announced boutique Champagne House.
“We’re pleased to welcome Leila, Matt, Patrick, John, Moxy, Scott, Mariana, Joanne, Jennifer and Heidi to our team,” says Managing Partner Carlton McCoy, Jr., MS. “Demeine Estates was built to create a diverse portfolio of wine estates that represent the highest quality, most terroir expressive wines possible, with a focus on innovation and sustainable farming. They all share in this vision, and we are honored to have their dedication and passion for sharing these heritage estates.”
About Demeine Estates
Demeine Estates is a Napa Valley-based négociant of fine wines created by the Lawrence family, owners of Napa Valley’s iconic Heitz Cellar, and Heitz Cellar Managing Partner and Master Sommelier Carlton McCoy, Jr. Demeine Estates encourages partnerships so that wineries can focus their efforts on continuing high-quality viticulture and wine production, while exploring innovative and sustainable winemaking and farming practices. The collective was established as a resource to add value to their trading partners in the winemaking community with a deep-rooted respect and passion for connecting people to an inclusive philosophy. For more information on Demeine Estates, please visit www.demeineestates.com.
