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French Wines from Independent Vintners for the Independent Thinker

Aliane

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“ I grew up in Burgundy in a family of artisan barrel makers. Like many French children, my first wine memories are of traditional, four hour-long family lunches on Sunday afternoons. At first, I did not understand why “grown ups” spent so much time discussing wine, its taste, its vintage, the winemaker, the village or vineyard it came from!

 

But when the adults asked me, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” the first thought that came to my mind was to become an “Ambassador of Burgundy”. I could travel the world and stay connected with my home region while making its tasty products appreciated.

 

When I got a little older, my educational path took a detour from that first “diplomatic” goal. I received my Master's in Management at the Ecole Supérieure de Commerce de Paris (ESCP) - European School of Management Paris (Business School).

 

I came to the United States after being recruited by Capital One. In the next seven years at Capital One, I gained solid experience in Marketing, Product Development, Operations and Vendor Management. I worked on start-up projects in the US and in France, the UK, and Spain. In the meantime, I discovered many other wonderful wine regions. Perhaps that served to remind me of my first childhood “dream job”! I realized that I wanted to reconnect with my roots and share my passion for fine wines and French culture.

 

I decided to seek a career change that would allow me to combine my professional expertise, international business experience and my family history in the wine industry. I attended the University of California at Davis, where I completed certification in Winemaking basics and the OIV Wine Marketing Program (part of Office International du Vin/International Wine Offfice MBA). In July 2009, I passed my Level 3 Sommelier Diploma with the International Sommelier Guild ("ISG") and obtained my Business of Wine Certificate program at San Diego State University. I researched the Wine industry for a few years before starting my company; I attended wine fairs, scheduled vacation in wine regions and met with wine professionals from various backgrounds throughout the United States and France.

 

I founded my company in 2006 in California to provide quality service to importers/distributors, and to ensure fair representation of family-owned premium estates of France. In 2007, I met Anita and we decided to become business partners and take this mission to the next level by becoming the direct importer and distributors of our selected French vintners in California. ”