Strategy & Solutions for Your Wine Business
ABOUT
Today I call ‘the worlds most famous wine growing region,’ Napa Valley home. Prior to landing in Napa, I spent several years alongside a great mentor of mine, respected Winemaker, Pax Mahle, while working my way through the UC-Davis Winemaking Certificate Program. Prior to that, I worked under Master Sommelier Dustin Wilson at Verve Wine in San Francisco, where I learned to bridge retail and hospitality, all while completing an MBA in Wine Business at Sonoma State University.
Before I came to the west and beyond, however, the city of Chicago is where my desire to get serious about wine began. Here is where I found myself working with my first true mentor in wine, the late Flavio Gentile of Printer's Row Wine Shop. For nearly a decade I assisted him in running his two family-owned shops as a buyer & operations manager. It was Flavio's mastery of bootstrap business-building, profitability and most importantly, creating authentic relationships that still shapes the way I approach the complex issues of succeeding in beverage alcohol.
From restaurants and retail, working in iconic cellars across California, Oregon, New Zealand and France to sitting for rigorous wine exams — I have spent nearly twenty years building a diverse education in a famously complex business.
I bring a grounded approach with formal, as well as, hands-on education across multiple disciplines of the wine business. Strategy and problem solving that lead to optimizing sales and your business overall are my expertise.
I look forward to working with you.
— Daniel
““I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
ON PREM & OFF PREM PROGRAMMING
From retail concept to restaurant floor, I build programs that perform. Retail : space planning, selection curation, and inventory management optimized for profit per square foot, alongside the tastings, events, and marketing that drive traffic. On premise : by-the-glass versus bottle-list strategy, staff training, and the operational mechanics behind the service experience you want to deliver.
Services
EVENT SUPPORT
Looking for a seasoned professional to pour and represent your wines? I offer white-glove event service for tastings, dinners, and private functions — contact me to book.
WHOLESALE & DTC
Route-to-market decisions — broker, distributor, or self-distribution — shape everything downstream: pricing, brand fit, and who you ultimately sell to. I help you choose that path and build the partnerships to support it. On the DTC side, I design mailing list strategy, wine club structure, and in-market or in-home events that turn customers into advocates.
PRIVATE CELLAR MANAGEMENT
From proper storage and organization to valuation and facilitating sales at auction, I bring institutional-grade cellar practices to private collections.
TECHNOLOGY AS AN ASSISTANT, NOT A REPLACEMENT
Small wine businesses ask their people to wear many hats — general manager, winemaker, road sales, HR, events. When you've outgrown what one person can carry but aren't ready to hire, the right technology can close that gap. I help identify and build in-house tools that extend your team's capacity without adding headcount.