THE GUILD

Head Instructor, Texas Wine School;

Wine Advisor, Vivant

DANIELA DASUTA

Raised on a Texas vineyard, Daniela fostered a love of viticulture that later bloomed into a wine career. Her rich industry experience comes from working in a vineyard, consulting for Big Thirst Marketing, managing several retail venues and founding Vintrigue, a company that offers wine training, wine certification and wine events.

She serves on the Board of the Austin Food and Wine Foundation and hold a Diploma in Wines from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust.

Founder,

Grand Crew Consulting, LLC

KAMBRAH GARLAND

Kambrah brings over 18 years of experience in the wine industry. Her company provides strategic marketing and sales training to start-ups within the luxury product markets and hospitality industry.

Formerly the Founder/Partner at The Vineyard at Florence, she designed installed and operated a residential community with a working vineyard, winery, and boutique hotel.

Founder,

Wine Country Consulting, LLC

BÉNÉDICTE DE CAMEJANE-RHYNE

Bene is a French, female winemaker with 35 years of experience. As a native of Aix en Provence, France, she received her Master in Oenology from the Université de Bourgogne (Dijon). Bene is currently the Winemaker for Kuhlman Cellars, a boutique winery in Hye, TX.

She has made wine in France, New Zealand, and California. Now making wine in Texas, her latest wineries include Ravenswood Winery in Sonoma and St. Genevieve Winery in Fort Stockton.

JOSH TYE

Director of Operations,

TX Wine Club

Formerly, the Culinary Director for William Chris Wine Company, Hye TX, he was the Director of Operations for Hilmy Cellars, and the Executive Chef for Rancho Loma.

Josh has over 15 years of experience in the wine and food industry. He owns a private chef company and received his B.A. from The Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts.

BRANDI PRATT

Sales Representative,

Favorite Brands

Brandi has been in the wine industry for over 8 years. Formerly the Director of Education, Kuhlman Cellars, Stonewall, TX, she believes in experiencing wine from the ground to the glass. She has developed wine curriculum for both consumers and industry professionals through a focus on terroir and skills in wine tasting.

Brandi is a certified Sommelier, WSET 2, and holds a Viticulture Certificate from Texas Tech.ember.

RAFAEL MAZZA

Tasting Room Manager,

Adega Vinho

Rafael Mazza is the General Manager and Wine Aficionado at Adega Vinho, in Stonewall.

Raised in Texas, he has developed his taste for wine by traveling the world and looking to experience his next best glass of wine.

General Manager,

La Bergerie

ALYSHA BERRIOS STRADER

Having moved to Texas from Napa Valley, Alysha has 10 years of wine industry experience. She has worked at world famous wineries and restaurants including The French Laundry, and Chateau Montelena. Certified through the Court of Masters Sommelier, she has a degree in Wine Marketing & Sales from Napa Valley College.

Winemaker,

Uplift Vineyards

CLAIRE RICHARDSON

Claire began her career in the Texas wine industry in 2018 as an intern at William Chris Vineyards. After graduating from Texas A&M University with a degree in Food Science and Technology, she joined the team at William Chris full time.

In 2019 and 2020 Claire traveled to New Zealand to work harvest at Marisco Vineyards in Marlborough. Claire is currently the winemaker for Uplift Vineyard, a brand of William Chris Wine Company.

Manager,

Folio Wine Partners

MANDI NELSON

Mandi Nelson is a Certified Sommelier, Certified Specialist of Wine, and WSET Advanced. She is co-founder of ATX Somms – an Austin-based education and mentorship organization for wine industry professionals, and the founder of Austin Shift Meal – an organization that supported the hospitality industry in crisis during the pandemic.

CHRISTI MAYFIELD

Founder,

DomSom

DOMSOM’s (online wine education www.domsom.us) official wine nerd, Kristi is on the ultimate quest to find the best $20 bottle to drink right now. Her successful career in international business development and global sales leadership provided the opportunity to explore wines around the world.

She’s a viticulture junkie and loves to get her hands dirty in her own garden when not touring her favorite wineries or searching for that hidden gem, lesser-known, U.S. varietal to serve with dinner.

REMI IMMLER

Assitant Winemaker,

Kuhlman Cellars

Remi is the Assistant Winemaker at Kuhlman Cellars and has experience in the wine industry, both in Texas and in the Willamette Valley. She is passionate about improving the visibility of the Texas wine industry through education, sustainability, and creating high-quality wines.

Remi is also the Co-Owner and Winemaker for The Burg Wine Company, a boutique brand founded in 2021 focusing on low-intervention winemaking and sourcing fruit entirely from the Hill Country AVA.

DENISE CLARK

Founder/Owner

Denise Clarke PR

Denise Clarke is an avid wine enthusiast who loves sharing and teaching people about wine. She is a Certified Wine Educator from the Society of Wine Educators, Certified Sommelier from the Court of Master Sommeliers, French Wine Scholar, and holds an advanced certification from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust.

Owner of Denise Clarke PR, she currently represents Texas Fine Wine and the Texas Department of Agriculture’s Wine Marketing Program. She has lived in Austin for more than 30 years and when she is not swirling and sipping, she can be found on her bike, climbing every hill she can find.

TATE GREGORY

Business

Bio

DANIEL KALEDA

Owner/Founder Vinovium

Bio

TONY OFFILL

Business

Bio

SHELLY WILFONG

This is Texas Wine Podcast

Shelly Wilfong is a wine educator, writer, and Texas wine podcaster. This Is Texas Wine podcast debuted in 2020 and broadcasts the most important voices in the Texas wine industry. Shelly has contributed articles to the SOMMTV magazine, Texas Wine Lover website, and the State Fair of Texas blog. She selected the 2022 Blue Ribbon winning wines for the State Fair of Texas. Shelly is the 2022 recipient of the Texas Wine & Grape Growers Association’s Wine Press Award for her writing and podcast on Texas wine.

Shelly holds the Level 3 (Advanced) award from the Wine and Spirit Education Trust (WSET) and a Certified Specialist of Wine designation through the Society of Wine Educators. She is also an advanced Specialist of Texas Wine from Texas Wine School. Shelly is a member of Women for WineSense and GuildSomm. She volunteers for the TEXSOM Awards and has judged wine competitions in Texas and New York.

JOHN RIVENBURG

Business

Bio

LILIA ALVAREZ

A Land Beyond, LLC.

Lilia Alvarez Nevarez is a co-founder and strategic creative director of A Land Beyond, LLC, a Texas based wine brand consultancy that’s been privileged to advise and build brands for wine businesses globally.

Lilia is also a WSET 2 certified wine expert and educator. She develops experiences that bring the world of wine to people wherever they are and help them feel less intimidated by it. In her free time, she can be found reading wine books, listening to wine podcasts and thirstily exploring lesser known varietals.

AUSTIN PITZER

Founder & Owner,

Noblemen Wines

Austin is a wine professional from San Antonio. His career began in 2009 in Northern California and he has worked for Landmark Vineyards, Provenance, Robert Biale Vineyards, Hartwell Vineyards, Sarocka, and Cornell Vineyards over a twelve year span. After fourteen harvests, he is a Certified Wine Professional and has completed level 1 of the Court of Master Sommeliers.

Since 2012 he has launched and run two successful wine businesses and started two businesses of his own: Avril Taylor Wines and Noblemen Wines.

JOEY BAGNASCO

Winemaker,

Valley Mills Vineyards

Joey Bagnasco has fifteen years of experience in viticulture here in Texas and after growing grapes and making wine at Solaro Estate Winery and Pedernales Cellars. Joey now serves as the head winemaker at Valley Mills Vineyards near Waco, TX.

Joey has made several internationally award-winning wines, built an estate winery & family business, and since 2015, has organized Rootstock: An annual Texas Wine Festival celebrating the best of Texas wine.

CLAY ROUP

Educator,

Texas Wine Innovations, LLC

Formerly the Director of Education, William Chris Wine Company, Hye, TX, his experience includes brokering fruit, managing and educating staff on wine portfolios, sales training, creating customer educational experiences, and client retention.

Clay is pursuing the level of Diploma through the Wine and Spirits Education Trust (WSET).