Chris Poldoian began his wine career on-premise, overseeing operations for hospitality concepts in San Francisco, Dallas, and Houston. As a regional beverage director, general manager, and sommelier, he worked to make wine more approachable for a wider audience. For these contributions, Chris was recognized by Wine Enthusiast in their annual 40 Under 40 list of beverage professionals. He was the youngest person in the USA to be featured in the 2017 list. 

 

Chris has offered strategic consulting for wine companies across the value chain, having implemented go-to-market strategies for national importers and spearheaded trade education for Wines of Germany and two of Spain’s largest regions: Ribera del Duero and Rueda. He studied Economics at Tufts University and La Universidad Autónoma de Madrid and received his MBA in France from INSEAD – Europe’s top-ranked MBA program. In his spare time, he enjoys running marathons around the world.

 

Favorite Wine to Sell: A split between two Chardonnay wines… the first being any Chablis made by Thomas Pico of Domaine Pattes Loup. Thomas is an exceptionally kind man whose thoughtfulness and musicality shine through in each of his mineral-driven bottlings.  The other would be the scintillating Passopisciaro ‘Contrada PC,’ which comes from a terraced vineyard on Etna’s north slope. 

 

Favorite Wine to Drink: Guiberteau Brézé. Chenin Blanc at its most angular and cerebral.