Dan Allen, Director of Sales, WeShip Express
Dan Allen is the Director of Sales for WeShip Express. Dan joined WeShip in 2022 and is responsible for all sales activities at WeShip today. He has a team of sales representatives that are geographically positioned throughout the United States and Europe. Dan’s focus at WeShip is on new client acquisition, current client retention, and developing new programs for customer satisfaction at WeShip. Dan has spent his entire professional life in the logistics industry. He has worked for UPS and DHL for over 30 years. The vast majority of that time was spent managing sales teams. Dan is a graduate of Indiana University and lives in Austin, Texas with his wife of 25 years (Cyndi) and 17-year-old son Wade. Dan spends his personal time watching his son’s sports activities and attempting to golf.
BEN ANEFF, Managing Partner, Tribeca Wine Merchants
Ben Aneff is the Managing Partner of Tribeca Wine Merchants in New York City, named one of “America’s Best Wine Shops” by Food & Wine Magazine and an “Editor’s Favorite” by Wine Spectator. Beyond his role in retail, Ben led the US Wine Trade Alliance’s efforts to overturn the 2018 wine tariffs, orchestrating campaigns that generated tens of thousands of letters to Congress and other stakeholders. He has led discussions on tariffs, testified on their impacts at the International Trade Commission, and regularly collaborates with various allies of free trade, from Congressional offices to wine trade members. Originally from Texas, Ben now resides in Brooklyn, NY with his wife, Hilary, and their daughter.
Nick Bodkins, Founder/CMO, Boisson
Nick Bodkins is a founder and marketing executive with deep experience in the beverage industry. He is Founder and CMO of Boisson, a leading national retailer of non-alcoholic wines and spirits. Nick is also the founder of A Route West, a consultancy focused on brand strategy and go-to-market planning for consumer brands. He has worked with a range of emerging and established beverage companies, with a particular focus on shifting consumer preferences and category innovation.
Laura Catena, Managing Director, Bodega Catena Zapata
Dr. Laura Catena is a fourth generation Argentine vintner, physician, and author. Catena was born in Mendoza and spent her childhood with her grandfather Domingo at the family’s winery in the small village of La Libertad. Laura graduated magna cum laude from Harvard University in 1988 and has a Medical Doctor degree from Stanford University. In 1995 Laura joined her father Nicolás Catena Zapata at the family winery and founded the Catena Institute of Wine with the vision of making Argentine wines that could stand with the best of the world. Catena has been called “the face of Argentine wine” for her active role in studying and promoting the Mendoza wine region and Argentine Malbec. Laura has been a leader in the defense of wine as a beverage of moderation in the midst of the current debate over public health and alcohol consumption.
Jonathan Cristaldi, Decanter, Napa Correspondent
Jonathan Cristaldi is a wine writer and critic based in the San Francisco Bay Area. For more than a decade, his articles on wine, spirits and beer have appeared in a host of print and digital platforms, including Decanter, Food & Wine, Departures, The SOMM Journal, Tasting Panel Magazine, Liquor.com, Seven Fifty Daily, Los Angeles Magazine, Thrillist, Tasting Table and Time Out LA among others. When not writing about wine, Cristaldi works as a scriptwriter on film and documentary projects with award-winning commercial photographer and director Rachid Dahnoun. Jonathan has also recently launched a podcast and Cristalid & Co, a media company that will review wines from across the globe.
Cheryl Durzy, CEO & Founder, LibDib
Cheryl Murphy Durzy is the CEO and founder of LibDib, a pioneering technology platform revolutionizing the wholesale alcohol beverage industry. Before launching LibDib, Cheryl honed her expertise in the industry by overseeing wholesale sales at her family’s 80,000-case winery, Clos LaChance. With her deep understanding of alcohol distribution challenges in the U.S., she’s committed to transforming the current system by empowering small, family-owned wineries and businesses to access new markets. Cheryl holds a BA from the University of San Diego and has earned specialized certifications from the OIV Wine Marketing Program and the Court of Master Sommeliers. She also passed the Advanced Certificate with merit from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust. In addition to her work at LibDib, Cheryl is an active leader in the wine industry, serving as the former President of the Santa Cruz Mountains Winegrowers Association, a board member of the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance, and a sought-after speaker and panelist at industry events.
GILLIAN GARRETT, Founding Member, Gillian Garrett Law
Gillian is the founding member of Gillian Garrett Law, PC. She advises clients in the food, beverage, and hospitality industries on all aspects of California and federal alcohol law. Gillian specializes in regulatory compliance; marketing and event advice; distribution relationships, and alcohol-related transactions; training; and internal investigations. Gillian also maintains an extensive administrative litigation practice, defending license applicants from protests and licensees from claims brought by state and federal enforcement authorities (ABC and TTB). She is a seasoned lawyer with 20 years of experience.
W. Blake Gray, U.S. Editor, Wine-Searcher
W. Blake Gray is the US Editor for Wine Searcher, the world’s most-visited wine website. He has written about wine and spirits for more than 20 years and is regarded as one of the best wine journalists in the world today. In 2013 he won the Roederer Award as the Best Online Wine Writer in the world. He lives in San Francisco.
STEVEN HARRISON, President, ZeroLink Markets
Zero Link Markets facilitates direct sales for micro to medium-sized alcohol producers, brand owners, and retailers through its platforms, Vinoshipper and CompleteDTC. These platforms include comprehensive solutions in e-commerce, compliance, and customer relationship management. Steven’s background in finance, accounting, and regulatory compliance has allowed him to introduce innovative technologies to the beverage alcohol industry that are reshaping the industry. His 18 years of experience in interstate direct sales give him a unique perspective on the intricacies of the State’s rules and regulations. Steven Chairs the Craft Wine Association (CWA) Direct Sales Advocacy Group. The CWA is a non-profit, formed in 2016, to advocate for the interests of craft producers around the Nation. ZeroLlink Markets continues to lead from the front in modernizing the beverage alcohol industry and now supports more than 3,000 craft producers across its all-in-one sales and compliance tools.
JOHN HINMAN, Partner, Hinman & Carmichael
John is a founding partner (1991) of Hinman & Carmichael, LLP. John has been advising and representing alcoholic beverage industry clients (producer, importer, wholesaler, and retailers) since 1984 in all phases of industry regulation, including trade practice, distribution and importation, product fulfillment, retail licensing, and production. John is also a seasoned administrative hearing practitioner who has defended over 200 administrative accusations and hearings (both TTB and ABC) during the last 40-plus years and has taken industry cases as far as the California Supreme Court, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal, and the United States Supreme Court.
Kate Laughlin, CEO Martine’s Wines
Grounded in hard work and hospitality, Kate grew up in a family-run lobsterbake business in coastal Maine. Her career began in advertising in New York City–and it wasn’t long before she returned to matters of the table. Joining the Thomas Keller Restaurant Group in 2006, Kate worked alongside Per Se’s chefs, maître d’s and restaurant operators to learn the intricacies of the fine dining business. In 2007, she transferred to the Napa Valley to assist the executive team for all TKRG properties. Later, at a growing fine wine merchant, Kate worked closely with Gregory Castells, and the two went on to acquire the legendary import and wholesale company Martine’s Wines from industry trailblazer Martine Saunier in late 2012. Today Kate is the CEO of Martine’s and leads the company from Northern California. A lifelong apprentice of small business, she holds a degree from Skidmore College and participated in Entrepreneur Organization’s Growth Forum in early 2020 at London Business School. Kate is a director of the US Wine Trade Alliance. She resides in San Rafael with her husband, Brian, children, Wally and June, and their cat, Coco.
Rachel Martin, Founder/CEO, Oceano Wines
Rachel Martin is the Founder and CEO of Oceano Wines, including Oceano Zero—the first luxury non-alcoholic wine brand in the U.S. A second-generation vintner with training from the University of Bordeaux and Napa Valley College, she is pioneering luxury, single-vineyard nonalcoholic wines that reflect their vineyard origins. With over two decades of experience in viticulture, winemaking, and brand leadership, Rachel was the sole petitioner behind the creation of the Middleburg Virginia AVA, honoring her roots in Virginia wine. She is the author of the forthcoming AFNA Non-Alcoholic Wine Certification program, designed to train industry professionals in production, service, and sensory standards.
Jon Moromarco, Managing Partner, bw166
Jon is the managing partner of bw166 LLC, providing advisory services and data intelligence to the beverage alcohol industry. Jon is also a partner in and the editor of, The Gomberg Fredrikson Report. Jon began his career in the Wine industry at twelve years of age when his father decided he needed to develop a work ethic. The work included working weekends and summers in the vineyards where the typical schedule was 10 to 12 hours per day, 60 to 70 hours per week. Jon holds a Bachelor of Science degree from UC Davis in Agricultural Science and Management. Jon’s early career was with Allied Domecq, where he held various management positions culminating in a divisional CEO role for seven years. After that, Jon spent ten years with Constellation Brands as the CEO of multiple divisions, both domestically and internationally. He then spent four years as CEO with Winebow, a national importer of fine wines and distributor of fine wines and craft spirits. Jon’s career has primarily included responsibility for all business operations from Production through Sales & Marketing. He has overseen wine companies from start-ups to a total production of 60 million cases. He has been involved with brands from economy wines such as Almaden 5L Bag-in-the-Box to luxury wines such as Opus One. A majority of his career has been in the U.S. market. He has also been responsible for sales and marketing efforts in over 100 wine markets across the globe. Throughout his career, he has worked with wineries and winemakers in over a dozen countries. Today, he focuses on assisting his clients and the industry with fact-based decision-making.
Karen MacNeil, Karen MacNeil & Company
Karen MacNeil is the only American to have won every major wine award given in the English Language. These include the prestigious James Beard award for Wine and Spirits Professional of the Year, the Louis Roederer award for Best Consumer Wine Writing, the International Wine and Spirits award as the Global Wine Communicator of the Year and the Wine Appreciation Guild’s Wine Literary Award. She is the author of the award-winning book, THE WINE BIBLE (now in its third edition), praised as “a masterpiece of wine writing.” THE WINE BIBLE has sold more than one million copies and was featured in the 2020 Netflix series Uncorked and the Starz series Sweet Bitter. The former wine correspondent for the Today Show on NBC, Karen was also the host of the PBS series Wine, Food and Friends with Karen MacNeil, for which she won an Emmy. Most recently, Karen was the host and narrator of the documentary Amphorae Project: Past Forward, which won Best Short Documentary 2023 at the International Documentary Film Festival in the Republic of Georgia. Karen is also the creator of the digital platform WineSpeed.com and editor-in- chief of the weekly digital newsletter WineSpeed. Her articles have been published in more than 50 newspapers and magazines including The New York Times, Town & Country, Food & Wine, and Worth. In 2021, the University of California at Davis added Karen’s papers to the Warren Winiarski Wine Writers’ Collection in its library, which also includes the papers of Hugh Johnson, Jancis Robinson, Dorothy J. Gaiter and John Brecher. In 2024 Karen conceived Come Over October, a nationwide grassroots campaign to promote the positive role of wine in society and culture. She teamed up with two colleagues to found the mission-driven company Come Together—A Community for Wine Inc. The three have also founded the national campaign Share & Pair Sundays. Come Over October was shortlisted as a finalist for PRWeek’s And finally, Mattel created a special Barbie modeled on Karen. “Wine Barbie”—holding a glass of red wine—now sits on Karen’s desk.
Jacob Moynihan, CEO/Founder, Merchant 23
Jacob Moynihan began his wine career in 2011, working hands-on in production and winemaking. After gaining firsthand experience in the challenges faced by small wineries—particularly those created by the complexities of the three-tier alcohol distribution system—he shifted his focus to wholesale. In August 2015, Jacob launched Merchant23, a platform designed to simplify and streamline distribution for boutique producers across the country.
DAVID PARKER, CEO/Owner, Benchmark Wine Group
In 2002, David Parker founded Benchmark Wine Group after having a successful history of high-tech ventures. With a unique blend of talents, plus wine and high-tech industry contacts, he has succeeded in bridging the gap between high-quality wine producers and well-informed fine wine collectors and connoisseurs. An avid wine collector, David has been involved in the wine industry since 1987, owning commercial vineyards in Geyserville, California, and in the Eola Hills of Oregon. In addition to his role at Benchmark Wine Group in Napa, CA, and Benchmark Wine & Spirits in Washington, DC, David is the Owner of Brentwood Auctions, Owner of First Growth Technologies, and Owner of Wine Market Journal and Spirits Market Journal. He is also the President of The National Association of Wine Retailers.
DANIEL POSNER, Owner, Grapes the Wine Company
Daniel joined Grapes The Wine Company on November 1st, 2000. He became the managing partner in 2004, Daniel has been featured and quoted in such publications as the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Wine Spectator, Food & Wine Magazine, Forbes Magazine, People, USA Today, and Fox News, amongst others. The Wall Street Journal referred to him as one of the most influential wine retailers in the United States. For the past 22 years, Daniel has been a wine consultant, with clients from all over the globe. He travels extensively each year to wine regions to meet with producers, winemakers, and winery owners, and to help procure the wines for his store. Daniel’s expertise in wine goes far beyond the usual wine store owner’s knowledge. He typically tastes about 10,000 wines annually, with a passion for the wines of Burgundy, Piedmont, Tuscany, and California. Daniel also serves on the Board of Directors of the National Association of Wine Retailers, a retailer/wine club/auction house national trade organization founded in 2006. He served as President from 2011 to 2019. Daniel is frequently called on to testify before local agencies and state governments all over the country on behalf of progressive wine retailers. He helps provide in-depth analysis of the current and future wine market. Daniel played an integral role in the most recent Supreme Court victory in Tennessee Wine & Spirits Retailer Association vs. Thomas.
Vinay Prasad, MD, MPH
Dr. Prasad is a hematologist, oncologist, and Professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the University of California San Francisco. He runs the VKPrasad lab at UCSF, which studies cancer drugs, health policy, clinical trials, and better decision making. He is author of over 500 academic articles, and the books Ending Medical Reversal, and Malignant. He hosts the oncology podcast Plenary Session, the general medicine podcast the VPZD show is active on Substack, and runs a YouTube Channel VinayPrasadMDMPH. He runs The Drug Development Letter, a must-read for industry insights. He tweets @VPrasadMDMPH.
Anthony Scotto, CEO, Scotto Cellars
Anthony, known as A3 around the winery, developed an early love of wine and family history from his grandfather, Anthony Sr., at their Sunday night dinners. The traditions of the family’s winemaking style and quality, from Italy to Brooklyn to California, unfolded over the years and formed the guiding principles of his business and personal life. After graduating from San Diego State in 2000, he worked for a prominent local beer distributor before returning to Northern California to launch Scotto Cellars in 2003. Under the tutelage of his father, Anthony II (A2) and industry icon John McClelland, he created a national distribution network and learned the importance of responding to customer needs and market opportunities. As a 5th generation vintner and CEO of Scotto Cellars, Anthony is involved in all aspects of sales, marketing, operations, finance and new product development. His primary focus remains on planning for the company’s future in preparation for the time when the 6th generation will take the reins. Anthony and his wife, Alyssa, have three children – Santino, Roman and Nola, who more than holds her own with her two brothers. Their love of sports, family outings, and good wine keeps their calendars and wine glasses full.
Harmon Skurnik, President, Skurnik Wines
Harmon Skurnik is President of Skurnik Wines & Spirits, an importer and distributor of fine wines and spirits headquartered in the heart of New York City. The company was founded by Harmon’s brother, Michael, with just a handful of relatively unknown estates in 1987, and has since grown to represent over 500 estates, most of which are family-owned and operated. Skurnik is a national importer with direct wholesale operations in 9 states: New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, California, Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana. Harmon joined Michael’s fledgling company in 1989, after 10 years in marketing for renowned advertising agencies like BBDO and Needham Harper. In his previous career, Harmon helped build marketing strategies for companies like Apple, Pepsi, and Xerox. From tasting to buying, to managing the business and its employees, Harmon has played an integral role in the company’s success from day one. In recent years, Harmon’s children, David and Erica, have joined the business as well; David is now a member of the company’s Executive team, and Erica plays an integral role in Sales Management. Since 2019, Harmon has been an active voice in the industry’s fight against tariffs on imported wine and spirits as a board member of the trade organization, US Wine Trade Alliance.
ROBBIE STEVENS – Head of Broking, Liv-ex
Robbie Stevens was born in Oxford and educated in the UK. He studied Modern Languages at university and after periods living and working in Argentina and Spain, he found the world of wine working for Symington Family Estates in Portugal. For the last 10 years, he has been part of Liv-ex, the global marketplace for the wine trade. During that time, he has managed the US side of the business and now heads up the broking department. With over 620 members worldwide, Liv-ex’s vision is to make the fine wine market more transparent, efficient, and safe for fine wine businesses; they promote a free and open market, making it simple for their members to price, buy, and sell wine on the secondary market.
Tracy Sweeny, Founder, Tomorrow Cellars
Tracy Sweeney is a seasoned wine industry professional with a career spanning sales, hospitality, and general management in the premium and luxury wine sectors. She has contributed to celebrated boutique wineries such as Corison and led direct-to-consumer strategy for major brands, most recently at Treasury Wine Estates. Believing in wine’s powerful role in social connection and observing the cultural shift toward mindful consumption, Tracy co-founded New Day Vintners in 2024 to champion the rise of non-alcoholic wines. Today, she is dedicated to advancing the low and no-alcohol category through her brand Tomorrow Cellars, a range of alcohol removed wines, while also supporting fellow producers through education and collaboration.
TOM WARK, Executive Director, National Association of Wine Retailers
Tom Wark has served as NAWR Executive Director since 2007. In this role, Tom oversees NAWR operations, budgeting, communications, member recruitment, member benefits as well as the Association’s legislative and litigation support efforts. Wark has been a part of the wine industry since 1990 as a publicist, media relations professional, and marketer working with wineries, retailers, media companies, regional trade associations, and industry service providers. Wark is also the publisher of The Fermentation Substack Newsletter, which he has written since 2004. He is a forceful advocate for retailer and consumer rights and alcohol industry reform. Tom lives in Salem, Oregon with his wife, Kathy, and son Henry George.