Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/35876
THE MESSAGE Domaine Select Comes to American Wine & Spirits/California for a large New York distributor in the late 1990s, they realized that there was a niche missing: small artisan brands that needed attention. “The world of wine and spirits was becoming homogenized with less personality, less unique profi les and less terroir infl uence,” Paolo told THE TASTING PANEL. We met with him on the offi cial launch day when the Domaine Select portfolio of brands came to the American Wine & Spirits house. W Paolo Domeneghetti, founder and CEO of Domaine Select Wine Estates, shakes hands with American W&S/CA VP Jon Newlon. Also present are Jay Harkins, Domaine Select VP/Sales and Diego Faccioni, Import Specialist, Southern Wine & Spirits/So Cal. “When we created Domaine Select,” he explained, “it was the moment for us to collect brands to represent from the people we respected. It is and was never about ‘volume’ or ‘cool,’ but going down a path with a philosophy shared by our family-owned artisanal producers.” Averna is an amaro (bitter), known throughout Italy and embraced by mixologists inter- nationally. It is just one of the many global brands from Domaine Select Wine Estates. hen Paolo and Allison Domeneghetti were working We Were Bowled Over A ndy Dawson, co-founder of Broker’s London Dry Gin, stopped by THE TASTING PANEL to taste us on his richly styled, aro- matic spirit. If gin styles are indeed subjective, then we must say that Broker’s is truly “our type.” It is as expressive a gin as Andy Dawson is animated in personality. —Meridith May Dean Berger, VP, Sales for Pacifi c Edge Wine & Spirits (left) and Broker’s Gin co-founder Andy Dawson (right) pour a taste of the spirit for Publisher/Executive Editor, Meridith May. 18 / the tasting panel / july 201 1 PHOTO: RACHEL BURKONS