Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/413994
16 / the tasting panel / november 2014 INDUSTRY SPOTLIGHT Appointments Truett-Hurst, Inc. of Healdsburg, California has appointed Scott Stowe as National Sales Manager/Director of National Accounts. He will manage Truett-Hurst's distribution network in the Eastern U.S., as well as grow broad market business on- and off-premise in the region. Stowe comes to Truett-Hurst with over two decades of fine wine sales experience—just prior to joining the company, he was Director of National On- and Off-Premise Accounts for Mendocino Wine Company based in Ukiah, CA. In Memoriam A t the age of 85, Robert L. Hall, the owner of the Robert Hall Winery in California's Paso Robles AVA, died last month. An entrepre- neur with many successful endeav- ours, he was first captivated by the winery lifestyle on a trip to France in the late 1970s. After searching for the perfect location, Hall opened the Robert Hall Winery with his wife Margaret in 1995, with their first wines released in 2001. A steward of the land, he worked tirelessly to produce premium wines and promote the Paso Robles AVA. A n influential leader in the California wine industry for nearly 50 years and known in the wine business as the "Top PR Man" and "The Wine PR Guru," Harvey Posert, Jr. passed away last month at the age of 84. He had been a newspaperman and a PR agency executive in New York and Chicago before coming to California in the mid 1960s, where he worked on major programs like Robert Mondavi, Bronco Wine Company and the Wine Institute's award-win- ning program to educate Americans about California wine. F ollowing the successful launch of Holly Nog spiked eggnog in 2012, Midwest Custom Bottling is introducing a new delicious flavor to its line of wine-based creams: Chocolate Mint Holly Nog. "We received terrific feedback about Holly Nog from our retail and distributor partners including many requests to expand the Holly Nog line with an additional flavor," says Duane Maas, President of Midwest Custom Bottling. Holly Nog shipments are up over 100 percent this year, adding more than 2,000 retail locations. Holly Nog's wine base allows it to be sold in wine licensed stores, and it is being featured in the dairy aisles of many grocery stores. Home for the Holly-days