Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/118688
INdUSTRY SpOTLIGHT Appointments Mike McLaughlin is Executive Vice President, Sales for Glazer's Distributors, working from the corporate office in Texas, where he will have responsibility for Glazer's performance with its strategic wine and spirits vendor partners, except Diageo and Moët Hennessy. Mike McLaughlin. Sara Desmond. Mike Glennon has been appointed Vice President of National Off-Premise Chain Sales for Sidney Frank Importing Company. Glennon brings more than 15 years of experience in the beverage industry. He most recently held the position of Director, National Accounts at Proximo and prior to that served as a Vice President at Beam, Inc. Sara Desmond joins Pahlmeyer as Director of Marketing. She comes from Diageo Château & Estate Wines, where she was Digital Marketing Manager. She is a member of the Court of Master Sommeliers, having completed her Level One studies. Georg and Maximilian Riedel. It's Crystal Clear A tenth change of generations will take place at glass manufacturer Riedel in July: Georg J. Riedel will hand over management of Riedel Crystal and its worldwide subsidiaries to his son Maximilian J. Riedel, the 11th generation to lead the heritage crystal house. Georg J. Riedel, who joined the company in 1973, changed the fine wine drinking culture through his work with leading visionaries, including Robert Mondavi, Marcel Guigal and Angelo Gaja. "As owner, I will remain associated with the company. I am proud of my son, who has expanded Riedel's North American operations with exceptional success, significantly contributing to the company's growth," said Georg J. Riedel. "My daughter Laetizia Riedel-Rothlisberger will assist her brother in her capacity as corporate lawyer and brand ambassador." 12 / the tasting panel / april 2013 IN PASSING Sadly, Paul Carr Polk McIlhenny, CEO and Chairman of the Board of McIlhenny Company, passed away of an apparent heart attack on Saturday, February 23, 2013, at the age of 68. He was the sixth generation of the McIlhenny family that founded Tabasco pepper sauce. I first met Paul in 2005 at his family-owned Avery Island, part of a huge salt dome rising out of the waters of Iberia Parish, 120 miles from New Orleans. He took great pride in showing me how a portion of this freshly mined salt was mixed with mashed peppers grown from seeds from his grandfather's original 1868 plantings, fermented for three years in decharred whiskey barrels from distilleries such as Jim Beam, and then fermented another 28 days with vinegar, to produce Tabasco sauce. Sitting down for breakfast with Paul was to be exposed to every Tabasco product that could conceivably be put on eggs, and cocktail hour began with a cigar, vodka and a bottle of Tabasco Extra Spicy Bloody Mary mix. Once, when I asked Paul if he used one or two shots of Tabasco in his favorite drink, the Bull Shot, he feigned shock. "Oh no, no!" he exclaimed. "A bartender might put in two drops, but for my own self, I usually put in an extra few dashes." Paul is survived by his wife Judith, two daughters, a sister and a brother, and four grandchildren. He will be missed. ─Richard Carleton Hacker James L. Barrett, Napa Valley wine pioneer and owner of Chateau Montelena, passed away on March 14, 2013. He was 86. In 1972, Barrett and his family came to Napa Valley with one thing in mind: to start a worldclass winery. Barrett discovered the empty stone chateau and the dilapidated vineyards at the northern end of Napa Valley in Calistoga, and decided that Chateau Montelena was the perfect place to realize his dreams. In 1976, Chateau Montelena helped put California at the forefront of world-class winemaking when its 1973 Chardonnay was selected as the top-rated wine over other French and American entries at the infamous Paris Tasting. Barrett turned over winemaker duties to his son, Bo Barrett, in 1982, but continued to serve as CEO and General Partner and was actively involved in the day-to-day operations until his death. PAR Bac ©20 BAC