Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/6221
12 / the tasting panel / january–february 2010 Industry Spotlight Juan Furné. Peter McDonough. Appointments Tim Murphy. Jonas Tahlin. Luxury on Long Island A llegria Hotel & Spa in Long Beach, NY— only 25 miles from New York City—is the fi rst luxury beachfront property on Long Island's south shore west of the Hamptons. The 143- room Allegria debuted last September along with its signature restaurant, At- lantica, from acclaimed Hamptons chef Todd Jacobs. The setting at Atlantica maintains the seaside ambi- ence with fl oor-to-ceil- ing windows that gaze directly onto the ocean. The sophisticated seasonal and organic American cuisine relies largely on local farms, orchards and fi sherman—and even North and South Fork vineyards for an unrivaled selection of Long Is- land wines. The lounge, L'Onda, provides a cozy atmosphere for sipping cocktails, featuring a double-sided fi replace, comfy sofas and more unbeatable views of the Atlantic. Warner Strejan oversees the wine and spirits pro- gram for Allegria hotel's restaurant, Atlantico, and lounge, L'Onda. Kari Leitch Pedro Ferrer, CEO of Freixenet Group, announces the appointment of Juan Furné as President of Freixenet Atlantic, a division of Freixenet Group focused on global markets. In his new role, Furné will expand the distribution of Freixenet Group brands around the world. Furné has worked at Freixenet Group since 1984; most recently, beginning in 2001, he held the position of President of Freixenet America. Peter McDonough, currently President North America Innovation Diageo USA has been promot- ed to the role of President, Chief Marketing & In- novation Offi cer. He will report to Larry Schwartz, President, Diageo USA. "Looking ahead, we believe that marketing and innovation will become even more vital to achiev- ing our strong growth ambitions," said Ivan Men- ezes, President & CEO of Diageo North America. "We are confi dent that combining these teams under one leader will bring signifi cant benefi ts to the North America business and foster a more holistic growth strategy between organic and in- novation growth." Pernod Ricard USA announces two key spirits marketing appointments designed to support and accelerate the company's drive toward outperform- ance in 2010: Jonas Renner Tahlin has been named Vice President of Marketing, Vodkas; and Tim Mur- phy is appointed to the newly created role of Vice President, Marketing Innovation. Tahlin and Murphy will report to Matt Aeppli, Senior Vice President, Spirits Marketing, Pernod Ricard USA. Washington's premier wine company, Ste. Michelle Wine Estates, has named Kari Leitch Vice Presi- dent of Communications. Leitch, who joined Ste. Michelle Wine Estates in 1996, was previously Senior Director of Commu- nications for the company, overseeing Ste. Michelle's domestic wine brands in Washington, Oregon and California, as well as the company's import port- folio, including Antinori and Champagne Nicolas Feuillatte. wine App-reciation New iPhone app Nirvino puts more than a million wine ratings right at your fi ngertips, sorted by name, price, va- rietal, food pairing, fl avor profi le, region, producer and designation. Better yet for busy industry types who taste lots of wines, the app can also record your own notes on a bottle for later access. Nirvino is available now for $1.99 in the iTunes App Store. For more information, visit www.nirvino.com. —Allison Levine