Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/68310
DISTRIBUTION Vin Sauvage CEO Don Woodall with the company's account representative Liz Simmonds, who calls on The Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas. Photographed at JALEO Restaurant. The Specialty Distributor DON WOODALL LEADS A SMALL BUT GLOBALLY DISTINCTIVE WINE COMPANY IN NEVADA D on Woodall understands the nature of the business. He ran one of the largest Italian importing companies in the U.S. "I was National Sales Manager for Winebow," he told THE TASTING PANEL when we met up with him in Las Vegas last month. "But I wanted to jump on the distribution side." Woodall met the owners of a small distributor in Nevada called Vin Sauvage. "I met them about three years before I took over the business," he explains. Anchored by imports but growing strong with domestic wines from Oregon and California, Woodall continues to grow the Nevada distributorship with one of the best portfolios from South America and Spain. "This market [Nevada] is characterized by two major distributors who are anchored by spirits. We are fortunate to have a team dedicated and passionate about wine and our soon-to-be launched artisanal spirits portfolio. Because they come from the on-premise community, they are naturally connected to the sommeliers in the area." Priding themselves on customer service, Vin Sauvage "over-delivers and gives the customers what they want and need." Sister companies Classic Wine in Colorado and Maverick in Illinois stand by the Vin Sauvage sensibilities and philosophies. "We're the younger sibling," admits Woodall, but their ambitions reflect ours; they've just been at it a while longer." june 2012 / the tasting panel / 35 PHOTO: DANIELLE "DEED" DEBRUNO