Anitha Gandhi - Program Lead
A theatrically-trained actress turned wine professional, Anitha works in NYC and is always looking for reasons to travel abroad to wine countries. As a top Sales Representative for David Bowler Wine, covering both Manhattan and Brooklyn, Anitha offers her insights and perspective as a mentor for anyone looking to start fresh in this industry, especially in sales, and to be candid about all of the challenges that await, from opening and managing accounts, to education and to managing your own bottom line. As an under-represented member of the wine community (South Asian women), Anitha wants to be a part of changing the landscape of our world of wine, reaching a broader audience - and one which looks more like her...and like you. Interests include helping lift up the voices of BIPOC folx, and not just the ones you see, but also the ones in the vineyards who support this entire industry, mostly in the background.
Follow her on Instagram at @happybellyhappylife.
Melissa Graeff
Melissa joined Skurnik Wines and Spirits at the beginning of 2023 to work in wine portfolio management. She began her career working in government affairs in the Washington, DC area, but fell in love with wine while working part-time at a northern Virginia winery. Ultimately, she made the transition to working full-time in the wine industry by going into retail and has held various other positions including being a sommelier, working in wine importation, sales management, then ultimately moving to New York City in 2022 to work in logistics and portfolio management.
Natalie Vaclavik
Giddy up! Yes girl, Natalie Vaclavik, @purplecowgrl as many of her friends call her. With over a decade of experience in distribution and sales, Natalie's journey in the wine industry has been an incredible adventure built on relationships and tenacity to get the job done. Natalie is currently the National Sales Director of family-owned estate vineyards Jonata & Hilt Estate in Santa Barbara and is the winery owner of Poggio Costa, a sparkling prosecco from Italy. Natalie is deeply involved in every aspect of her wineries. Her approach is rooted in building her career based on genuine relationships and pursuing her passion for building the wineries footprint across the country.
Natalie's professional trajectory began just like many of you, as a sales rep on the streets, working for Glazers Domaines & Estates Wine, where she quickly became a top performer, specializing in high-end wine sales for the top accounts in Houston. At the youthful age of 24, she had an opportunity of a lifetime, taking on the role of Sales Director for Evening Lands Vineyards working in Burgundy, Oregon, and Santa Rita Hills. As this world is so connected, subsequently, Natalie became the first sales manager for Terroir Selections, representing renowned brands such as Qupe, Leviathan, Mayacamas, Sandhi, and Mulderbosch. Her entrepreneurial spirit then led her to create Victory Wine Group, a successful distribution company that she helped build from the ground up. The foundation of Victory Wine Group is built on the strong relationships Natalie cultivated with both producers and customers, showcasing her commitment to fostering genuine connections in every aspect of her professional life, which has been integral to her success.
In addition to her thriving career, Natalie recently embraced the joys of motherhood, welcoming a beautiful baby boy last year. Not sure if having a baby was meant to slow her down, she now has a charming copilot accompanying her on the flights around America, navigating the world of wine sales with the baby in tow. This journey has surprisingly proven that being a mother has not only added depth to her personal life but has also brought a unique perspective and resilience to her professional endeavors, reinforcing the idea that parenthood and a successful business can coexist harmoniously.
As third season mentor for Bâtonnage, she is driven by the desire to help demystify the distribution and sales processes, encouraging individuals to delve deep into their true passions within the business. Her mission goes beyond imparting knowledge; she is dedicated to guiding others in following their intuition and unlocking their full potential within the industry. For her, these mentorship connections are cherished above all, recognizing that meaningful relationships are the cornerstone of professional growth in the wine industry.
Julia Vaninger
Julia Vaninger has 20+ years of experience in beverage, primarily focused on distribution and sales. She currently is the SVP for Jacquins Spirts and has had the great privilege of working for Red Bull, Diageo, Remy Cointreau, Heineken, Coravin and Stoli throughout her career. Past experience includes key account management, distribution management, National Accounts and high image accounts in all 50 states and Canada. Her goal and objective with the Batonnage program is to coach women who are eager to grow their career in distribution and sales within beverage; working with them to overcome daily challenges and find their long term career path. She is eager to understand her mentees goals and hep work to achieve them.
Jaclyn Duvieilh
Jackie has been a part of the wine industry since 2002. She has worked for importers and distributors in both Louisiana and Texas. She is currently responsible for importing some of the finest wines in the world and has contacts in a number of the top wine-producing nations including France, Italy, Chile, South Africa, and Lebanon. She has also traveled to both domestic and foreign wineries in search of knowledge and value.
Taryn Westra
An avid supporter of growth and development, Taryn believes in supporting her team through all challenges. Raised as a competitive swimmer, and ultimately swimming for the University of Michigan, she believes in the power of every individual contributing to the success of the team. Starting her wine career with the Signature division of Southern in Chicago in 2007, Taryn has since worked for several different suppliers, representing a variety of producer-driven brands and commercial portfolios, now overseeing sales for the western half of the country with Winebow Imports, managing the greatest team in the wine industry. At the height of pandemic, she moved with her family to west Michigan, and bought a farm. She is now as well-versed about the intricacies of chickens, as she is about the Cru’s of Champagne. Her favorite hobbies are growing flowers, hosting dinner parties, and taking care of critters with her family. She is passionate about ensuring that everyone feels safe and empowered in all forums, and works to achieve this goal professionally and personally.
Ailis Peplau
With degrees in the humanities and French/Italian fluency, Ailis’ introduction to the wine industry began with “I like wine, maybe I can find a job in that” and she has never looked back. Over the course of the last ten years, she held a number of roles including: importing & distribution logistics, marketing, management, wholesale sales, DTC coordination as well as wine bar, retail, and harvest work. She began her days at Vintage ‘59 Imports learning a foundation of wine through daily conversations with French vignerons and later completed the WSET Diploma. In 2017 she switched from back-end logistics to wholesale distribution at Chambers & Chambers and then with Sacred Thirst Selections, building the Northern California sales footprint for the last four years. Her favorite aspects of the industry are building relationships: with producers, with accounts, and with colleagues.
Nicole Hakli
Nicole Hakli is a NYC-based beverage professional with 14 years of experience in the luxury wine and spirits industry. Nicole has worked in all facets of the supply chain from top Michelin-starred restaurants like Eleven Madison Park to distribution, supply, and even a splash in viniculture! The journey of working as a sommelier in NY hospitality and achieving the Court of Master Sommeliers Advanced Certification laid the groundwork to develop strong trade relationships in the wine community as a trusted and passionate educator. Supporting sommelier accolades have included Wine & Spirits Magazine Best New Sommelier 2016 and Court of Master Sommeliers Rudd Scholar 2017. Nicole continued to lead through educational excellence when she transitioned into a role with Krug Champagne as the U.S. National Ambassador in 2019. Today, she engages in her wine community through supply education and partnered events in her role as Fine Wine & Craft Spirits Manager at Constellation Aspira.
Georgia Sugerman
Georgia Sugerman studied Math and Latin at Oberlin College, initially spending three years on Wall Street before pursuing her passion for wine. She worked weekends at a wine shop while taking courses at the International Wine Center, later obtaining her Diploma with the WSET. Georgia spent a decade working for T Edward, a NYC-based importer and distributor. She started as a New York City sales rep, later becoming the tri-state sales manager, VP of Sales and ultimately Vice President. After taking a couple years off with her young children, she became a Personal Wine Advisor for Direct Wines, a direct-to-consumer marketing company representing the Wall Street Journal Wine Club among others. In 2022, she began consulting on data and sales insights for Vine Connections, a premier sake and wine importer. She has just launched a new consulting company, Better Half Partners, with her husband Will. They hope to lend their expertise to other companies and producers while also spending time with their 4 and 7 year old children, Lana and Charlie.
Giuseppe LoCascio
A New York City native, Giuseppe grew up in Italy where he graduated in Economics and Business Administration. Giuseppe moved back to New York in 2002 and in 2010 received his MBA from Fordham Graduate School of Business.
Until August 2016, Giuseppe was the Vice President of Portfolio Management for Leonardo LoCascio Selections, the Italian Wine Imports Division of The Winebow Group. In January 2017, Giuseppe founded his own Consulting Company and Import Agency, based in NYC. As an Agent, Giuseppe serves 12 US Markets with a selection of high-quality Italian wineries. In April 2017, Giuseppe became one of the few US-based Italian Wine Ambassadors for the Vinitaly International Academy program. Since 2019 Giuseppe has been teaching the class on the US Wine Market for the Master in Wine Business of the Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies in Pisa, Italy. In July 2020, Giuseppe co-founded and launched Lucidity Wine Merchants, a boutique Import and Distribution company located in Sacramento, California.
Katixa Mercier
Katixa Mercier started her career 18 years ago as a sommelier in fine dining; curating and managing award-winning programs in New Mexico. In 2010, Mercier started consulting for beverage programs for boutique restaurants and hotel groups to private collections nationally. In 2016, she was head-hunted for a sales position for a boutique wholesaler, Favorite Brands, where she quickly ran up the ranks becoming both Wine Portfolio Manager and Sales Manager. She consistently met with local government and participated in state senate hearings to repeal the then retaliatory tax on imports before the pandemic hit and continued to via Zoom thereafter.
During the pandemic, Mercier additionally took on managing the company alongside Texas-based leadership. With staff on furlough, this meant pulling and staging orders, running deliveries, merchandising, sales and continuing to run the portfolio. While running deliveries in the early hours, she additionally met with state legislators via Zoom to advocate for local restaurants and retailers to continue business in any capacity. In 2021, she was offered a position with importer French Libation and soon after was approached by importer Boutique Wine Collection, a portfolio specializing in indigenous varieties from the eastern hemisphere. While running the western half of the region, she also interprets producer meetings overseas and is on the brand development and acquisitions team.
Mercier is of Parisian-Basque in heritage, grew up in Central America and is first generation United States citizen, currently resides in Kansas City, Missouri with her sweetheart.