Italian and Australian Wine Buyer
Jim Rilee has been with Bottle King for 25 years, working many roles for the organization. Jim currently is our Italian and Australian wine buyer to go along with his other responsibilities. He travels yearly to Italy looking for those perfect deals of price and quality or just to get on the cutting edge of the next “hot wine”. Whether it is the next Super Tuscan or the new property in Sicily, he is always looking for something new for you to try. His other challenge in securing as much of the highly rated wines from Australia as possible. Robert Parkers love affair with Australian Shiraz has made this a full time job! Whether from McLaren Vale, the Barossa or just South Australia, the wines of “Oz” continue to grow in popularity and prestige.
Jim can be reached at jrilee@bottleking.com.
South American and German Wine Buyer
John Zaffarese is currently the buyer of South American and German wines.
John has been in the industry for over 10 years. His expertise in South American wines has been recognized throughout the industry. John travels to both Chile and Argentina in search of the fine wines that both countries are producing. His personal relationships, with both the growers and the importers has enhanced Bottle Kings’ selections and his emphasis on quality-to-price ratio is found throughout our stores. John has been instrumental in developing the German selections in our stores and has brought us to a whole new level with his continual education and training of our employees. His desire and focus is exactly why Bottle King remains Number One! John can be reached at jzaffarese@bottleking.com
United States Wine Buyer and Other Spirits
Steve Carpentier has been with Bottle King for 27+ years, working many roles for the organization. Steve currently is our wine buyer for the entire United States as well as other Spirits for the chain. He travels yearly to California looking for those perfect deals of price and quality or just to get on the cutting edge of the next “hot wine”. Steve is married to Karen for the past 15 years and the two of them have three children., Bradley, Kevin, and Melissa. My favorite aspect of my job is finding a great wine and getting my friends, family and customers to enjoy it. I have to say, everyday is a learning experience in the wine industry. You have to stay “in turned” to the changing market place and keep up with all of your customers demands and requests. I’ve noticed more and more customers are becoming educated in wine every year. I love to find great opportunities out of California and Washington for our customer’s dinner tables. As always, it’s all about great quality and wonderful values.
Best Wine Tasted in last 12 months….Bodegas El Nido Clio 2003
Steve can be reached at scarpentier@bottleking.com
French and Spanish Wine Buyer
Daniel Sherer started in the wine industry in 1993 two years later in 1995 he joined the Bottle King team. Dan currently has Wine buying responsibilities for France and Spain. When asking him his favorite grape varietals you’ll get a response of “Pinot Noir, no wait, Grenache. Or maybe Syrah?” “The wine industry is enjoyable to me for several reasons. Trying new wines, bringing them to the shelves and getting them in the hands of our faithful customers is a tall task. This becomes rewarding when the customers return with feedback, excited about the wine they have tried. Everyone has different tastes and even when a customer tells me they prefer a different style, this can be fun, too. This provides the basis for a relationship and discussion that become a vehicle to talk more wine! There is always something new in this business. Each vintage brings new experiences. Each customer brings a new challenge. Each wine delivery brings something new to talk about. Each cork pulled (or screwtop!) a new opportunity to have a favorite wine to discuss the next day.” Dan can be reached at dsherer@bottleking.com.
South Africa, New Zealand, Portugal, Austria and Hungary Wine Buyer
Jeff Wertalik has been with Bottle King for nearly 10 years and has recently joined the ranks as one of our buyers. Jeff has a passion for sourcing out fantastic wine values as well as broadening our already impressive selection. When asked about his favorite part of the business he replied, “It always makes my day when a customer tells me how much they enjoyed a wine I selected for them, whether it was for a dinner party, a gift for a close friend or quiet evening at home. There is no one wine that everyone will love, you have to get a feel for the customers’ individual tastes and preferences”. As one of our buyers, he now has the opportunity to search out new and exciting wines from his fast growing categories for all of Bottle King’s customers to enjoy.
Jeff can be reached at jwertalik@bottleking.com.
TheWineBuyer.com Wine Manager
Doug Zayat joined Bottle King in 2002 while studying Fine Arts and Photography in college. His passion for wine started during his employement with Bottle King when he realized how much wine making was a form of Art. After attending wine school in New Jersey and doing his own outside research on the field his admiration for wine makers grew intensly when he saw how each one is an artist using grapes as their center medium. Doug has travelled to a handful of wine regions including, New York State, Germany, and France. His favorite wines when asked are Chateauneuf du Pape’s and Rieslings. “Traveling down the Rhine river in Germany has been one of my best experiences. The residents and towns pride themselves of creating outstanding wines and very much enjoy letting visitors experience them.” Doug can be reached at dzayat@bottleking.com.
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