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Dan Culley-Rapata, D.W.S., FWS
Dan Culley-Rapata has
spent the last ten years working in the wine industry in San Francisco, where he has had the opportunity to work with many
amazing producers and restaurants at the epicenter of the American wine scene.
Dan began his career at Chicago Wine Merchants, where he played
a role in selling Champagne and fine wine at the turn of the Millennium. In 2000, he took a position with San Francisco-based
Chambers & Chambers Wine Merchants, one of the country’s most respected importers and distributors of fine wine.
Dan’s current position as a sales representative for Chambers & Chambers has given him the chance to educate customers
about some of the world’s greatest wines and travel through the wine regions of France, Italy and the US.
In 2006, Dan passed the
WSET Advanced course with distinction. He earned his WSET Diploma in 2008, graduating with merit. He is also a
certified French Wine Scholar through the French Wine Society. Dan is currently a second year student with the Institute
of Masters of Wine. He was also a judge at the California State Fair Wine Competition in 2009. Every fall,
he enjoys working as a harvest intern at York Creek Vineyards. If you have any questions, please feel free to email Dan at
culleyrapata@gmail.com.
Maureen Downey, D.W.S., CWE Maureen is an expert in fine and rare wine appraisal, authentication, valuation and financial trends
of global fine wine markets.
Maureen completed the sommelier certification shortly after graduating from Boston
University with a bachelor’s degree in Hospitality Administration. As a sommelier and restaurant manager/service director,
she worked in some of the top restaurants in New York City including Lespinasse, Felidia and Tavern on the Green. After several
years of invaluable experience, she decided to work more directly with fine and rare wine joining Morrell & Company as
an auction specialist. In 2002, she became the first full‐time employee and Senior Specialist at Zachys Wine Auctions,
determining many operating procedures and standards as well as specifications for cataloguing and pricing. Eventually, she
returned home to San Francisco to join the wine auction team at Bonhams & Butterfields until deciding to start her own
company in 2006. With her own firm, Chai Consulting, she is now able to focus on the individual needs and interests
of collectors and work exclusively on their behalf.
When she is not inspecting or valuating old and rare
wines or acting as a professional wine judge, she enjoys teaching both professional and enthusiast level courses. She is thrilled
to join the team at Discover Wines and Spirits to teach the French Wine Scholar, CSW/CWE preparation, Discover Italy and Enthusiast
courses. She holds the WSET Diploma in Wines & Spirits and is a Certified Wine Educator. She is also a Certified
Spanish Wine Educator (2007) an International Bordeaux Tutor (2007), and is credentialed by the French government as a French
Wine Scholar (2008). She is currently pursuing the Master of Wine credential, internationally recognized as the highest wine
credential in the world. Maureen can be reached at Maureen@chaiconsulting.com.
Douglas Allan, D.W.S.
Douglas Allan has spent his whole career in the food
and beverage industry. His formal education in wine started at Cornell University where he earned a B.S. in Hotel Administration.
After spending a few years in restaurant operations in Los Angeles, he immersed himself into the wine business at Chateau
Montelena Winery in Napa Valley. For the past three years, Douglas worked as the Retail Sales & Hospitality Manager.
This allowed Douglas to learn the wine business from the ground up and also offered him a chance to teach thousands
of people about wine on a daily basis.
Douglas has been involved with the WSET for the past five years. He earned his Diploma
of Wine & Spirits in 2010. Douglas is currently a full time student at the Paul Merage School of Business at UC Irvine
with the intention of bringing his MBA back to the wine business.
Laura
Conway, D.W.S., CSW Originally from Massachusetts, Laura discovered her passion
for wine through her love of French culture. After obtaining a BA in French & Comparative Literature from Bryn Mawr College
and a MA in French from the University of California at Irvine, Laura discovered her true calling while attending weekend
wine classes at the Alliance Française in San Francisco. Laura has over eight years of wine industry experience holding
leading roles in retail, hospitality and e-commerce operations. Most recently, as one of the first employees of Vinfolio,
Laura created and managed their industry leading wine pricing and information database. Her specialties include cellar management,
online content and writing, and wine education. Fluent in French, Laura holds the WSET Diploma in Wine & Spirits and is
a Certified Specialist of Wine. While an avid fan of the wines of Burgundy, Laura is best known for her love of Champagne.
Presently Laura is a student in the Bordeaux Management
School’s Wine MBA program and works in a variety of capacities. She is a Content Editor for Cellartracker, a Consultant
with Chai Consulting, and a Brand Ambassador for Moët Hennessy's wine portfolio. In 2010-11 Laura will author a series
of articles for JancisRobinson.com chronicling the Wine MBA experience. During her free time, Laura enjoys reading, listening
to classical music, long distance running, racing sailing, camping and travel. She is married to a consummate high-tech entrepreneur
with whom she shares the joy of raising her daughter Sophia.
Michelle Keene, M.A. Michelle Keene is an Italian wine educator and broker
in the San Francisco Bay where she represents a boutique line of Italian wines for WineCountry.IT and offers wine seminars
and private tastings through her business venture TerraVino Tastings. She has worked with the Italian Cultural Institute,
Business Association Italy America, and has held some of San Francisco’s top-drawer Italian restaurants, such as A16,
SPQR, and La Ciccia as clients. Her experience has provided her the opportunity to educate consumers and teach courses about
Italy’s varietals and world leading wine industry, and work with producers, across Italy’s diverse wine regions.
Previously a World Bank consultant and executive with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Michelle
has a long-standing interest and passion for Italy and its wines. Her credentials include passing the Wine and Spirits Education
Trust (WSET) Advanced course with distinction and professional wine studies at the Culinary Institute of America in St. Helena. Her
prior education includes a B.A. from Bowdoin College and a M.A. from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy of Tufts University.
Her mantra is “to bring Italian terroir to the table,” sharing her years of La Dolce Vino in Italy to bring you
the entire Italian wine experience. Michelle may be reached at info@terravinotastings.com.
Michael Donohue, M.A., WSET-Certified, FWS, Bordeaux Wine Council Michael Donohue was born into a family of occasional beer, rye and Manischewitz drinkers
but was really bitten by the wine bug in university, when different red Côtes-du-Rhône prompted an ongoing
investigation of why one could taste so much better than another.
Following graduation with a Master of Arts in
Philosophy, Michael worked in retail operations and then in high-tech (from 300 bps to ATM) all the while taking various wine
courses, including the WSET Diploma*, and travelling to many of the world’s great vineyards. Michael has been teaching
WSET courses for about 18 years and for the past decade was a Director of the Independent Wine Education Guild www.iweg.org,
a WSET affiliate since 1977. After getting whacked in the dot bomb era, he finally listened to those career consultants
who say you should do what you love and the money will follow.
Before joining GalanteVineyards, a youngish
winery with huge accomplishments and a rich future, Michael co-founded Ne Plus Ultra Agencies, which represents >50 international
wine and spirit producers and worked for two other companies with Chateaux Pétrus & Palmer, Grey Goose, Chave,
Shafer, Caymus & Avignonese (amongst others) in their portfolio. Michael Donohue may be reached at mdonohue123@hotmail.com.
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