Andrés Carlos Martell
Joining the United States Marines Corps in 2001, Andrés was decorated for his service in Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom before receiving an honorable discharge and co-founding Vin Ambassador with his father Nico in 2006. In 2008 Andrés passed the Court of Master Sommeliers’ Level 2 Certified Sommelier Exam at the age of twenty-four. Currently he is focused on establishing Vin Ambassador as a global resource for luxury wine travel as well as…
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Nico Martell
The Martell family fled the civil war in Catalan Spain to the Upper West Side of Manhattan in the 1930′s. Spending years as a musician, DJ and photographer, Nico found his way to the west coast in the 1970’s. Here he experienced the beauty of Napa Valley as well as San Francisco and chose to raise his son Andrés in Northern California. As a retired founder, Nico inspires the Vin Ambassador Team with enthusiasm and an unrelenting passion for wine and all the best lif…
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Andy Butler
Hailing from Bloomington, IN, Andrew was born into the world of wine. His family owns and operates Butler Winery and Vineyards, and some of Andrew’s earliest memories are of the taste of freshly pressed grape juice during harvest and the smell of active fermentation. He spent his early years learning the craft of winemaking before graduating from Indiana University with a BA in English in 2008. 2009 saw the opening of Andrew’s own bar, HouseBar, and in 2010 he made t…
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Megan Brock
Megan learned the meaning of true hospitality living in Madrid. As a guest of the Spanish people, she fell in love with their eager generosity and boisterous love of life. Returning to her studies in New York, Megan took what she thought would be a ‘side job’ as a hostess at Café Gray; one year later she was the Maître d’Hôtel. Megan completed her studies in International Relations at NYU and spent more time in Europe eating and drinking, and studying German.…
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Mike Lagau
A long time food and wine professional, Mike has worked with celebrated chefs including Bradley Ogden, Wolfgang Puck, and recently Daniel Patterson of Coi. He is a firm believer that wine education should first and foremost be fun! His love affair with wine began back in 1998 upon his first taste of a ’95 David Bruce Pinot Noir while managing a small wine bar in La Jolla. Mike has continued to taste, learn and hone his wine and food pairing capabilities over the …
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Rachel Dorcy
Leaving her hometown in Washington in 2008, Rachel has been constantly moving towards her goals of being in the wine industry. Discovering her passion at 17, Rachel began trading hours of free labor in the wine cellar of a high end French restaurant for ounces of wine. “I was underage, it was the only way they would let me drive home! Plus who would turn down free wine?” Favoring Chateaunuf du Pape – “Have to love the musty, peppery complexity” – and Borde…
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