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about first vineTom Natan is a chemical engineer and longtime wine aficionado. Tom has been doing environmental work for over 15 years and has made friends with fellow enviros and wine lovers all over the world. About 10 years ago he met a woman whose husband grew grapes in Provence and sold them to the village wine cooperative, of which he was part owner. Eventually Tom got to meet him as well, and he had expanded the business to include wine tastings for English-speaking tourists and also representing small wine producers within France. Most of the wines he sold, especially his village's wines, weren't available in the U.S. And his village, Vinsobres, was up for designation as a Cru - the highest designation for a village in the region and one that requires stricter limits on production and higher quality control — so he thought he could start a business importing those wines. It was through this couple that Tom, over the years, was able to develop personal relationships with the wine producers and a deep knowledge of their wines. In addition to this region, Tom's travels have allowed him to forge bonds with wine makers all over the world. Over the coming months, first vine will be adding the best of these wines to its portfolio.Dare Wenzler is a senior media and customer service executive with over 20 years' experience in advertising, marketing, public relations and customer service. She is an expert across all media, particularly "new media", with over 10 years at America Online. While at AOL, Dare developed and implemented customer acquisition, retention and support programs for the advertisers and users of a variety of AOL products. Dare is also a fine artist and budding wine aficionado who lived and worked in France throughout the early 90's. Dare & Tom are both avid chefs, wine lovers and above all bon vivants. They bring all this and more to the business. |
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