Jennifer Scott, Chair
Ste. Michelle Wine Estates

Heidi Scheid, Immediate Past Chair
Scheid Family Wines

Emma Swain, Vice Chair and Treasurer
St. Supery Estate Vineyards & Winery

Sam Filler, Secretary
New York Wine & Grape Foundation

Xavier Barlier
Maisons Marques & Domaines/Roederer Estate

Danny Brager
Brager Beverage Alcohol Consulting

Gino Colangelo
Colangelo & Partners

Mel Dick
Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits

Jerry Douglas
Biltmore Estate Wine Company

Mike Jaeger
Cakebread Cellars

Craig Ledbetter, Vice Chair and Treasurer
Vino Farms, LLC

Michaela Rodeno
Villa Ragazzi

E. Lloyd Sobel
Breakthru Beverage Group

Adam Pizer, Alternate for E. Lloyd Sobel
Breakthru Beverage Group

Adam Strum
Wine Enthusiast Companies

Hugh Tietjen
Wine Communications Group

Dale Stratton, President

Dale Stratton brings over 35 years of experience in the Beverage Alcohol Industry to his role as an independent consultant. Dale recently retired from Constellation Brands where he was the Vice President, Commercial Insights working across their Beer, Wine, and Spirits divisions. While at Constellation Brands he oversaw consumer and shopper insights, consumer affairs, business analytics, market research, category management initiatives and the wine sensory program. Dale’s extensive work linking consumer and shopper insights and market analysis with business objectives and strategies enable him to translate insights into action.

Prior to joining Constellation Brands in 2006, Dale spent 22 years working at E&J Gallo where he began his career. During his tenure, he covered a wide range of responsibilities that included distributor management, account management, strategic insights and Lean Six Sigma. Dale has a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism with a concentration in Public Relations from Colorado State University and an Executive MBA from Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College.

Christian Miller, Director of Research

Christian Miller has worked in market research, brand and category management for over two decades. He is the proprietor of Full Glass Research, which provides market research and industry analysis for food and beverage producers and marketers.

An original member of the WMC Research Committee, he also helped launch the Wine Opinions consumer and trade panels, and is currently head instructor of the UC Davis OIV Wine Marketing course. Christian’s wine industry experience includes work at wineries, retailers, restaurants, an importer and a négociant. He has marketed wine brands ranging from a few thousand cases to over a million, giving him a broad view of the industry. Christian holds a BA degree in Economics from Franklin & Marshall College and an MBA from the Johnson School of Management, Cornell University.

For media inquiries, please reach out to Sherri Fidel at admin@winemarketcouncil.com

APRIL 15, 2021 WEBINAR RECORDING NOW AVAILABLE TO MEMBERS

Preparing for Reopening: The Outlook for the Wine Economy and Wine Tourism in 2021

This webinar looks at key factors in the “reopening economy” and what wineries should consider in terms of wine tourism and the return of on-premise sales.

In addition to WMC President Dale Stratton and Research Director Christian Miller, we have the following speakers:

• Robert Eyler PhD, economics professor at Sonoma State University, proprietor of Economic Forensics & Analytics and expert on regional impact studies.
• David Bratton, Founder and Managing Director of Decision Analysts, a leading market researcher in the tourism industry.

Topics covered include:

• what might reopening look like?
• depletion trends
• consumer attitudes towards travel, tourism and on-premise
• the economics of the return of wine tourists and the on-premise channel