Quench Fine Wines

Dale Sparks • Founder, Owner

Prior to founding Quench, Dale was the Managing Director for Boutique Wines from its inception in February of 1999 until February of 2002, assembling what once was widely recognized as Arizona's finest portfolio and managing the day-to-day operations of a rapidly expanding distributor. Prior to Boutique Wines, Dale reinvigorated the beverage program at the Phoenician Resort and was the first sommelier at Anthony's in the Catalina's in Tucson. They remain Arizona's only two Grand Award winners. Dale and /or his wine lists/programs have been featured in the LA Times, USA Today, Restaurant Hospitality, Wine Enthusiast, Food & Wine, Wine Spectator and Restaurant Wine. His wine education includes an Advanced Diploma from the Court of Master Sommeliers and the 1992 crush at Swanson Vineyards in Napa Valley. He has written a monthly wine column for 18 years, served on tasting panels and has been invited to be a sommelier at the annual Wine Spectator Wine Experience several times. Dale handles most of the non-sales related operations and daily management of Quench. Dale is not available during University of Arizona football or basketball games. Bear Down!

Jason Morris • Founder, Owner

Jason worked for Boutique Wines (later, Henry Wine Group) as their first sales representative from April 1999 until March of 2003, dominating (placements and sales) in Arizona's top accounts. Jason led all sales people at Boutique Wines in dollar volume. He has extensive prior industry experience including 12 years of restaurant experience in Nebraska and Arizona and as cellar master at Fred Meyer and wine bar manager for Sportsman's here in Phoenix. Jason has passed the certificate course of the court of Master Sommeliers, traveled the wine regions of Austria, New Zealand, Germany and Australia and has attended most all of the major national wine industry events. Jason is responsible for supplier relations and the daily management of Quench. Jason lives in North Phoenix with his wife Tawnya and his two newest super-palates in the house, Cooper & Kalleigh. On Saturdays in the fall his heart and mind wonder to wherever the Nebraska Cornhuskers happen to be playing.

Ryan Schwartz • Chief Operating Officer, Owner

Ryan was the Director of Wine/Sommelier at Janos and J Bar Restaurants in Tucson, Arizona from 2000-2004 where he designed a wine list consisting of over 800 different labels and 13,000 bottles. The wine list at Janos has received the Best of Award of Excellence from Wine Spectator every year beginning in 2000. Prior to Janos and J Bar, Ryan helped manage the wine program at Tarbell's Restaurant and Durant's Steakhouse, both legendary restaurants in Phoenix. Ryan has been interviewed in USA Today and appeared in Wine and Spirits Magazine. Ryan has passed the certificate course from the Court of Master Sommeliers. From November of 2003 until August of 2004 Ryan worked as a part-time, highly successful sales representative for Quench in the Tucson market and then moved to Phoenix to handle premium restaurant accounts. After a year on the streets selling wine in Phoenix and Scottsdale, Ryan took over management duties on a daily basis. Ryan has a B.A. in Communications from the University of Arizona, and an M.B.A. from the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University (Summa Cumme Laude). Ryan is responsible for all daily operations, overseeing sales and the daily management of Quench. Ryan is an avid tournament golfer and lives in North Phoenix, Arizona with his wife Jinny.

Denise Brown • Director of Operations

Denise is a native of the great state (or is it Republic?) of Texas where she attended the University of Texas – San Antonio, studying everything from anatomy and physiology to journalism and photography, ending up academically 'diversified'. While being completely indecisive regarding her studies, she bartended at Pardo's Restaurant in San Antonio, quickly working her way up to Bar Manager allowing her to indulge more in her natural interest in wine. In 1998, Denise moved to Phoenix where she worked for a 'Big 5' Finance and Accounting firm for eight years as a Project Coordinator and Regional Office Manager. In June 2007, she was delighted to be offered the opportunity to join Quench and now manages all of the administrative functions for the company. She currently resides in Tempe with her seven year old son, Korey, his menagerie of pets, and her growing wine collection.

Meghan Watkins • Director of Sales

Meghan grew up in Boston and moved to Arizona to study business at Arizona State University and spent time studying abroad in the Netherlands. She holds a Bachelors degree In Business from Arizona State University. Meghan became interested in the wine industry while working at Roy's Restaurant, and then spent 3 years working at one of our larger competitors, Alliance Beverage, where she developed some very unique, original and highly effective sales techniques and quickly became one of their top sales reps. Meghan passed the Court of Master Sommeliers Certificate in March 2005 and is currently studying for the advanced diploma. She worked crush at Paradigm in the fall of 2006. After two years of leading the Quench sales force in dollars she earned a promotion to Director of Sales. Meghan enjoys spending her weekends hiking Camelback Mountain, skiing in Flagstaff, or playing with her beloved boxer Buddy.

Robert Leopardi • Director of Sales • Southern Arizona

While attending the University of Arizona in 1977, Robert worked at two retailers; The Rum Runner and The Wine Merchant. After graduating from the University of Arizona with a history degree in 1978, he moved to Belmont Shore, California and worked at the retailer Edwards Beverage Company. He returned to Tucson in 1979 and began his professional wholesale career with Arizona Distributing Co.. He was the wine manager for Southern Arizona from 1980 until 1983 when he moved to and helped build Vintage Selections, the first and best small, wine only, distributor in Arizona. In 1989 he moved to United Beverage Company just as Southern Wines & Spirits was beginning talks to purchase Vintage Selections, which has since been disbanded. Robert worked for Republic/United for 17 years as the Southern Arizona Sales Manager/Wine Manager until joining us in August of 2006. Robert has passed the certificate level test of the Court of Master Sommeliers. Robert is as enthusiastic about his antiques as he is about his wines. He has a 1500 strong antique corkscrew collection and a beautiful 1929 Starkweather home furnished with wonderful examples of the American Arts & Crafts period. His wife Marie-France is the best travel consultant in Arizona and shares many of Robert's interests. Those not mentioned as yet include travel, tennis, and hiking.

Derek Myers • Corporate Retail Manager

Derek was born and raised in Columbus, Ohio and somehow ended up a Wolverines fan. He attended Ohio University, graduating with a B.A. in Philosophy; Political Theory (which he soon learned were not the most marketable degrees). In 2002 Derek moved to North Scottsdale. He started his career in the wine industry with Arizona's house E&J Gallo distributor, where he developed his sales skills and progressed to the Fine Wine Sales Manager position. Looking for a change of pace, Derek came to Quench to grow the 'chain' retail business. Over the course of the first year, Derek was able to show double digit growth in the Quench retail segment. In his free time Derek enjoys hiking, cooking and photography.

Craig Wise • Corporate Retail Manager

Craig was born and raised in the suburbs of St. Louis, MO and came to Arizona State University for school. After working his way through college in many different restaurants, Craig found himself backpacking through Europe, primarily in France, Spain & Italy. Craig returned to the restaurant industry, moved to San Francisco and began managing restaurants. In Australia for vacation, Craig met his wife, Natalie at a New Year’s Eve Party. Craig and Natalie moved to Phoenix where he began a wine career with Henry Wine Group (which became Valley of the Sun) quickly working his way up to Off Premise Sales Manager. Craig enjoys the laughter of his wife and three daughters, hanging out with his two Yellow Labs, travel, Scuba diving and anything football!

Mark Hilbert • Sales • Phoenix Metro • Premium Retail

Mark was our first sales representative in Phoenix and handles premier retailers throughout the Valley.

Mark Hilbert lived in New York City and Seattle before moving to Sun Valley, Idaho. There, he discovered his passion for wine while working at Nouveaux Beverage as Sales Manager from July 1995 to June 2003. While at Nouveaux, he spent two seasons working the crush at Archery Summit and Phantom Hill wineries in Oregon. After eight years of frigid winters, Mark and his family relocated to Phoenix where he joined the team at Quench. He passed the certificate course of the Court of Master Sommeliers in 2003 and continues to add to his extensive knowledge. Mark lives in Peoria with his wife, Reba, his two children, Andrew and Alexandra, and his two dogs, Jake and Beau.

Ryan McLaughlin • Sales • Phoenix Metro • Camelback Corridor

Ryan handles some of Arizona's best known and most established wine accounts – the 'old school' as it were.

Though born and raised in the Napa Valley, Ryan's love for wine wasn't born until his sophomore year at Berkeley when he landed his first restaurant job. After college, Ryan returned to Napa and threw himself headfirst into the food and wine scene, working days at Schramsberg Vineyards and nights at Bistro Don Giovanni. Before long, the lure of San Francisco proved too strong, and at the height of the Dot Com boom, Ryan moved to the land of the $2000 Studio apartment. After a few years, and too many industry tastings to count, Ryan was minding his own business in his neighborhood wine bar one night when he was accosted by a foulmouthed Southern Belle. They married two years later. Ryan and his wife Kris moved to Arizona in the fall of '05, and live in Arcadia with a feisty young Weimaraner named Ajax and their new son, Patrick. Ryan spends his Saturdays in the fall cheering on his beloved Golden Bears.

Ricky Young • Sales • Phoenix Metro

Ricky 'inherited' the A+ route from Meghan when she was promoted and he has made it even better!

Ricky grew up in the central San Joaquin Valley of California and graduated from University of California San Diego in 1999. After college Ricky began working in the restaurant business, where his passion for wine began to flourish. Ricky quickly discovered his love for wine working at Donovan's Steak & Chop House in La Jolla, CA. From there he transferred to the Biltmore location in September 2005 as Assistant General Manager and Sommelier. He created an award winning wine list, and ran the wine program for 2 years. Ricky has earned his certificate from the Court of Master Sommeliers in September 2005, and enjoys yearly trips to the California wine country. He has a passion for all sports and is a life long fan of the L.A. Lakers and St. Louis Cardinals. In 2008 Ricky and his wife, Myia became the proud parents of a beautiful baby girl named Peyton, an addition to the family that also includes a two year old Boxer, Kaycee.

Joanna Eland • Sales • Phoenix Metro

Joanna has established herself as one of the premier wine sales representatives in Arizona.

Joanna was born and raised in Seattle, where she attained a degree in Psychology from the University of Washington. She planned on graduate school and a career in psychology, but upon taking a part-time job at the Purple Café and Wine Bar in downtown Seattle in summer of 2006, Joanna fell in love with wine and discovered her true passion. In April of 2007, she relocated to Phoenix and began working for the La Grande Orange group, both at Chelsea's Kitchen and Radio Milano. Upon becoming acquainted with Quench at a Radio Milano staff seminar, Joanna ended up joining the team at Quench in July 2007. A lover of fashion and Labradors, Joanna enjoys watching films and traveling whenever and wherever she can.

Andre Daher • Sales • Northern Arizona

Professor Daher has achieved Emeritus status with Quench!

Andre's interest in wine began while a college student in Berkeley and led him to New York where he worked as an assistant cellar master at Windows on the World in 2000 and 2001. While there, he worked for and attended classes taught by Kevin Zraly. Andre returned to Sedona and became the cellar master for Sedona's premier wine shop – The Wine Basket. Andre has taken a larger role at The Coffee Pot (his family's restaurant in Sedona) where he has worked for over twenty years. While still maintaining a handful of accounts for Quench, the Northern Arizona route is now handled by Shelly Davis. Andre met and married his wife, Celine, while on vacation in Lebanon in 2003. Andre and Celine have recently purchased land in Cornville and have built a house and plan to start an Olive farm where he intends to produce organic Olive Oil.

Shelly Davis • Sales • Northern Arizona

Shelly is uinique among Northern Arizona Wine Sales reps in her broad wine experience and professionalism.

Shelly is a certified sommelier with the Washington Sommelier Society and has been in the Food & Beverage business for the past seventeen years. Shelly and her husband Morgan moved to Arizona in the fall of 2002 from the Washington DC area where she began her career in Food & Beverage with Clyde's Restaurant Group. After 11 years with Clyde's, Shelly went to work for Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar where her love of wine kept her very involved with their wine program. After moving to Arizona, Shelly became the Restaurant Manager at The Gallery on Oak Creek Restaurant in The Amara Creekside Resort, a new luxury boutique resort in uptown Sedona. Shelly assisted in the restaurant's concept and design and created an award winning wine list that earned the AAA Four-Diamond Award along with the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence and the Wine Enthusiast award. Most recently, Shelly was the Food & Beverage Director at the AAA Four-diamond and Wine Spectator award winning Sedona Rouge Hotel & Spa.

Chad Williams • Corporate Retail Sales

Chad's main responsibility is to provide sales support to all chain accounts

Chad Williams Grew up in Mancos, a tiny town in southwestern Colorado. When he wasn't in the kitchen helping his mother, he was hiking or hunting in the mountains that surround Mancos, or working with the horses that his grandparents raised on their ranch. After graduating Mancos High School in 2000 (in a class of forty-two students) he moved to Phoenix with friends and enrolled in the Scottsdale Culinary Art Institute. Chad began working in restaurants and ending up at Deseo (A Douglas Rodriguez restaurant) at the Westin Kierland while attending school and this is where his passion for wine and food grew, cultivated by several mentors. After eight years in the food and beverage industry working his way through the ranks in the front of the house, and feeling he had gone as far as he could he wanted to make a change and in August of 2008 he came to work for Quench where his knowledge and passion for wine will continue to grow.

Michael Worth • Sales • Phoenix Metro

Michael’s primary role is to grow our account base throughout Metro Phoenix

Michael is a native Arizonan, who left to pursue a B.F.A. degree in theatre from Millikin University in Illinois. After graduating Michael moved to New York and worked in several Off Broadway productions and at Blue Fin restaurant, where he dove head first into the wine program. Michael then developed his sales skills with a burgeoning Acting Academy and found his way back to Arizona via Vancouver and San Diego. He also returned to the restaurant industry, working in Scottsdale’s Roka Akor. Michael recognized that he could combine his thirst for wine knowledge and love of sales by joining the Quench team and is excited to further develop the wine culture in his hometown.

Collin Liebing • Sales • Tucson

Collin is one of the rarest people in Arizona in that he was born and reared in Tucson. Even rarer, he is a third generation Arizonan, which is nearly unheard of! Collin has worked in restaurants since the age of fifteen and cultivated his interest in wine at some of the premier wine restaurants in Tucson, including Café Terra Cotta, Wildflower, and Acacia, where he still bartends on occasion. Collin recently graduated from the University of Arizona with a degree in Marketing and Business Administration. Collin, his wife Kim and two dogs, Guinness and LuLu and cat Abbie, live in central Tucson. Collin is an avid gamer and has proven (repeatedly) that wine and video games are a great pairing! When not selling wine, bartending or saving the universe on his Wii, Collin travels to Napa, Sonoma, Oregon, Ireland, Germany, Istanbul and anywhere else he can find a good glass of wine.

Michael Schwartz • Sales Support

Michael works closely with Meghan to make certain our sales staff has the tools they need to succeed.

Michael is a native of Manhattan Beach, California. He graduated from the University of Southern California in 2008 with a concentration in Real Estate Development. After visiting Israel and exploring his cultural roots, he accepted a job in January 2009 to work for Cushman and Wakefield in Ramat Gan. During a trip to the Golan Heights region, Mike experienced his first wine tasting, an event that piqued his appreciation for wine and for the people he met who dedicated their lives to the ancient art of viticulture. Upon returning to the United States, Mike elected to pursue his new appreciation for wine, moving to Arizona in January 2010 to begin his career at Quench. When not wine tasting, Michael enjoys investing, foreign cinema and swimming at the gym.