company directory

	Company Directory
Name	Biography	Area of Work	Contact Information
Mike Stolese Owner	Mike Stolese, Owner, started VWM in 1996 with Joerg after owning several businesses of his own including Stoliz's Bar in Winooski. His specialties lie with his sharp-witted humor and broad knowledge of fine Italian wines. He is easily spotted around town in a Jeep Wrangler with a Great Dane by his side!	Burlington Area	802.658.6771 x11 802.355.8607 mike@vtwinemerchants.com
Joerg Klauck Owner	A co-founding owner of VWM since 1996, Joerg is a Burgundian at heart celebrating great Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs and with his Canadian background, gravitates to wines with good acidity, structure, balance, finesse and style. While having a love of good reds, he’s an advocate for the spectrum of white wines to be enjoyed year-round. Joerg enjoys wines that remember their vineyard origins, that are cultivated by wineries rooted practically and philosophically in the land and come from classic wine farms as varied as those of South Africa, the extreme Sonoma Coast, Germany’s Mosel valley, the north and south islands of New Zealand and the Pacific Northwest. When not swirling and sharing a refreshing Sauvignon Blanc, Joerg and his wife Ann enjoy life at 1,500 feet in the Green Mountains, running, hiking, kayaking, and cheering constantly, but forlornly, for the Toronto Maple Leafs.	Addison & Washington County	802.658.6771 x12 802.355.8611 joerg@vtwinemerchants.com
Office Staff:
Manon Eiker	Manon has been with the company since the fall of 2005.She is of Swiss heritage and spent her senior year abroad at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark. After completing college with a Bachelor's degree from UVM, Manon traveled through Europe where she discovered her love of wine. She assists with the companies HR, AR/AP, bookkeeping & web design!	Office/Business Manager	802.658.6771 x10 manon@vtwinemerchants.com
Nikki White	Nikki joined VWM in the spring of 2006, after graduating from the University of Vermont a year earlier. With experience in different office environments, a background in English composition and a love for wine, it only seemed natural to take over our large wine portfolio. In addition to keeping our book up-to-date, she also compiles our monthly post-off sheet and handles purchasing from various different suppliers.	Marketing & Purchasing Coordinator	802.658.6771 x14 nikki@vtwinemerchants.com
Jenn Clayton	Jennifer joined the VWM staff the summer of 2007, only weeks after she made the trek cross-country from Southern California, where she had lived all her life. She worked in the bustling film and TV production industry, where she fell in love with images of Vermont via movies that have been filmed here. Jenn’s passion for wine stems from fond memories visiting vineyards, miles from her house, with family and friends. Jenn brings a little California sunshine to Vermont through her enthusiasm, which is evident in her interactions with customers, suppliers and shippers.	Logistics Coordinator	802.658.6771 x13 jenn@vtwinemerchants.com
Carey Havrilko	Carey joined the VWM crew in May 2007 after returning home to Vermont from Washington, DC. Carey's love of wine stems partially from her experience traveling in Tuscany in 2002 and she was able to apply her wine knowledge working in sales at her family shop, To the Table, in Essex Junction, VT. She'll try any wine you put in front of her and has been lucky enough to taste at vineyards in Vermont, Quebec, and Connecticut as well as Temecula, Santa Barbara and Paso Robles, California.	Administrative Assistant	802.658.6771 x15 carey@vtwinemerchants.com
Sales Representatives:
James Townsend	JT, as he is known in the biz, has been a sales rep with VWM since the very beginning and has since acquired a vast knowledge of everything wine. Prior to Vermont Wine Merchants, he worked in the restaurant business for many years.	Burlington Area	802.658.6771 x16 jt@vtwinemerchants.com
Robert Boehme	Born and raised in the heart of the Sonoma County wine region, Santa Rosa, Robert has wine running through his veins. He received an A.O.S. degree in Culinary Arts in 1995 from New England Culinary Institute. He has been in the wine business for ten years, the last seven have been with VWM.	Washington County	802.658.6771 x27 802.355.8609
Colleen Pitcher	Colleen started her career in the wine business as a geologist with a passion for soil science, viticulture and the concept of "terroir". This passion led to her traveling throughout Europe and to working in many facets of the wine industry beyond the vineyard - marketing, sales, cellar work, food and beverage, consulting and teaching. Always excited to "talk wine", Colleen's loves are the wines of Germany, Austria and France.	Windsor County	802.658.6771 x28 802.356.3224 Colleen@ColleenPitcher.com
Gerd Hirschmann	Gerd has been with VWM since the Summer of 2001. He has gathered his extensive wine knowledge over many years in the restaurant business & writes a weekly Column "Wine Experiments" in the Mt. Times in Killington. He his also known for his Tango moves and specializes in wines from Argentina.	Southwestern Vermont & St. Johnsbury Area	802.658.6771 x29 917.863.6636 tangovt@aol.com
Holly Kenyon	I've been with The Vermont Wine Merchants Company for nearly four years. The world of wine excites and interests me immensely. Working for VWM allows me to "walk the world" every day! Exploring and learning about wine, wine country, viniculture and people is fun and fascinating. The rapport I have built and developed with others, while absorbing and gaining knowledge about a field I am passionate about is rewarding and always an adventure. I look forward to the days, weeks and years of sitting..., sniffing..., swirling..., sipping...and soaking up whatever I can of a fantastic glass of wine.	Chittenden County, Vergennes & the Islands	802.658.6771 x30 802.355.8608 holly@vtwinemerchants.com
Amanda Wright	Amanda started the new year with VWM in 2008. Although a native to New England, Amanda explored the Wild West and then settled in Arizona for several years before returning to Swanzey, NH. Her years of experience in the restaurant industry developed her true appreciation and love of wine. Amanda will be sharing her knowledge and experiences with customers in the Southern most part of Vermont.	Southern Vermont	802.658.6771 x31 802.343.5777 amanda@vtwinemerchants.com
Kris Nelson	"More of anything? More of everything!" that's Kris's motto. Kris joined VWM's sales staff in the summer of 2006 with enough enthusiasm to melt any wine connoisseur's heart. Kris had years of experience in the restaurant industry and social work before joining the VWM team.	Northeastern Vermont & Burlington	802.658.6771 x32 802.355.2828 kris@vtwinemerchants.com
Warehouse Drivers & Staff:			802.658.6771 x17 warehouse@vtwinemerchants.com
Steve Sharron
Chris Dunkle
Eric Holstein
Andrew Sticco
Will Patlove
Jake Rifkin
Chris Kutchukian