Le Marchand de Vin...it's just French for 'Wine Merchant'

A wine merchant has been defined as both a person or organization engaged in the buying and selling of large quantities of wine or a person or company that sells wine to the public.  We like to take that definition a bit further to include the services a wine merchant provides beyond selling a bottle or two of your favorite vino.   

The world of wine can be daunting.  There are literally hundreds of different wines made from the same grape(s) - some cost $10, others $1,000.  Why?

As wine merchants, we discuss your wine experiences and hope to taste wines with you to find out what you like about a certain wine...and more importantly what you don't.  We then use our knowledge and experience to find the right wine FOR YOU.

Wine is a personal exploration and knowing what you like and what you don't like can save you thousands of dollars over the course of years of enjoying wine.  Life IS too short to drink wine you don't like! Le Marchand de Vin will strive to make sure every bottle you buy, you'll want to try again!  Salut

Ash holds an MBA in Financial Management, Digital Marketing and Business Analytics from the Gies College of Business at the University of Illinois.  He also studied Economics and Marketing at the Masters level at U of I Springfield.  He is a Certified Wine Specialist endorsed by the Society of Wine Educators, has certification as a Sherry Wine Specialist from the Regulatory Council of Xerez and is Level 1 Certified by the London based Academy of Cheese.  Ash's wine education was honed by the, also London-based, Institute of Masters of Wine, progressing to the second year of their 2 year educational program.

Professionally, Ash has over 30 years of international experience in the wine business.  This includes retail and online wine sales, distributor sales and brand management, wine education and as a Director of a New Zealand winery producing primarily Pinot Noir.  

Ash loves talking about food and wine pairings and while he won't single out a 'special' wine, he regularly enjoys bubbles of any style, Gruner Veltliner, Pinot Noir and wines from Piemonte.

Jen holds a Bachelor’s degree in Education and is an expert in customer service and retail merchandising with experience at Gordman’s, Kohl’s, Bed Bath and Beyond and Kroger.  

Jen is a Licensed Massage Therapist and registered Yoga Instructor who strives to provide the highest level of customer service to her clients.  She will bring that work ethic to the store, ensurig the best wine shopping experience for our customers.

Jen has passed the Wine and Spirits Education Trust Level II certification and is planning on tackling WSET III in 2024.  Jen's art backgroud found great use on the interior design of our store, to create the rustic modern, comfortable, easygoing and relaxing retail wine environment we envisaged.

Jen will be available in the store regularly to help you with your wine selections.

Jen is indifferent to all forms of bubbly wines and most styles of white wines, but has a deep preference for Pinot Noir when it comes to reds, particularly Oregon and Burgundy in origin.