Jackson Family Wines names Blazon to head sommelier-credentialed sales group

Jackson Family Wines, the Santa Rosa wine empire led by industry icon Jess Jackson, said late Wednesday it is introducing a team of “uniquely qualified” wine professionals to help market its artisan wine portfolio, led by new hire and Vice President John Blazon.

Blazon, a master sommelier, will head the team -- dubbed the “Spire Collection” -- which is made up entirely of accredited sommeliers (advanced wine experts). Officials said it has taken a full year to assemble the team, and unlike many teams the leader was hired at the end of the team-building process, not the outset.

Blazon is a 28-year veteran of the wine industry. Most recently, he was wine and beverage manager at Walt Disney World Resorts in Orlando, Florida, where he managed 55 restaurants.

In his new role, Jackson Family Wines said Blazon “will bring a fresh perspective and valuable leadership to the group that aims to reach beyond regular sales calls.” Officials said his team will provide services that fill a void for fine restaurants and up-scale retail establishments that don’t have in-house sommeliers, or will work “in tandem” with those that do.

“We’ve carefully hand-selected the people to represent the Spire Collection portfolio,” Michael Mercer, the company’s senior vice president of sales, said in the April 14 statement.

Other members of the sommelier team include: Brian Cronin, Northern California region manager; Margaux Pierog, Southern California and Nevada region manager; Anne Hay, Mountain region manager; Luis Reyneri, Southeast region manager; Kim Wallace, Gulf region manager; Frank Seidl, Northwest region manager; Danielle Botros, Northeast region manager, and Jennifer Parker, Central region manager.

The winery group also said it has an international team led by Vancouver, British Columbia-based Nick Beven, vice president of international sales. That team includes Dimitri Mesnard in London, Nellie Ming Kee in Hong Kong, and Stephen Towler in Dubai.

On Tuesday, the company announced it had hired former retail executive Neil Weiss as senior vice president and chief information officer, but provided few details about the move.

Jackson Family Wines, owned by billionaire Jackson, produces the well-known Kendall-Jackson wines, as well as brands such as Cambria, Freemark Abbey, Murphy-Goode, Matanzus Creek and La Crema.