Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/81015
By Thea Dwelle VinTank chief strategy officer uses technology to connect wineries with customers aul Mabray grew up among Napa Valley's vineyards and graduated from Napa's Vintage High School. He went on to earn his bachelor's degree in English and film at San Francisco State University before plunging into the wine and spirits industry. He's been involved with the business for more than 15 years, including a stint at Niebaum-Coppo- la, before founding Inertia Beverage Group (IBG) in 2002. His primary goal in founding IBG was to bridge 82 VINEYARD & WINERY MANAGEMENT SEPT - OCT 2012 the gap between wineries and their customers – something he contin- ues to strive for at VinTank. As the company's chief strategy officer, Mabray drives the vision for the company. His primary purpose is to "make wine online work. Period." I sat down with Mabray to dis- cuss what's happening with Vin- Tank, as well as the importance of technology in today's wine indus- try. As one of the longest-standing champions of technology in wine, Mabray has unique insights to share on this topic. ment (V&WM): How did you make the leap from English and film stud- ies to the beverage industry? Paul Mabray (PM): My first job Vineyard & Winery Manage- was working for John Wright, who founded Domaine Chandon. While I was in college, John made me vice president of Napa Ale Works, his micro-brewery. I found that I had a particular acumen for sales during that time. I really made the leap into the wine industry when I was finishing film school. I had the opportunity to work for Niebaum- WWW.VWM-ONLINE.COM