This week meet Alan Genee our Director of Sales and Customer Services who has been at Wine Enthusiast for 12 years.  Alan’s passion for building and carpentry along with his psychology background  made him a natural fit for sales and our wine cellar design department. Whether it be a single corkscrew or a 10,000 bottle custom cellar, Alan’s main focus is to enhance the customer experience.

What was your “Epiphany” wine?
It was a 5 Puttynos Tokaji from the Royal Tokaji Wine Company. I have always had a bit of a sweet tooth and this wine sent me over the top! Dessert wines are still my favorite to this day.

What is the most memorable Wine Cellar you have built?
The custom wine cellar in our Wine Enthusiast showroom. It is something I had envisioned doing for many years, even when we were in our original location. Once we moved to our new headquarters, I was able to take the space from a simple floor plan to the lavish cellar that you see today. It’s wonderful to have our customers come through the door and marvel at this cellar while envisioning something similar in their own home.

What is your favorite Wine Storage Product and why?
I love the simplicity and efficiency of the Silent Wine Refrigerators. They are a perfect gateway for the novice collector into the world of wine storage. Also being close to NYC we have many customers who live in apartments that don’t have the room for the bigger units and are looking for the quietest solution possible.

How do you store your wine?
I have a modest collection that I store in our N’Finity Wine Racks with an N’Finity Cooling Unit. What I love about this system is that as my collection grows I can simply add on racks to my current cellar. It’s also fairly easy for me to assemble/install and I do enjoy the process.

If you had to give 1 wine storage tip, what would it be?
Whether it’s a basic wine refrigerator or a custom built wine cellar with all the trimmings, having a temperature-controlled environment for your collection is an invaluable investment. We have many customers who have lost wines over the years because they thought their basement or pantry closet would suffice. The truth is there are few places in the world that can maintain a steady 55 degree temperature year round without the use of some form of temperature control.

What have you drank lately that wowed you?
I have always been a Dolce fan, so one of my colleagues (Marshall) introduced me to Moshin Vineyard’s Moshin Poshin. It is another Sauternes-style dessert wine from California and it is simply delicious. It’s my new go-to after dinner treat.

Be Sociable, Share!

•