Emily Zegar

Born and raised in the Willamette Valley, Emily grew up on the same red-clay volcanic soils that make Oregon ideal for growing beautiful Pinot Noir. Wine grabbed her attention and curiosity at a very young age, and her career in the wine industry began at Sokol Blosser Winery in May 2012.  During her tenure at Sokol Blosser, Emily oversaw the management of its Cellar Club, developed an internal phone department for outbound sales, contributed support to the marketing team trough CRM reporting and the creation of e-commerce and e-newsletter communications and played a role in opening the winery’s new tasting room. Emily’s experience working for one of Oregon’s pioneering wine families catapulted her across the world. 

In January 2015, Emily moved to Adelaide, South Australia to earn her MBA in Wine Business from the University of Adelaide. During Emily’s time in Australia, she gained experience working in the tasting rooms for Penfolds at their Magill Estate, along with a small boutique producer in the Adelaide Hills, Scott & La Prova. In addition to her Masters coursework, Emily earned her WSET Level II Award in Wines & Spirits. In 2016, Emily transitioned to work for Aus Wine Craft, an Australian based import-export distribution company as their Marketing Communications Assistant. She also served as part of the team at East End Cellars, a wine bar and specialty bottle shop in Adelaide’s city center.

At the end of her Masters coursework, Emily moved to Hong Kong to gain experience in the Asian wine industry. While writing her Masters thesis on Asian wine consumption habits, she interned with The Flying Winemaker as the company’s Marketing and Operations Intern. During her time with the Flying Winemaker, Emily created educational content for and sourced wines from across Asia for the second edition of the Asian Wine Review publication. While in Hong Kong, Emily earned her WSET Level III Award in Wine & Spirits and became a member of the Women of the Vine & Spirits Alliance. She completed her MBA in Wine Business with high marks in September 2016.

In October 2016, Emily was one of two U.S. candidates selected by Pernod Ricard Winemakers as a Wine Brand Ambassador and experienced an intensive six-month training program. Emily underwent wine business induction at Pernod Ricard Winemakers’ headquarters in Sydney, Australia and traveled internationally to gain hands-on viticulture and viniculture training in Rioja and Ribera del Duero, Spain, Sonoma and Napa California, Barossa, Coonawarra, Adelaide Hills and McLaren Vale, Australia and Marlborough, New Zealand. Experiencing and completing comprehensive education in all facets of each wine brand and region, she was then based in Dallas, Texas to manage the North Texas on and off premise wine markets. After a year and a half in the role, Emily was promoted to Retail Account Manager for the state of Colorado. In this role, she was responsible for managing the growth and development of Pernod Ricard’s wine and Champagne portfolio across the state of Colorado.

Wine education has been and continues to be a passion of Emily’s, and in October 2017 she earned her Court of Master Sommeliers Level I Certificate. In April 2018, Emily was awarded her WSET Nominated Educator Certificate and is certified to teach WSET Levels I and II in Wines. In November 2018 Emily was awarded SommCon’s Young Leader’s Summit Scholarship and attended its San Diego based Conference. In June 2019, Emily was selected as Women of the Vine & Spirits Alliance’s monthly spotlight, and was featured in the organization’s monthly newsletter and social media.

With now 7 years of wine industry experience across Oregon, Australia, Hong Kong, Spain, California, New Zealand, Texas and Colorado, Emily has returned to her roots in Oregon and is currently seeking employment. She is truly a expert in global wine industry sales, marketing & education specialist. Emily is experienced in direct-to-consumer sales & marketing, CRM management, brand development, distributor & importer management, on & off premise wine sales and wine education.