 Jon Notarius, Owner, Prestige Wine & Spirits
Jon founded Prestige Wine & Spirits in 2002. It quickly became recognized as a market leader, and in 2007 received one of the industry’s highest honors — the prestigious “Leaders” award from Market Watch, a trade magazine from the publishers of Wine Spectator. Jon’s extensive travels through many of the world’s wine regions has given him a broad palate, but he lists Italy and France as his two favorite places for both their wine and their food.
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 Jeff Vignaux, General Manager, Prestige Wine & Spirits
Forced at an early age to enter the wine profession due solely to the spelling of his last name, Jeff has had to make the best of it. He has an MBA from Cornell University, but began his wine career as a tour guide for Wagner Vineyards in 1986. There, he was obliged to learn enough about wine to fake the answers to difficult questions. Very little has changed in the ensuing years except that the questions have gotten harder. To address this very issue, Jeff has traveled extensively throughout the world, searching for superb wine values and for any relatives that may have left an inheritance. He has worked for the Premier Group since 1992, opening and managing Premium Wine & Spirits for seven years, and most recently, opening and managing Prestige Wine & Spirits beginning in 2002.
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 Ed Draves, Wine Manager, Prestige Wine & Spirits
I’ve had the privilege of spending my entire adult life (and if you ask any of the managers at Prime Wines, a few years of reckless youth) working for the Premier Group. That time has afforded me the opportunity to visit hundreds of wineries in four different countries, sample thousands of wines and meet countless interesting and wonderful people. I’ve had the opportunity to do a lot of work in the community including countless tastings for Charities, Churches and Masonic Lodges and am even co-chairman of a large tasting in the Southtowns, Wines at the Shrine, to benefit Shriner’s Hospitals for Children. Since that day almost 20 years ago that I strolled into Premier looking for a job to get me through college, I’ve become a husband, father (to 2 great kids), a man and a pretty big fan of the fermented grape.
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 Dan Updike, Senior Wine Associate, Prestige Wine & Spirits
Originally from Cortland, NY, Dan is a Fredonia State graduate who relocated to Western New York in 2001 after a career in the radio industry. Since joining Premier in 2002 he has traveled abroad to many of the wine regions of Italy and Spain. Dan’s favorite wines are those that are well-balanced, and he has a special interest in those from Spain, Southern France, Bordeaux, California field blends and Zinfandels, dry rosé and Finger Lakes Riesling. He is also a champion of many obscure grape varietals. In the spirit world, he counts Bourbon and Armagnac among his favorites.
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 Brett Welgoss, Stock Manager/Wine Associate, Prestige Wine & Spirits
I have worked for the Premier Group for seven years now. Starting in the stock department, and now the stock manager at Prestige, I have had a lot of opportunities to learn about and taste many wines and spirits from around the world. My favorites include Pinot Noir from Oregon. I had the privilege to go to the great northwest and visit many outstanding wineries such as Van Duzer and Argyle. I have also become a bourbon lover. Going to Kentucky and visiting distilleries such as Buffalo Trace and Jim Beam was another great experience.
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 Bill Logue, Wine Associate, Prestige Wine & Spirits
A native of Kenmore, Bill comes to us with a vast knowledge of the wine business. After many years in both the restaurant and the wholesale industry, he felt it was time to try his hand at retail, with the thought of connecting with those who will ultimately end up enjoying the wines he enjoys. Bill has traveled extensively through the wine regions of the world, with a passion for food and wines that always seems to open new doors, and he says there isn’t a day that goes by where he doesn’t discover something fun that he somehow missed in his previous experiences. Bill’s palate has evolved and grown through a wide range of reds, but his love of great white Burgundies, Sauvignon Blancs and other interesting whites has never left him. Bill lives in North Buffalo with his wife and two children.
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 Barkley, Junior Canine Wine Associate, Prestige Wine & Spirits
Barkley, a Golden Doodle who hails from just outside of Toronto, brings a decidedly unique voice to our wine staff. The son of a wine retailer, he followed (and continues to follow) his father's footsteps and has now been a part of the wine business for the last 14 dog years. His remarkable sense of smell allows him to smell the "nose" of a wine from almost a mile away, though he is somewhat limited in his abilities to pour wines for our customers at the tasting center due to his lack of opposable thumbs. Barkley loves wines of all types, though he tends to drink more reds since they pair more favorably with his entirely meat-based diet. He also carries a special affinity for canine-themed wines that shines through in his reviews.
Barkley loves to hear from his fans and fellow wine aficianados. Click here to send him an email.
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