The Vino Cru

The Vino Cru was established as a budding wine, retail & hospitality consulting business during the COVID-19 pandemic. While our business is on hiatus, we continue to post occasionally on Instagram @thevinocru. Alexa Weber, Sommelier. Alexa is the founder and owner of Vino Femme, a food and beverage consultancy, and served as sales manager for Pudding River Wine Cellars in Salem, Oregon. Her career in the food, beverage & hospitality industries spans 20 years, including as sommelier for the luxury ski resort Montage Deer Valley and assistant manager of Snowbird Ski & Summer Resort in Utah. Earlier in her career, Alexa was one of only a handful of women selling wine in the distribution industry in Utah. She got her start in the wine industry by working in a local wine shop and serving as a wine steward. Alexa has completed the French Wine Scholar Study & Certification program through the Wine Scholar Guild, making her an expert in French-produced wine, and is currently pursuing the Italian Wine Scholar certification. Christine Pollack, marketing/communications. Christine is a government relations, advocacy & communications professional based in Washington, D.C., and an avid wine tourist & tasting room visitor. She has over two decades of extensive experience in issue advocacy campaign development & execution, direct lobbying, and traditional & social media communications services. Christine has worked collaboratively with federal government officials, advised Fortune 500 executives of the world's largest retail brands, and has been quoted in leading publications such as the New York Times, the LA Times & POLITICO. As a side hobby in hopes of a future second career in the wine industry, Christine served as marketing & communications director for Pudding River Wine Cellars and spent a year learning wine production hands-on.