Michael Villas is an advanced sommelier and co-founder of the wine labels Penville and Maison d’Amis.

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Penville makes Rhone-style Grenache from the Santa Barbara region in California and Maison d’Amis makes Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. You can connect with Michael on Instagram @mcvillas.

Before we get into the episode, I want to invite you to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes. With your help, we can achieve our goal of being on the New & Noteworthy for all of iTunes. It allows other people to find the show and connect all of us around a common passion.

Also, check out the killer video below that Penville has made!

In this episode, we talk about…
-His child growing up in wine country, what family life is like, and where he is living now
-How he first got into wine by working in restaurants with Michael Mina and at Studio at the Montage
-The best advice that his mentors and Master Sommelier friends have given him
-What Penville and Maison d’Amis do and how they got started.
-Working with Stolpman Vineyards
-Working with Steve Matthiasson at his winery
-What it takes to start a winery/wine label, let alone start two at the same time
-How he has fostered relationships in order to sell wine, including those with Michelin Star restaurants Atelier Crenn and Petit Crenn.
-How social media has been a catalyst for the growth of both wine labels
-His advice to those wanting to become a sommelier
-And his advice to those who want to start a wine label
-What he is grateful for lately
-And the two Chenin Blancs that are absolutely electric right now

You can learn more about Penville here, Maison d’Amis here, and connect with Michael on Instagram here.

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