Wine Experts

Amy Cameron

Marketing Communications Manager

Amy landed in the wine business after "discovering" urban wineries while working as an English teacher in the East Bay. Surrounded by unabashed wine geeks during crush, punch downs, and bottling, she learned winemaking basics and was inspired to turn a part time hobby into a full time pursuit. In addition to her BA in Political Science and MA in International Relations, she has taken winemaking seminars at UC Davis and passed the CSW and then the WSET Advanced with Distinction.

While Amy is especially interested in California's diverse small-production wineries, she likes nothing more than "discovering" a new variety or region and helping her friends understand why it matters. Amy feels most comfortable in running or cycling shoes, and so tends to spend an inordinate amount of her spare time on these two pursuits.

Christine Cristobal

Senior Executive Wine Specialist

Christine Cristobal came to Vinfolio with eight years of experience in the fine wine industry. Prior to Vinfolio, Christine was employed for four years at Hart Davis Hart Wine Co., as a Senior Sales and Consignment Associate, where she spent several years as the leading sales specialist for the firms Retail division. Christine has extensive wine knowledge, particularly, in European and older vintage wines; some of her experience with rare wines include tasting many vintages of top producers across the globe, such as a vertical of Chateau Margaux and a horizontal of Domaine Romanee-Conti. She has a special interest in Italian wines and has spent significant time traveling the vineyards of Barolo and Barbaresco in Piedmonte. She recently passed the WSET Advanced level test with Merit.

Born and raised in Chicago, Christine received her BA in Art History and Painting at DePaul University where she received a Smith Scholarship to attend The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. In addition to selling wine, Christine is an avid collector. Some of her favorite producers include Gaja, G. Borgogno, L. Sandrone, G. Conterno, Didier Dagueneau, Pichon-lalande, La Conseillante, Vieux Chateau Certan, and Lynch Bages. She also enjoys cooking, fine dining and annual "foodie" trips to Europe and New York.

Leah Hammer

Senior Cellar Acquisitions Manager

Leah is thrilled to bring her fifteen years of extensive experience in the fine and rare wine business to the dynamic Vinfolio team. Her professional experience has focused on cultivating relationships and helping collectors achieve exceptional results, most recently at Hart Davis Hart Wine Company, where she led the retail sales team and was Senior Consignment Advisor.

A post-college auction house internship first sparked Leah's passion for fine wine, and while she continues to enjoy wine from all regions, she has a special appreciation for red and white Burgundy. Her enthusiasm for working with collectors is built on many years of meeting and advising the wonderful people she's met who love to collect, drink, and share wine from all over the world.

Leah holds the WSET Advanced certificate with Distinction, is a member of Les Dames d'Escoffier International, and holds a B.A. in Sociology from Northwestern University. In her spare time she also volunteers as an auctioneer for charities around the U.S.

Mabel Ho

Executive Wine Specialist, Vinfolio Hong Kong

Mabel came to Vinfolio with 20 years of experience in the wine and spirits industry. She was born in Hong Kong, but emigrated to Canada during childhood. Later, while in school, she developed a passion for wine and in 1989 decided to return to Hong Kong to pursue a career in the wine and spirits industry. She joined Seagram as a Sales Executive and was quickly promoted to Assistant Sales Manager. Mabel's 10 years with Seagram provided her with the opportunity to taste a tremendous variety of wines and to visit a number of great vineyards, including Mumm Champagne, Perrier Jouet Champagne, Chateau Latour, Chateau Magnol and B&G in France, as well as Sterling Vineyards, Shafer, Far Niente and Schramsberg Vineyards in California.

In 2000, she joined Foster's Hong Kong as Key Account Manager to deal with their HORECA accounts. Since then, she has been working in a sales capacity with increasing responsibilities for different wine and spirits companies such as Maxxium and Golden Gate Fine Wine.

Jeannie Lacombe

Cellar Services Manager

Jeannie Lacombe's passion for wine dates back to 1986 when she spent a semester abroad in France. That passion for wine and her desire to learn continued to evolve over the years, and her annual trips to France began to involve spending time touring France's wine regions. In the mid-1990's, as an Account Director for an international sports marketing firm, Jeannie was transferred to Paris where she spent the next 5 years. While continuing to develop her palate and knowledge of French and other European wines, Jeannie decided to turn her passion into a profession.

Enrolling in a professional wine program in Paris, Jeannie transitioned from marketing to wine by immersing herself in a program that provided her with a solid foundation in tasting, evaluating and general knowledge of wine (part sommelier, buyer, seller and educator). After completing her studies, Jeannie worked for a small, independent wine shop in Paris where she refined her knowledge of the French wine market. Jeannie returned to the United States in 2001.

Prior to joining Vinfolio, Jeannie spent 2 years at Wine Warehouse as a Sales Representative in the San Francisco territory. Her clients included some of the top hotels and fine dining establishments in the City. The international nature of the wine portfolio she represented allowed Jeannie to expand her knowledge to wine from other regions of the world. Jeannie was also part of the PlumpJack retail wine team where she had the opportunity to teach classes on such topics as Bordeaux, Burgundy, Champagne and Basics of Wine.

Jeannie still travels to Europe every year to keep in touch with developments in her favorite wine growing region of the world. She recently completed the WSET Advanced Certificate Program with Distinction.

Andre Lopez

Assistant Wine Buyer

Born on the sunny isle of Guam and raised in the hot climate of Hawaii, the island-born-and-raised Andre never envisioned a career in wine. After graduating from college, he embarked on a professional career that included stops in a variety of industries, from advertising and industrial chemical sales to financial planning and banking. It wasn't until he took the plunge and opened his own wine shop in Hawaii that Andre began his career in the wine business.

Although the wine store never panned out, the business failure did little to deter Andre from continuing the quest to find his place in the wine industry. After moving to San Francisco to be closer to the vines, he quickly found a home at Vinfolio. Andre loves cheap wine, expensive wine and everything in between. "I've chosen the retail side of the business, because it's a part of the industry where you're always exposed to a variety of wines, and I'm always looking to try something new."

Andre received a degree in Finance from the University of Hawaii and currently holds the Certified Specialist of Wine designation.

Christina Pate

Director of Cellar Acquisitions

Christina came to Vinfolio with eight years experience in the fine wine industry, preceded by ten years in the New Zealand equivalent of the State Department. Prior to Vinfolio, she worked in a variety of roles for K&L Wine Merchants; the Fine Wine Department of Bonhams & Butterfields auction house; Solano Cellars; and Forrest Estate Winery in Marlborough, New Zealand, each role offering opportunities to expand her knowledge and taste a wide range of fine and rare wines. She has completed several courses at UC Davis; the WSET Advanced Certificate; and is currently enrolled in the WSET Diploma.

Born and raised in New Zealand, Christina graduated from Canterbury University with a BA and First Class Honors in Russian and Business Administration. Her professional life started in the New Zealand Foreign Service, where she worked for ten years as a policy officer and diplomat, including postings to the New Zealand Embassies in Moscow and Bonn. She is fluent in German, and remembers speaking Russian. While living in Bonn she explored many European wine regions, particularly Burgundy, Tuscany, and the Mosel. The wines of the Old World not only took their place in her heart alongside the wines from her New World home, but enticed her down the garden path to a new career.

Catherine Stefani

Executive Wine Specialist

Catherine comes to Vinfolio with 15 years in the wine business. She developed a passion for wine while attending Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, where she received a B.S. in Food Science with a Wine Marketing concentration.

While in school, Catherine's first job was in the tasting room at a local Central Coast Winery. After finishing her degree, she moved to San Francisco to intern at the Wine Institute of CA. A couple of years at the Wine Club San Francisco, launched her into a sales role, selling Washington and Oregon wines, where she found her calling. From there she moved to Los Angeles as the Southern California Regional Sales Manager for Laurent-Perrier. After her time in Southern California, she returned to San Francisco as a broker for the Australian Premium Wine Collection, then as a Sales Manager at Vinifera Italian Imports.

Catherine has travelled and tasted extensively both domestically and internationally throughout France, Italy and Australia. Continuing her education, she passed Level II and became a "Certified Sommelier" through the Court of Master Sommeliers. She is currently in the WSET certificate program, finishing Level III Advanced course, and passed the test with merit.

Tommy Svendberg

Director of Wine Sourcing

Raised just south of Oslo, Norway, Tommy Svendberg's interest in food and wine began at a young age. Tommy and his friends experimented with food and wine as a way to pass Norway's long winter nights. By the time he graduated from Royken Teknisk Skole, Tommy was ready to explore Europe. His trips to France, Denmark, Sweden, Italy, Holland, Germany and England intensified his passion for food and wine.

In 1993, Tommy moved to France. After enjoying the relaxed lifestyle of the south of France for a year, he moved to Paris. Over the next four years, he immersed himself in French culture and cultivated his passion for food and wine by working in the culinary industry for CHR Consultants. He worked in a variety of positions, from bartender and corporate trainer to accountant, which allowed him to establish relationships with vendors and sales representatives from all over France.

In 1998, Tommy and his wife relocated to Chicago where he began working for Knightsbridge Wine Shoppe and Epicurean Center. This work gave him exposure to multiple aspects of the wine industry, including cellar management, purchasing, vendor management and corporate partnerships, event organization, and the opportunity to work with well known wine personalities.

Tommy is fluent in English, Norwegian, Danish, Swedish, and French.

Tim Telli

Wine Specialist

Tim came to Vinfolio after spending five years at Vintage Wine & Spirits, an independent wine shop in Mill Valley, CA, known for its superior selection of limited production California wines and extensive offering of single malt whiskey. As a buyer at Vintage Wines, Tim tasted extensively, refining his palate and exposing him to wines from the world's top producers. He also knows what it takes to make fine wine, having interned at AP Vin and August West/Roar wineries in San Francisco. Before entering the wine industry, Tim co-managed a family business, concentrating on sales, customer service and vendor relations.

A native of England, Tim has lived in such diverse locations as the Orkney Islands in Scotland, Istanbul, Turkey and New York City. His favorite varieties are Pinot Noir – particularly those from the Russian River Valley, Santa Lucia Highlands, Burgundy and Central Otago – and Syrah from California and the Northern Rhone. When not working, he enjoys drinking (more) wine, cooking, traveling the world and chatting about wine.