Angevin Wines

By Daniel Henderson

Introduction

Originally from the US and an American business training, having worked across several regions of Europe provides layers of cultural complexity and brings a global/local approach to my services. First-hand knowledge of many of France’s winemaking regions acquired over the last 20 years combined with a solid understanding of vineyard operations and methodologies allows me to blend the nature and art of winemaking with the science and acumen acquired during my years in business operations.

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Vineyard Business Consulting

Vineyard search, Audit and Management

I provide scalable operations and sales solutions for my clients, ranging from investors to vineyard owners. I work alongside winemakers, oenologists and vineyard owners to help identify and develop market opportunities for their products. This may include developing a strategic plan, overseeing vineyard operations for a short- or long-term engagement, or helping bring a winery to the export market.

Vineyard Search and Management
A proper vineyard search entails identifying the right property in the right place at the right price. Understanding the search objectives, business plan and long-term budgetary requirements are keys to success, as are understanding the vineyard regions involved. I can intervene at any of stage of a search, or conduct a complete search including a property audit in any vineyard region of France. Staffing, short-term or long-term management can follow.

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Teacher & Educator

I hold the highest level of WSET* certification and am a certified WSET Educator. Both a teacher and a student of the world’s vineyards, I bring real-world winemaking and wine marketing experience to the classroom. My vision is thus to provide transformative wine education; my goal is to remove the pretension and make the knowledge accessible to everyone.

Cultivated by my innate curiosity and passion for the subject, my approach to wine education is to provide more than simply what is in a textbook: my teaching is the fruit of my vineyard, winemaking and sales experiences, as well as my regular travels to the world’s vineyard regions. I enjoy bringing my real-world experience to life through the courses I teach, the trainings I conduct and the instructors I train.

*WSET: The Wine & Spirit Education Trust

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Restaurateur & Chefs Consultant

A natural extension of my teaching activities, I put my experience with the world's wines to the service of a restaurant. Developing a restaurant’s wine list or simply helping a restauranteur to go “out of his comfort zone” while staying in the desired budget. This can be as simple as constructing a wine list, or as complex as curating a wine-food pairing adventure. To each menu I bring a nuanced approach built on years of tasting and knowledge gained from working at every level of winemaking.

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Testimonials

In 2018 I asked Daniel to accompany me in creating La Condesa’s wine program, both by-the-glass and bottles, as well as to create a bespoke wine experience to accompany my wine pairing menus. After a period of testing the menu, Daniel held several training sessions for myself and the team. We evaluated many recommended wines, working together to find those that we agreed were the best fits.  Daniel pushed us to go deeper than we had imagined, decomposing the dishes down to the individual flavors and how they matched the wines. The result was a unique wine list matching my cuisine, allowing us flexibility in our service but also precise pairings with the varied ingredients used in the kitchen. Daniel’s list spans many different countries, giving us a unique advantage amongst our competition, often heavily France-focused.  His intimate knowledge of the wines, their characteristics and the economics required to create a profitable and appealing wine program were of great help to the restaurant.

Indra Carrillo

I went to Daniel’s WSET level 2 class in 2015. During the training, he impressed me with his knowledge of wine tasting and his passion of terroir. He is very pedagogue and explained the techniques of fabricating fine wines very well. He owns and runs a vineyard in the region of Loire Valley. Due to the confidence in his expertise in terroir and winemaking, of course accumulated through the training program, I personally invited him to do a technique audit of a vineyard in Bordeaux before I decided to purchase it with my husband. Daniel helped us diagnosed the domain and gave us lots of precious insights before the acquisition. This reinforced my impression of his expertise. I recommend Daniel to you, if you want to explore the wine world in both knowledge and passion.

Mme Han
Bordeaux

Daniel accompagne le Chateau de Chaintres depuis un peu plus de 18 mois en tant que consultant. Outre ses grandes qualités humaines et son sérieux, ce que j’apprécie tout particulièrement chez lui, c’est sa très forte capacité à résoudre de problèmes et à nous conseiller dans plusieurs champs d’activités à la fois. Son expérience à l’international, commerciale et ses très bonnes connaissances techniques de la viticulture ainsi que la vinification lui permettent d’être le partenaire idéal pour accompagner le développement d’un domaine vinicole à taille humaine. Il s’est très bien adapté à l’équipe et a su créer en peu de temps, un climat de confiance en apportant une vraie valeur ajoutée. --------------- Daniel has accompanied the Chateau de Chaintres for the last 18 months as a consultant. In addition to his human qualities and his work ethic, what I appreciate particularly is his capacity to resolve problems and to consult across various areas of activity. His international sales experience and his mastery of viticulture and cellar techniques make him the ideal partner to accompany a vineyard of “human scale” such as ours. He adapted well to the team, and was able, in a short period, to earn our confidence and create real added value for the domaine.

E. T. M.
Owner and CEO

Je suis œnologue, je travaille depuis 4 ans en collaboration avec Daniel Henderson. J’apprécie sa capacité d’écoute, ses qualités humaines et relationnelles, ainsi que son talent pour cerner une personnalité́. Les échanges sont toujours constructifs, cordiaux et marqué par une dimension positive. J’apprécie également son désir constant d’apprendre ainsi que sa dégustation sans compromis. --------------------------- I am the Oenologist for the Domaine de la Gauterie, and have worked with Daniel for the last 4 years. I appreciate his ability to listen, his human (relational) qualities, and in particular his ability to work with different personalities. Our exchanges are always constructive, cordial and marked by a positive dimension. I equally appreciate his constant desire to learn and his uncompromising tasting skills.

Hugues D.
France

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