2011BY THE EDITORS OF WINE ENTHUSIAST MAGAZINEPulitzer Prize-winning reporterand political commentatorWalter Lippman said that “ifwe’re all thinking alike, thenno one’s thinking.” This could not be truerthan in the current American business environment,a roller coaster of triumphs andfailures—living proof that creative thinkingand innovation are required of any successfulventure. In the <strong>wine</strong> world, <strong>wine</strong> consumptionand avid interest—particularly amongnew consumers via social media—continueto grow. Yet that is no guarantee of success.Global and domestic competition is growingwhile a wobbly economy is forcing consumersto be cautious in their discretionary spending.Wine industry visionaries have shown creativityand savvy in negotiating this tricky environment.Those leaders, whose choices aredriving the direction of the <strong>wine</strong> industry today,are the honorees of this year’s 12th annualWine Star Awards. And new this year, inaddition to our Distiller of the Year category,Wine Enthusiast continues to honor leadersin the distilled spirits world with our Mixologistof the Year award.There is no single formula that makes aWine Star winner. Over the years, we’ve honoredindividuals from every corner of theglobe, representing varied mindsets, ethnicities,origins and generations, not to mentionbusiness challenges. On paper, many of these<strong>star</strong>s could not appear to be more different.But one thing binds them all: vision. And inmany cases, courage, too. A Wine Star is aforward-thinking risk taker, someone whois ten steps ahead and dedicated to bringing<strong>wine</strong> to the public in a new and impactfulway. But it’s not just about the business:Our honorees live and breathe the cultureof <strong>wine</strong>, and their passion is what drives thegrowth of our industry at a time when manyare struggling to stay afloat.The people and companies you’ll meeton the following pages will be honored ata black-tie awards gala in January in NewYork City. Today, raise a glass to these award<strong>winners</strong>—the excellence of what you’ll bedrinking is due to their creativity, drive andcourage.WineMag.com | 43
David S. TaubAt age 71 and stillhighly active in runningthe family business,David S. Taub,co-founder, chairman and chiefexecutive of <strong>wine</strong> and spirits importer<strong>Palm</strong> <strong>Bay</strong> <strong>International</strong>,is a fountain of memories, anecdotes,industry perspective andbright ideas.Taub is widely considered avisionary for introducing ItalianPinot Grigio to America in thelate 1970s with the launch andsubsequent marketing of the Cavitbrand. During his nearly 50years in the business, he’s alsoChairman and CEO,<strong>Palm</strong> <strong>Bay</strong> <strong>International</strong>2011LIFETIMEACHIEVEMENT•••He pioneered the category that isItalian Pinot Grigio, but Taub’scareer in the <strong>wine</strong> and spirits industryencompasses much more than that.earned the reputation of beingone of <strong>wine</strong> and spirits’ most energeticleaders, and a friend asmuch as a business partner tothe many with whom he has interacted.In bestowing Taub with itsprestigious Lifetime AchievementAward, Wine Enthusiastcommends the native NewYorker not only for steering PinotGrigio to the United States,where today it’s the second mostpopular white <strong>wine</strong> after Chardonnay,but also for his passionand desire to expand beyondlarge-volume varieties into fine<strong>wine</strong>s and <strong>wine</strong>s of character.“Over the past 35 years, sincemy father [the late Martin Taub]and I founded <strong>Palm</strong> <strong>Bay</strong> withjust two Italian brands—Principatoand Cavit—I have tried tocreate meaningful, lasting relationshipswith our suppliers anddistributors,” says Taub duringan interview at the company’sheadquarters in Port Washington,New York. “These are thepillars that don’t change. This iswhat is most important to me.”To sit down with Taub anddiscuss his career achievementsis akin to taking a crash course inpost-Prohibition <strong>wine</strong>-and-spiritsevolution. Taub points out thatin the 1930s, his father <strong>star</strong>ted inthe liquor business alongside hisbrothers (David’s uncles), rectifyingbrandy and other raw spiritsat a distillery in New Jersey.By the 1950s, Martin Taubhad <strong>star</strong>ted a New York-area distributorshipfor E. & J. Gallothat would later become PremierWine & Spirits. Over time, Premiergrew into one of the NewYork metro region’s leading distributors,and David joined hisfather’s business in the early ’60safter he completed a trainingprogram with Gallo in California.Taub quickly worked his wayup the ranks at Premier, and in1975, he was elected presidentof the Council of Young Executives,an advisory group to thepowerful Wine & Spirits Wholesalersof America (WSWA). Butstraightforward distribution andthe logistics involved in that businessleft Taub wanting more,specifically a chance to reallyknow the people whose productshis business sold. To that end, hetacked toward imports, somethinghe already knew well.During the 1960s, the Taubsimported sangria, saké and Lambrusco,among other <strong>wine</strong>s andspirits, through an independententity called Classic Import Co.Inc. In 1971, the company wassold to Schenley Industries, amajor whiskey producer.David Taub always liked theimport business, especially thetravel to Europe and relationshipbuilding that comes with it. Nolonger tasked to manage Classic,he fully committed himselfto importing. “It is where yousee the diversity, excitement andcaptivating personalities of the<strong>wine</strong> industry,” Taub says.“Martin’s mind was in distribution.It was David who drovethe family into the import business,”says Michael Petteruti,a senior vice president at <strong>Palm</strong><strong>Bay</strong> and Taub’s confidant andcolleague for almost 40 years.“David put the Classic portfoliotogether, and it wasn’t a ‘bigbang,’ spontaneous company.He built it bit by bit, includingan Asti producer, vermouth, sangria,Lambrusco, German <strong>wine</strong>s,saké, Bordeaux, Burgundy andRioja.”About six years after theTaubs spun off Classic, DavidTaub made his career-definingmove. He struck a deal with theCa’Vit cooperative in the Trentinoregion of northeast Italy toprovide Pinot Grigio and othervarietal <strong>wine</strong>s to the U.S.“At the time, Soave was theonly Italian white <strong>wine</strong> of meaning,”Taub says. “But as a matterof taste, it was bitter. I wantedsomething fresh and fruity,something easy to drink, with astyle that reflected the peoplewho produced it and the peoplewho would drink it.”In 1977, the Taubs founded<strong>Palm</strong> <strong>Bay</strong> Imports with only Cavit(the apostrophe was droppedto make the name easier to pronounce)and the related Principatobrands in its stable. Some34 years later, and thousands ofhours spent marketing the brand(Dick Cavett was a spokesmanin the ’80s), Cavit is approachingfour million cases sold in theU.S., and Cavit Pinot Grigio is“I have tried tocreate meaningful,lastingrelationshipswith our suppliersand distributors.These arethe pillars thatdon’t change.This is what ismost importantto me.”•••the leading imported <strong>wine</strong> fromItaly.As we noted in 2004, when<strong>Palm</strong> <strong>Bay</strong> was named Wine Enthusiast’sImporter of the Year,Taub is not content to spendthe rest of his working days simplypushing Cavit. That year,the family sold Premier, theirlongstanding distributorship, toSouthern Wine and Spirits, andbegan focusing exclusively onimporting prominent <strong>wine</strong> andspirits producers from aroundthe world.Today, <strong>Palm</strong> <strong>Bay</strong> importsproducts from more than 50suppliers spanning four continents.The current <strong>Palm</strong> <strong>Bay</strong>portfolio includes top <strong>wine</strong> estatesthroughout Italy as well asFrance, Germany, Spain, Argentina,Chile, Israel, Austria, NewZealand and other countries.When asked to highlight whathe feels are his lifetime achievements,Taub counts them off1-2-3: “Assembling a great teamof people gives me an immensesense of pride,” he says. <strong>Palm</strong><strong>Bay</strong> has 200 employees, and itsimports are distributed in all 50states, as well as Mexico and theCaribbean.Next would be “instilling aninterest in the <strong>wine</strong> business onbehalf of my children, and beingable to pass along my love forthis business and allowing themto continue to grow and build it.”His son, Marc, is the presidentof <strong>Palm</strong> <strong>Bay</strong> and got <strong>star</strong>tedin the <strong>wine</strong> business via thesame Gallo training program DavidTaub completed many moonsago. Two other sons are successfulin ventures outside of the<strong>wine</strong> business.“Lastly, I’ve been fortunateenough to have developed astrong link with a foundationcompany like Cavit,” he sayswhile unveiling a new Cavit-produced<strong>wine</strong> that he’s keen on.The name is Roscato, an off-dryred with a light spritz, much likea red Moscato d’Asti. “This willbe sold in a little restaurant thatyou may have heard of,” he sayswith a smile. “The place is calledOlive Garden.”And having contemplatedyet another endeavor for the future,Taub <strong>star</strong>ts telling anothercharming story from the past…—Michael Schachner44 | WINE ENTHUSIAST | DECEMBER 15, 2011 WineMag.com | 45
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