JON STAENBERG - EL JEFE
A native cornhusker (Nebraskan), Jon Staenberg is the founder of Hand of God Wines. Twenty-six years ago, Jon visited the Napa Valley and like Santiago, he became smitten with wine. This passion extended to Malbec and Argentine culture during a trip to South America in 2005. Jon and Santiago, alums of Stanford Business School, discovered a bond through wine, and a partnership was born. Jon’s life revolves around his daughter, food, wine and the endless inspiration from each that he zealously loves to share with friends. He divides his time between Seattle, San Francisco and Mendoza, Argentina.
SANTIAGO ACHÁVAL
"THE MASTER OF MALBEC"
Santiago Achával is the co-founder & winemaker for Hand of God Wines. Santiago fell in love with wines and winemaking during frequent visits to Napa Valley while receiving his MBA from Stanford. Achával-Ferrer, his winery in Mendoza, boasts four of the five highest rated wines from Argentina (two 99’s and three 98’s), as awarded by Wine Spectator, and the highest rated Argentine wine to date by Robert Parker's The Wine Advocate.
TED APOSTOLOU - CHIEF OF OPERATIONS
Ted Apostolou is an entrepreneur at heart. After receiving his bachelor's degree in finance from CSUH, in 1994 he went on to build a company in Napa, California, specializing in direct- to-consumer fulfillment. Wrap-it Transit was one of the pioneers in DTC fulfillment, servicing 150+ wineries in Northern California. In 2007, Ted decided it was time for a change and sold Wrap-it Transit to New Vine Logistics. He then became the Vice President of Customer Relations for the next two years. After his tenure there, Ted reestablished Wrap-it Transit focusing additionally on direct-to-trade deliveries throughout California. He sold Wrap-it Transit in 2013. He resides in Napa with his wife of 20 years, Evelyn and their two children George and Sophia.
CHRISTIAN LANE - SALES AND MARKETING DIRECTOR
Christian Lane has been highly embedded in the wine industry for 10 years. Raised on sales in several industries, he brings his understanding of the brand creation process to tables occupied by restaurateurs, retailers and some of the most prolific wine collectors in the US. He builds boutique wine brands and is proud to help Hand of God Wines find their way to dinner tables everywhere. He's a published author and musician and enjoys giving wine the room to speak for itself, whether as part of a flight he's judging in a competition or as an accompaniment to a meal, simple or complex. When he's not evangelizing for Hand of God, he's writing music, signing books, hanging out with his family or enjoying aged Batard-Montrachet.
ANGELO GONZALEZ - GENERAL MANAGER, HOG TASTING ROOM
Angelo Gonzalez, who has both Argentine & American roots, oversees our tasting room in Mendoza. The career path that Angelo followed to Hand of God was not exactly a straight one. Although he originally called New York City home, Angelo migrated south to earn his Business Administration degree at University of North Florida. For 14 years, Angelo worked in the corporate world for big name companies, but his hunger to delve into the food industry led him to start a catering company in Florida while also pursuing a culinary degree. Love brought him to Mendoza, where Angelo kept busy by starting his catering company with an American style pizza restaurant, and was the Executive Chef of a brew pub before becoming the General Manager of the Hand of God Tasting Room. Angelo lives with his wife and stepson in Lujan de Cujo, the heart of Mendoza wine country.
