Mollie Battenhouse found her way into the food and beverage industry by supported herself through art and business school by working in restaurants. Post-college, the pace and energy of restaurants beckoned, and Mollie made it her mission to assemble a stellar resume. She enrolled in The Culinary Institute of America and graduated at the top of her class. She worked at acclaimed restaurants like Payard Patisserie and Bistro and Pondicherry in New York City. Battenhouse's wine career began with a part-time job at Joshua Wesson's Best Cellars wine shop in Manhattan. After 8_ years, she returned to the restaurant world to work as head sommelier at Tribeca Grill, where she was responsible for maintaining a Wine Spectator Grand Award-winning wine list. Then, Mollie moved to the distribution side of the business and became the Director of Sales and Business Development for V.O.S. Selections. The Education side of the business came calling, and Mollie went to work for Jackson Family Wines in 2016, where she is currently the National Director of Wine Education. Mollie is also an Advanced Sommelier with the Court of Master Sommeliers, a Partner at RingIt, Inc./Preferabli, and an instructor at The International Wine Center. In her free time, Mollie is an avid gardener and swimmer, and runs the occasional half-marathon.

Current employer: Jackson Family Wines/RingIT Inc. - Preferabli by Wine Ring

Primary area(s) of work: Trade

Industry sector(s): Educator

Wine styles: Champagne, Fine and rare wines, Sparkling wine, Still red, Still rosé, Still white, Still wines, Sweet wines

Wine region expertise: Alsace, Australia, Austria, Burgundy, California, Champagne, Chile, Douro, Eastern Europe, Germany, Hawke's Bay, Hungary, Hungary Tokaj, Italy, Jura/Savoie, Languedoc, Loire, Marlborough, Mendoza, Mosel, New York, Pfalz, Piedmont, Rheingau, Rhone, South Africa, South America, Tuscany, USA, Western Cape

Market expertise: North America

Specialisms: Direct to consumer, Food and wine pairing, History of wine, Identifying and meeting consumer demand, Independent retail, Marketing wine, Restaurant wines, Supplier/customer relationships, Supply chain efficiency, Supermarket and multiple retail, Training, Wine judging