“My favorite part of this business is turning the
customers on to a great wine at a great price!"
-- Al Meymarian
Wine Specialist Al
Meymarian is Mission Wine & Spirits “Man
around Town.” Al moved to Pasadena when he was
5-weeks old from New Jersey. He has lived in
Pasadena and Altadena his whole life, raising a
family and running a liquor business with his
partner for over 40 years. Al is a “wine specialist”
with years of experience. He is an avid traveler,
always on a trip to some exotic place tasting some
of the finest wines and visiting wineries literally
all over the world. But his passion is for the local
community and he belongs to and supports numerous
philanthropic organizations and he’s known to
everyone in Pasadena as Alby. Al heads a fine team
of wine specialists for owner Vic Mankerian and is
the head wine buyer for the successful wine &
spirits store where he has worked for over 10 years.
“I specialize in Bordeaux and Champagne, but I still
enjoy a Single Malt Scotch or a Good Beer.”
-- Jason Oh
Jason Oh, is our
youngest wine specialist, or what we like to call,
“a wine geek.” His passion for food started at the
age of 13 and once he turned 21 his interest in
beverages came naturally. His love for food led him
to a school with the reputation for having one of
the best hospitality management programs in the
country with an extraordinary wine program. The
school being, The Collins College of Hospitality
Management at Cal Poly Pomona. He has an emphasis
in Beverage Marketing with a specialty in wine. He
has also passed the Introductory Level to the Court
of Master Sommeliers in February of 2008 and in
September 2009, he passed the Level II test and is
officially a Certified Sommelier with the Court of
Master Sommeliers. His areas of expertise are wines
of Bordeaux and Champagne. He also enjoys great
Single Malt Scotches and an array of Beers.
"I love sharing unique wine varietals with my friends and acquaintances."
Wine specialist Greg Alonzo grew up around wine in the Rancho Cucamonga Valley. Befriended by J.P. Felippi of the famous Joseph Felippi Vineyards, Greg developed an early love and appreciation for wine. As a former U.S. Marine, he served with distinction in Southeast Asia. Earning a B.A. from Pitzer College and an M.A. from Georgetown University, Greg also has a command for 6 languages.Throughout his travels to some 70 countries, Greg's passion for unique wines and spirits continued to develop. He is also very proud of his membership to the prestigious "Wine Century Club." As a published author, Greg's column, "The Cradle of Wine," enjoyed a loyal readership. Before retiring as a distributor, Greg specialized in Biodynamic and Eastern European wines, vodka, and slivovitz. Ever the consummate wine enthusiast, what's next for Greg Alonzo? "Under my own label, I'd like to develop a boutique mukuzani from the Republic of Georgia."
“I love it all…buying, selling, teaching, tasting,
this business is my passion.”
-- Robert Tapia
Robert Tapia
was born and raised in the San Gabriel Valley of
California. Upon his return of serving three years
in the U.S. Army's Airborne he worked in aerospace
manufacturing and then wound up as an insurance
sales agent for a well known Southern California
corporation. Wanting something other than the
corporate life, he fired his employer and used the
remainder of his GI Bill to enter the California
School of Culinary Arts Le Cordon Bleu Program in
Pasadena. It was there in Wine Studies that Robert
was captivated by the world of wine. After
successfully completing his studies in 2004 he
landed a position working for San Antonio Winery in
their tasting room and eventually co-managing their
Ontario wine shop. He continued pursuing wine
education by successfully completing the
Introductory Sommelier Course by The Court of Master
Sommeliers. In 2006 Robert moved over to Red Carpet
Wine & Spirits in Glendale. That is where he was
mentored by some of the most talented people in the
business. As this "Dream Team" slowly disbanded into
different corners of the wine scene Robert's
responsibilities grew to wine buying, inside/
outside sales, floor operations and successfully
managing one of the best wine bar programs in
Southern California. His many trips to the wine
country play a key role on keeping him in tune with
the latest great discoveries and news in the wine
industry. During those years Robert has built strong
ties with the many wineries and growers in the wine
industry. Just as important he takes pride in the
many strong friendships he has built with his loyal
clientele. Being that 2009 is the year for "change",
it was only fitting that Robert needed another
challenge. In February of 2009 Robert joined the two
store operations of Mission Wine and Spirits.
