July 6, 2026 — Fine Wine Importer Demeine Estates is thrilled to announce the appointment of Thomas Fawcett to the role of Vice President of Sales, East. Thomas joined the Demeine Estates team in May of 2023 as the Southeast Region Manager, covering key markets including Florida, Georgia and Tennessee.
“In the span of three years, Thomas has quickly transformed the Southeast from one of our most underperforming regions into our top performing one,” said Senior Vice President of Sales Andrew Deitz. “I hired Thomas for his first supply-side role with M.S. Walker years ago in Massachusetts, and this is a well-deserved full circle moment.”
Thomas has handled over seven launches for Demeine Estates growing portfolio across their network of distributors, in addition to finding new opportunities for Demeine Estates’ core Napa Valley wineries, achieving double-digit depletion growth every year.
In addition to Thomas’s promotion, Michael Robinson has been promoted from South Florida District Manager to Florida Region Manager, and Elana Abt has been promoted from New York District Manager to Midwest Region Manager. Michael joined Demeine Estates in December of 2024 as the South Florida District Manager, and has grown Demeine Estates’ volume by over 15% in the ensuing year, with points of distribution up by over 20%. Elana joined the Demeine Estates team in January 2025 as the Manhattan District Manager, and connected quickly with the New York market, exhibiting true leadership skills in one of the most difficult landscapes in the country and growing Manhattan depletions by over 35%. Michael’s promotion reflects an expansion of his work in Florida, while Elana’s marks a return to her hometown of Chicago. Two new hires round out the team, filling the roles vacated by Thomas and Elana. Justin Saunders joins Demeine Estates from Folio Fine Wine Partners as the Southeast Region Manager, covering Arkansas, Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tenessee. Based in Atlanta, Justin’s passion for food, wine and travel has taken him through all three tiers of the industry over his 13 years of experience. Covering New York is Alex Faber, formerly a Portfolio Manager with RNDC/Opici Family Distributing. A CMS Certified Sommelier, Alex has extensive experience in the on-premise, and will cover the entire state as the New York Region Manager.
