Hinsdale Cellars’ new wine explorer: Efrain Madrigal

Many a picturesque movie has been set in verdant hidden vineyards, where amidst dancing, grape stomping and romance, of course, one finds a wine so celestial, so undiscovered, that viewers leave the theatre aching for that hidden treasure of a wine with the special story that demonstrates impeccable taste and inevitable winemaking passion.

And that’s what keeps us going to those wine shops with proprietors who are also on the hunt for interesting and unusual wines…like Hinsdale Cellars.

Now that quest has gone to a new level as Hinsdale Cellars collaborates with Efrain Madrigal who, in many ways, is that cinematic wine hunter.  Okay, so he’s not in movies.  But, his passion in the infinite search for great wine and his appreciation for dedicated winemakers in all corners of the world has taken him around the world.  Now, his travels and experience are an undeniable boon for wine lovers in Hinsdale.

“We all have that ‘Aha!” moment when the light bulb goes off in tasting that special wine that starts our love for wine,” he said.  “For me, it was about 20 years ago when I happened upon a bottle of Edmunds St. John New World Red, a Rhone-style wine.  I knew at that moment that I had to do something with wine in my life.”

Indeed, for 20 years, Efrain has made a living, ignoring the well-worn paths so many wine buyers tread and instead seeking out extraordinary wines to share that passion with others.  Most notably, he spent nearly 10 years with Chicago-based Sam’s Wine and Spirits, one of the country’s biggest wine retailers, developing its online wine business to a customer base of more than 75,000.  Prior to that, he spent six years with Whole Foods Market, and now he has his own wine consulting business, Eno Amano, where his goal is to further this quest for great, undiscovered wines.

“What I have learned along the way is that these relatively unknown wines are not only great wines, but often they are also very well priced,” Efrain said.  “I think that’s the key for wine merchants like Hinsdale Cellars:  terrific wine at a great value. Finding partners like Sean, where I can basically broadcast a great wine-find to a wider audience is satisfying. Hinsdale Cellars has the right storage, but more importantly Sean has the passion and a willingness to try new things in his inventory…it’s really great.”

So now Efrain will begin helping Hinsdale Cellars expand its e-business, improve its Web presence, and of course, find new wine sources and exciting wines.

“I’ve traveled a lot, and it’s been surprising and rewarding that some of the best wines I’ve ever had were in fairly unique, remote areas,” Efrain said. “And at the end of the day, that’s really what it’s all about: finding extraordinary wine.”

– Ivy F. Kupec