About Veraison Consulting
 Veraison Consulting is owned and run by Erik McLaughlin who has assembled a team of industry professionals with which he works to provide a full range of services to clients in all aspects of the wine and hospitality industry.
Erik is one of the country's leading experts on Wine and the Business of Wine. Erik has worked in all tiers of the wine industry and is one of the few wine professionals with the unique expertise to manage wine projects through all stages of the life cycle from bare ground to production, brand development, distribution, retail and restaurant.
Erik's career started working as a cellar rat for Oregon wineries while he earned his undergraduate degree. Since then, he has worked at every tier of the wine industry spending years deeply entrenched in the wine countries of California, Oregon, and Idaho. Erik has served as Corporate Wine Buyer for one of the largest retailers in the country and Vice President/Partner for the largest wine Brokerage Firm in the mountain west. Erik has also owned and operated several high-end restaurants and wine stores. Erik’s firm, Veraison Consulting, has worked with clients ranging from small start-ups to large national and international firms.
Erik also performs several speaking and educational engagements each year for industry, public, and Universities and is the weekly wine columnist for the Idaho Business Review.
Erik serves the public and the industry an many capacities including as Marketing Chairman for the Idaho Wine Commission, Director and Executive Committee Member of the Downtown Boise Association, Director of the News Channel 6 and the Idaho Statesman's "Vino Idaho" wine competition, and member of the Washington Association of Wine Grape Growers. In 2006, Erik was awarded the prestigious "Enviroguard Award" by the Mayor of Boise for his "stewardship of the environment" in his professional endeavors, and in 2008 Erik was named "Most Accomplished Under 40" by the Idaho Business Review's list of "40 under 40".
Erik is based in Boise, Idaho where he also owns the 8th Street Wine Company, an innovative wine center which includes a full service restaurant, catering company, a retail wine store, and a wine education program. The 8th Street Wine Company has been rated one of America's top 15 "Most Amazing Wine Experiences" by FOOD & WINE Magazine. Additionally, Erik's restaurant was named "Best Northwest Restaurant" by the Idaho Statesman. His work has been Profiled in United Airline's Hemispheres Magazine, Southwest Airline's Spirit Magazine, National Geographic Traveler Magazine, TIME Magazine, Wine Country Living Magazine, Wine Spectator Magazine, Cottage Living Magazine, and Anthony Dias Blue's Patterson's Magazine.
Veraison is involved in the first Climate Monitoring and Research project of the Snake River Valley American Viticultural Area, an effort executed in conjuction with Veraison's Walla Walla colleague Dr. Kevin Pogue and his firm VinTerra.
Veraison works throughout the United States and Asia.
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