WESTON HOARD, FOUNDER & Managing Partner
Minneapolis, MN
Weston Hoard spent four years living in Piedmont and working for the renowned Barolo winery Paolo Scavino.
The opportunity to work alongside the Scavinos in the vineyards and the cellar contributed profoundly to his understanding of wine production in the heart of Piedmont. Evolving in his role with Scavino, Weston became the liaison between the winery and their importers in the United States, Asia, and Scandinavia.
Upon his return to the United States in 2011, Weston channeled his experience in Italy into a new solo project called The Piedmont Guy. The sole charge of this niche importing company is bringing the great wines of Piedmont to the United States.
In so doing, The Piedmont Guy opens the American market to the great producers of Piedmont, both acclaimed and undiscovered. Weston's hope is that more education and appreciation of this winemaking region will lead to the preservation of its great traditions as well as purist expressions of its fine wine.
Wall Street Journal: "Just a Piedmont Kind of a Guy"
CAMERON ABBOTT, national Sales MANAGER & Partner
Charleston, SC
The way Cameron Abbott sees it, wine and food belong together. Love at first sight. The story of how Cameron joined forces with Weston Hoard begins at this very intersection.
Prior to assuming his position with The Piedmont Guy, Cameron worked his way up the ranks of the restaurant world in Indianapolis. This journey culminated in him overseeing wine programs first at Cerulean and then at Bluebeard, where Cameron and Weston first met. As wine director, Cameron educated and trained staff eager to present Indianapolis with both wine and food that challenged the city’s palate.
Harvest work in South Africa and Walla Walla has further inspired Cameron to pursue a career in wine. From tending to the vine to pulling the cork, he views the entire process as an enriching and, above all, shared experience.
Cameron now applies this outlook while championing the singular producers of The Piedmont Guy portfolio. When presenting the wines of Piedmont to the American market, he hopes to foster understanding of these graceful wines as a means of cultural appreciation and shared experience.
AMY EZRIN, THE PIEDMONT GAL & Partner
New York, NY
Amy Ezrin has followed a long and winding career path that has given her the opportunity to work with hundreds of great wineries, but nothing is closer to her heart than Italian wine. Early on, she crossed paths with Weston Hoard in Piedmont. Little did she know then that a meeting of the minds would result in a rewarding collaboration years later.
After graduating from the University of Chicago, she put her years of restaurant experience to work while studying to be a professional opera singer. Working in fine dining sparked an interest in wine, while singing led her to Italy. There, the enchantment became complete, and after living, working, and performing for 8 years in Florence, Italy, she returned to New York. There, she worked for importers Skurnik Wines and Polaner Selections, then as Senior Vice President at Massanois Imports, where she curated a portfolio of fine wines from around the world, and finally working for the Italian Trade Agency to promote Italian wines across the United States.
Today, as the Piedmont Gal of The Piedmont Guy, she is thrilled to represent such an authentic group of producers in North America, promoting the native grapes and essential denominations of Italy’s greatest winemaking region.
