Barron Beltz
Vice President of Sales
I was born and raised in Fort Worth, Texas, where people still say “Y’all” and “Howdy” and Grillin’ Out is a sport.
In 1992, I got my start in the beverage industry as a route salesman driving an 18’ truck full of Clearly Canadian and Jolt Cola to sell and deliver to grocery and convenience stores and delis in North Dallas. After several months of great fun and success, a wine manager approached me in the office one Friday morning and asked, “I hear you can sell water, but do you know anything about wine?” My reply sent him into shock: “Some of my friends like wine coolers, but I don’t care for them.” He took me back to his office and poured a gulp of sweet, German Riesling and said with a smirk, “Try that!” I threw it back, grinned from ear to ear and replied, “Man, I can sell that!” to which he responded, “Welcome to the wine industry!” 2 weeks later, I was a completely clueless wine salesman, but I learned quickly and have always maintained a hearty curiosity over my 25-year wine career.
Over the next 11 years, I quickly advanced through sales and management to become the first Training and Recruiting Manager for RNDC. In 2003, I transitioned into the South Central Regional Sales Manager role with The Hess Collection winery in Napa. After 3 years with Hess, I rejoined the RNDC team in 2007 to become Vice President of Wine and Spirits in Oklahoma. In 2011, I returned to Texas to become the Southwest Sales Director for Folio Fine Wine Partners where I earned the great honors of becoming both a Partner and Stunning Colleague. In Sept 2015, I became the Southwest Director of Sales with Santa Margherita as part of their transition team. In the Spring of 2016, my family and I embarked upon a 5-year family mission and moved to Germany to bring humanitarian hope to refugees in Berlin.
I joined the amazing Sokol Blosser team in 2021 after my family and I moved back to the US. It’s a daily honor to be part of a 2nd-generation, family-owned and -operated winery with a 50+ year legacy of making world-class wines. We are proud of our B Corp certification, which proves our dedication to sustainability as we strive to take care of our employees, the earth and the future.
Barron lives in the DFW metroplex of Texas with his wife, Emily, and their two teenage daughters, Briley and Brooke.
Hobbies: Doing anything with my family! Outdoors: hiking, fly fishing, grilling, and swimming. Indoors: Wining and dining, playing board games, pool, darts, ping-pong, reading non-fiction, and watching movies.
What You Like About Pinot Noir: Pinot Noir, more so than any other grape varietal, has a way of transporting your senses to the location from whence it hails. The vineyard, soil, elevation, exposure, and climate are all so vividly expressed in the glass!
Favorite Food: Tex-Mex, New Mexican, Thai, Japanese, Italian, and anything from the grill!
Place You’d Like to Travel to: Italy with my family (because I’ve been many times with work), Alaska, Iceland, Argentina, and Japan.
Favorite Drink Besides Wine: Ice cold Negra Modelo with Tex-Mex! A fresh pint of Guinness in Ireland – Sláinte!