Connecticut Distributors, Inc. (CDI), and its social media moniker Cheers CT hosted a discussion with Brooklyn-based Winemaker André Hueston Mack via Facebook Live on Feb. 17. CDI’s Kristian Snook, Business Manager, led the discussion along with Nadine Gengras, Senior Trade Development Manager. Mack founded the Maison Noir Wines brand in 2007, a showcase of Oregon’s Willamette Valley varietals, with the goal of producing “everyday drinking wines” that are “less fruit-forward and more acid-driven,” giving the wine drinker an experience similar to dining at a “European table without having to travel to Europe.” He first began his foray into wine, eventually turning a passion for wine into becoming a renowned sommelier. He was the first African American to win the title of Best Young Sommelier in America by Chaine des Rotisseurs in 2003 at the age of 30. Mack has created award-winning wine lists for venues including Manhattan’s Per Se, becoming a wine educator, author and graphic designer as well as a wine brand owner.