The AWAA Team

Susan R Lin, MW

Susan R Lin, Master of Wine, is proud to be the President and Co-Founder of the Asian Wine Association of America. She is the Head of Wine for boutique wine retailer Belmont Wine Exchange, and in her consultancy she crafts music and wine experiences based on academic research and brand strategy. Susan approaches her craft through an interdisciplinary lens, forged by her background as a high tech program manager, performing arts program developer, and performing artist. She holds a Master of Fine Arts in Classical Piano and brings music to audiences worldwide.

Dr. Liz Thach, MW

Dr. Liz Thach, MW is the President of Wine Market Council, a non-profit firm that provides research on U.S. wine consumer purchasing habits, attitudes, and trends. She also works as a Professor, Wine Writer and Consultant based in Napa and Sonoma, California. She is an award-winning author and educator, specializing in wine business strategy, marketing, leadership/executive development, and wine lifestyle.

Jane Aitong Jiang

Jane is the Owner and CEO of Duncan Peak Vineyards, an organic estate winery in Hopland, Mendocino, and the Co-owner of Hunan Bar and Restaurant, a local Chinese restaurant in Davis. Based in Napa, Jane also spends time in the Bay Area, balancing her role as a winery owner with her work as an Assistant Winemaker at Kale Wine Consulting, where she helps produce wines for various wineries.

Peter Yeung

Peter Yeung (pronounced “young”) is the Treasurer for the Asian Wine Association of America, and is a leading wine business consultant, developing strategic business plans and innovative marketing plans for the wine industry. He is the author of the book Luxury Wine Marketing and the host of the XChateau podcast.

Angela Shih

Angela is the Secretary of the Asian Wine Association of America and has had over 20+ years of Commercial and Consumer Insights Experience. She started her career at Circana supporting range of different clients, from there she moved to NielsenIQ servicing clients such as Nestle USA, Red Bull and Dreyer’s Ice Cream. Prior to joining Treasury, Angela also led insights at Peet’s Coffee. Angela is a UW- Madison graduate and spends her time outside hiking, biking, traveling the world and practicing Muay Thai.

Michelle Sakazaki

Born in California and raised in Tokyo, Michelle’s career in fashion design took her to Milan and New York before returning to Napa Valley, where she spent 15 years as General Manager for 90 Plus Wine Club, promoting Napa wines in Asia. Her love for wine deepened over the years, inspiring her to launch Kazumi Wines in 2015 with a Sauvignon Blanc from Rutherford grapes. The winery expanded in 2016 with a single-vineyard Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon. In 2021, Kazumi became the first U.S. winery to bottle wine made from the ancient Japanese grape Koshu.

Mailynh Phan

Inspired by her Vietnamese heritage, Mailynh (pronounced ‘my-LIN’) Phan joined RD Winery in the Napa Valley, the first Vietnamese-owned winery in the Napa Valley. She spearheaded the winery’s entry into the U.S. market and opened a Vietnamese-inspired tasting room in the summer of 2020. Mailynh has an MBA from UC Berkeley. She has her sights on growing the winery’s exposure and bringing more of the community together through events and experiences. When not in the winery, Mailynh can be found with her guard dog Baxter (a chihuahua mix), on the volleyball court, or dabbling in the kitchen.

Kevin Lee

In 2021, Kevin co-founded Marchelle Wines with long time friend and winemaker Greg la Follette to create the wines they love that honor history and terroir. Before transitioning into the wine industry, Kevin spent 25 years as a technology marketing executive in Silicon Valley. His passion for wine extends beyond Marchelle—he and his wife, Michelle, are proprietors of Harmony Lane Vineyard, a Pinot Noir vineyard nestled in the rolling hills near Occidental.

Ken R. Minami

Wine industry veteran Ken Minami joined Delicato Family Wines as Vice President and Deputy General Counsel upon Delicato Family Wine’s acquisition of Francis Ford Coppola Winery in 2021. Ken previously served as Executive VP & General Counsel for Francis Ford Coppola Winery since 2015. Ken also spent 11 years in various GC and Deputy GC capacities for wine divisions with beverage alcohol industry giants, including Constellation Brands, Beam Wine Estates and Allied Domecq Wines USA.

Ken serves as Vice President of the U.S. Chapter of AIDV (International Wine Law Association) and a past alternate Board member of the California Wine Institute. His passion projects include the completion of the Level 4 Diploma certification with the Wine & Spirits Education Trust (WSET) and organizing the first ever Nikkei Wine Summit at the Japanese American Cultural & Community Center in Los Angeles.

Sunny Yang Liao

VinusClub is a fine wine subscription service dedicated to pairing premier wine with Asian Cuisine. VinusClub hosts exclusive tasting events almost every month in the San Francisco Bay Area, New York City, and Seattle, allowing members to enjoy uniquely curated collections alongside world-class wine experts.

Before VinusClub, Sunny has been working in the global wine industry as wine distributor for seven years. Her territories include London, Beijing, Shanghai, and San Francisco.

Fah Sathirapongsasuti

Winemaker and co-owner of Sunset Cellars, PhD statistician, computer scientist and genome researcher, Fah is moved by how wine coalesces art, chemistry, biology, geology, history and culture. He created #drinkAAPIwine with Asian Wine Professionals, now teamed up with AWAA. As a winemaker, he upholds the style developed by Sunset Cellars’ founders, Doug and Katsuko Sparks, allowing time to tame naturally acidic grapes like Barbera (a flagship wine since 1998) and Petite Sirah, with minimal intervention.

Kale Anderson

Kale is owner and winemaker of Kale Wines and Kale Wine Consulting. After earning his BS in Viticulture and Enology, at UC Davis, he worked at Colgin Cellars for Ann and Joe Wender, Terra Valentine Winery, Cliff Lede Vineyards in Stags Leap District, and Pahlmeyer Winery.

While Director of Winemaking at Pahlmeyer, Kale became one of the youngest winemakers to earn 100 points from Robert M. Parker, Jr. for the 2013 Pahlmeyer Cabernet Sauvignon Pièce De Résistance, the first perfect score awarded to Pahlmeyer in their thirty-year history. After fifteen vintages, Kale began consulting in 2016.

Mike Dunne

Mike Dunne has been writing about wine in Northern California for 50 years and is the author of “The Signature Wines of Superior California: 50 Wines that Define the Sierra Foothills, the Delta, Yolo and Lodi.” In the book, Mike traces the evolution of the modern wine trade in these regions through 50 wines that represent character, quality, value and pivotal developments in grape varieties, wine styles, appellations and personalities. When he isn’t writing about wine and travel for various publications and platforms, including his website SignatureWines.us, Mike frequently judges at wine competitions across the United States.

Dr. Ronald G. Jan

Dr. Ronald G. Jan is a vascular surgeon and is Medical Director Emeritus of the Paul Hom Asian Clinic. Dr. Jan is a wine lover and is studying for the WSET Diploma. He received his medical degree from George Washington University School of Medicine and has been in practice for more than 20 years.