Dave Batt, a longtime food and beverage marketing executive and industry consultant, is the new President of the Mendocino Winegrape and Wine Commission (MWWC).

The organization Batt will lead is an alliance of 84 wineries and 343 winegrape growers based in Mendocino County, California. Founded in 2006, the MWWC seeks to raise the profile of the Mendocino County wine industry, both domestically and around the world, through knowledge-sharing, marketing support, and outreach to consumer, trade and media audiences.

As its new President, Batt is responsible for all aspects of the Commission’s operations. Batt will take his lead from an executive committee comprised of growers and wine producers representing the wide diversity of the county’s burgeoning wine industry. Among his top priorities is bolstering Mendocino’s position as the nation’s “greenest wine region,” a stance adopted in 2008 that reflects the MWWC membership’s commitment to producing superior wine using sustainable and environmentally friendly farming and winemaking techniques.

Batt brings to the MWWC a wide range of experience that encompasses both executive and entrepreneurial roles across the food, beverage, wine, and marketing spectrum. The former advertising copywriter, producer and creative director for nationally known consumer brands developed his own restaurant and wine retailing business before becoming a credentialed sommelier and wine educator. More recently, Batt turned his focus to managing wine brands for prestigious California, national and international producers while pursuing his interest in wine education and consulting with winery owners on strategy, brand development and operations.

A graduate of the University of Illinois with a degree in communications, Dave is a member of the Society of Wine Educators, the Public Relations Society of America and the Sommelier Society of America.

For more information about the MWWC, visit www.truemendocinowine.com.