Sam Pillsbury
Pillsbury
Wine Company is the evolution of a Dream-Come-True project by New Zealand by Film
Director and Winemaker
Sam Pillsbury.
Sam flew into Arizona to shoot a pilot for Universal Pictures
and fell in love with an Arizona girl and the Arizona landscape at the same
time.
Growing up in New Zealand Sam witnessed the phenomenon of growing
classical wine grapes in unusual places. Then on a camping trip in Arizona
thought he could try the same thing here.
The location he picked was a high-altitude desert valley in
Cochise County, 200 miles SE of Phoenix. This all came from a desire to get away
from mass-produced ‘McDonalds’ wines and create a distinctive regional Boutique
wine that was 100% Arizona and 100% original. He gambled that the high-altitude,
endless sunshine, sandy loam and dry desert would make for a perfect Terroir,
and in 2000 he planted 20 acres of Rhone varieties. It worked.
In the less than two years since he released his first wines
under the Pillsbury label the wines got a 93 from Mark Tarbell in the AZ
Republic, a 'Best AZ Wine’ from the San Francisco Examiner, a rave from trendy
Eateraz.com blog stating that these are the first wines from Arizona that we can
say have a truly incredible taste, ‘Best Local Winemaker’ from Phoenix
Magazine, and a Gold Medal at the 2009 AWGA Festival for the 2007 Diva.
James Molesworth of the Wine Spectator called him one of the
‘Rising Stars of the Southwest’ and rated the 2007 Roan Red and 2007 Diva an 88.
He gave the 2007 Pillsbury Petite Sirah 89, the highest score for an AZ wine
from this publication.
Read More About The Pillsbury Story Here
 Lindsey
Higginson
Managing Partner
Lindsey Higginson has
spent two decades as an owner and a
retailing, marketing, manufacturing and
distribution executive developing new
business start ups or mature businesses to
new levels of growth and direction.
Ms. Higginson
was key in the explosion of the Super
Optical Store concept and stores with
EYECARE CENTERS OF AMERICA (EYEMASTERS)
and SEARS in helping to build the chain to 110 stores as an owner and
Executive Vice President of Merchandising
and Distribution.
As Founder and
CEO of
SIGHT
DESIGN GROUP, she invented the
Complete Optical Shop TM
as a competitive edge for the Doctors
of Ophthalmology.
By adding an Optical Shop inside the
practice they increased their level of
service and revenues up to 30%.
She successfully sold the business in
1996.
On the
manufacturing side of the eyewear industry,
she developed private label branding as well
as lines and designs for Laura Ashley, Bill
Blass, Halston,
Accente, the Terminator, and Jaguar.
Ms. Higginson
has also started and developed the design
and sales division,
American Flame and Light for
Zippo, a commercial show business,
ENSIGHT,
Orlando,
Florida
as well as serving as President and
consultant for several New York children’s sportswear companies in
design, manufacturing, and sales
development. She
is Treasurer of the Intercollegiate Sailing
Association of America, Islesboro Historical
Society, and President of Big Tree Boating
Association of Maine.
She is a sustaining member of the
Junior League.
 Rob Dunaway
Managing
Partner
Rob Dunaway is a
business attorney, investor and author. Rob
originally met Sam Pillsbury in a meeting
about a film project. When they discovered
they both loved wine, the film project was
forgotten and Pillsbury Wine Company was
born. Rob has worked for some of the most
successful companies in the technology
industry, such as Sun Microsystems, and
current clients include technology
companies, health care products companies,
medical software companies, real estate
development companies, and investment
companies. He has also gained recognition
for his work with startup companies and has
co-authored two popular books for
entrepreneurs on startup company management
and intellectual property law. In 2001, Mr.
Dunaway was named one of
Phoenix’s Top 12
Business Advisors in the New Times newspaper
poll of metro readers.
Rob’s legal expertise is complemented by his
business background, which includes numerous
board of director positions and a turnaround
CEO position during which he revitalized a
food products company, increased sales and
successfully sold the company at a premium
to an international investment group. He has
co-founded three non-profits in the
educational field and currently sits on
their board of directors, and also sits on
the boards of a social media company, a
medical supply company and a corporate jet
pilot training company.
TASTING ROOM STAFF OF TRAINED WINE
TEAM SPECIALISTS
Veronica Irons - Tasting Room
Manager
Dana Borger - Party Planner
Sara Brhlik - Systems Support
Justine Winchester - Wine Club
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