Jay A Soloff

Background

About Jay A Soloff

Jay’s passion for wine runs long and deep. For 45+ years in the industry, he has lived by his philosophy that “well-crafted wine is best experienced in the context of great food, family and friends.” After graduating from Arizona State University with degrees in Education and Political Science, with minors in General Business and Humanities, his career began in 1974 as one of the first fine wine sommeliers in Seattle. In 1980 he decided to broaden his audience and as a wine broker brought boutique, award winning wines to fine wine merchants and restaurants. After more than 15 successful years, he joined forces with the parent company of Corus Brands/Columbia Winery as their Director of National Imports, Sales and Marketing sharing the excellence of Washington State with the world. Jay continued his dedication to the wine industry by taking the position of Senior VP of Marketing for Larry’s Markets, the gourmet grocery store chain introducing the concept of ‘farm to table’ long before it was a household phrase. During this time, Jay continued to move toward his goal of creating a world-class Washington winery that became a reality in 1992. As a co-founder, he has created and implemented the sales and marketing strategy for DeLille Cellars on a national scale. Committed to his affinity for community as much as his love of wine, Jay served as Vice President and Board member of the Washington State Wine Institute. More recently, in 2012, he completed two, consecutive three‐year terms on the Governor-appointed 12‐member Board of the Washington State Wine Commission. He also devotes time to many charitable and service organizations including the Seattle and Woodinville Rotary Clubs, the Lymphoma and Leukemia Society, Auction of Washington Wines, Children’s Hospital and United Way of King County. An avid ASU Sun Devil fan, Jay is a seven-time, consecutive Sun Devil 100 honoree (award for business achievement) 2017 - 2023.