Although the first five years of his career were spent working in hotels, bars and restaurants, it wasn’t until Dan Fehr became general manager for Montagna Restaurant at The Little Nell Hotel in Aspen, Colorado that his passion for wine was fully ignited. “That’s when I went from simply tasting wine to understanding the business of wine, when I began developing wine lists and managing wine programs. I knew then that I wanted to be in the wine industry full-time.”
Dan came to Rombauer Vineyards in 2019 with over 15 years’ experience in food and beverage management at luxury hotels, both in cities and resorts. Dan began with a strong foundation, receiving a BS in Applied Psychology from Ithaca College and a Master of Arts in
Food Management from New York University. Prior to The Little Nell, Dan’s impressive career trajectory also included successive management positions at the Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts in New York, Las Vegas and Carlsbad, CA.
He joined The Aspen Ski Company (operator of The Little Nell Hotel) in 2008. Dan eventually held positions simultaneously at that company’s Snowmass Club as food and beverage director and in the mountain division as general manager for multiple restaurants.
In 2012 he became the opening director of food and beverage at Hotel Jerome, part of Auberge Resort. He followed this up as director of banquets for The Pendry in San Diego, operated by Montage Hotels & Resorts.
After joining Rombauer Vineyards in 2019, having managed the Midwest and Eastern regions for nearly six years, Dan now manages Rombauer’s national business.