WE ARE CANDID.
Candid Wines serves retailers and restauranteurs in Chicagoland with thoughtfully farmed and exquisitely made wines from around the world. We are a direct importer and independent distributor focused on value, quality, and customer service. Our team consists of restaurant and industry veterans with a penchant for sharing the joy we find in every bottle we sell.
And as a family-owned, independent importer, we strive to offer unmatched service and quality. For nearly 20 years we have championed high-quality, great-value wine estates with the belief that sustainability must be the standard and not the exception in the wine industry.
We welcome you to experience our portfolio and taste the fruits of our labor.
OUR PASSION
Wine is made to be shared. An open bottle, no matter how magical its reputation, can fulfill only a shadow of its promise if not shared with another. Our lives have taken us all over the wine world and we will never tire of finding delicious, unaccustomed wines, telling the stories of those who created them, and constantly improving our business in order to better serve our customers, whose long parched lips we summon to drink.
Jeff Kane Witzig’s fifteen-year career in hospitality includes time at some of the most innovative concepts in Chicago. He has served, managed, and poured at restaurants such as The Berghoff, Topolabampo, and most recently Esme, where he was a member of the opening team and Wine Captain. Spend a few minutes with Jeff and it’s clear serving others is second nature to him. In addition to his industry credentials, Jeff built an app enabling fine dining restaurants to better course out meals and manage busy dining rooms and launched a podcast exploring the lives and contributions of artistic Chicagoans. An innately helpful and solutions-focused human, Jeff brings a unique, precise, and delicate touch to the customers in his book.
A veteran of the beverage industry, Alex McNeely combines passion and technical knowledge in a way that makes him a true partner to his customers. After a decade as a buyer and a Sommelier in New York City at The Spotted Pig and Lilia, Alex’s interest in winemaking led him to pursue a degree in Enology and Viticulture at Lake Michigan College – and work harvest on the Sonoma Coast and in the Willamette Valley. Familiar with many Candid producers from his time in NYC and tenure at Chicago gem All Together Now, he joined Candid Wines at the start of 2023. A pro’s pro, Alex is an incredible ally in building lists, training staff, and recommending the perfect Pinot to help your program stand out.
MBAs who move into the wine industry tend to do so when their passion for wine leads them to the vineyard of their dreams. For Gillian, it was her passion for operations that led her to Candid Wines, after 10 years in private equity and tech. As our Chief Operating Officer, Gillian spends her time building processes to help Candid and its employees better serve our customers and producer partners. And all we had to do to convert her to “wine lover” status was open up a bottle of 2014 Scherrer Cabernet…
Candid Wines was born from the joy Damien discovered over six years of living in France, one wine region, one culinary tradition, and one meal at a time. While working in a suit and tie, first at an energy services company in Paris, and then at a telecommunications startup in Montpellier, his attention regularly wandered to farmers’ markets and local winemakers. Following this passion lead him to cooking school in Vermont and then back to Paris for two years in the kitchen, including a stint at the 3-star Lucas Carton, known for legendary wine and food pairings. His interest in wine won out and visits to cellars, vineyards and wine fairs across France laid the groundwork for a network of relationships that gave birth to Candid Wines a few years later.
OUR TEAM
DAMIEN CASTEN
Chief Executive Officer
GILLIAN CASTEN
Chief Operating Officer
ALEX MCNEELY
City Sales
SCOTT RUTKOWSKI
City Sales
Few customers have met Maritza as she is often working remotely, but all customers benefit from her mastery of our systems. She is Candid’s secret behind-the-scenes weapon for all things administrative and workflow, regularly saving the day with quick answers and accounting system workarounds. If you’ve ever placed an order, she has processed and directed it. She runs order entry and purchase order creation, so literally, nothing would come in or go out the door without her!
As Candid’s lead delivery driver, Michael spends as much time with our customers as anyone on our team and takes extreme care in what he does. If you’re a customer, chances are that Michael has saved your order from an error or rearranged a route to make sure you received delivery on time. Michael measures twice and cuts once, and does everything with a smile, even if it’s -3 degrees out or the rain is blowing sideways. Michael’s fan base is large and not limited to the wine industry; music fans across Chicago know Michael from his years as a talented vocalist!
Cisco is the heart and soul of Candid Wines. He oversees the care and well-being of every Candid bottle of wine from the moment it lands at our temperature-controlled Chicago warehouse until it is carefully loaded on a truck and delivered to its new home. Long-time customers remember “Cisco the Driver” as one of their favorite delivery people, but we couldn’t be happier to have his incredible attention to detail and mischievous, jolly, “we-can-fix-that” attitude now focused on managing our warehouse and domestic ordering. Though he has been in the wine industry for many years, his favorite flavor is still Malort and he never misses a chance to foist a shot on an unsuspecting visiting winemaker.
A veteran of the sales industry, Rick Ferraro pivoted into wine from large real-estate sales and hasn't looked back. "The hardest working man on the North Shore" can be found pouring Candid Wines every weekend at our large retailer customers. With his unmatched enthusiasm and gift of gab, Rick is an asset to any store looking to sell more wine.
RICK FERRARO
Large Retail Sales, North / Northwest
CISCO AYALA
Warehouse Manager / Keeper of the Inventory
MICHAEL MARTINEZ
Deliveries
SUSIE RISKIND
North Shore On and Off Premise Sales
FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM
Few customers have met Maritza as she is often working remotely, but all customers benefit from her mastery of our systems. She is Candid’s secret behind-the-scenes weapon for all things administrative and workflow, regularly saving the day with quick answers and accounting system workarounds. If you’ve ever placed an order, she has processed and directed it. She runs order entry and purchase order creation, so literally, nothing would come in or go out the door without her!
Cisco is the heart and soul of Candid Wines. He oversees the care and well-being of every Candid bottle of wine from the moment it lands at our temperature-controlled Chicago warehouse until it is carefully loaded on a truck and delivered to its new home. Long-time customers remember “Cisco the Driver” as one of their favorite delivery people, but we couldn’t be happier to have his incredible attention to detail and mischievous, jolly, “we-can-fix-that” attitude now focused on managing our warehouse and domestic ordering. Though he has been in the wine industry for many years, his favorite flavor is still Malort and he never misses a chance to foist a shot on an unsuspecting visiting winemaker.
Maritza manages the day to day details of our back office, from processing invoices to ensuring that customers have the right pricing on their latest BTG pours.
MARITZA CAMPOS
Back Office Administrator
IAM A WINE DRINKER, NOT A WINE TASTER. WINE SHOULD BE SO DELICIOUS YOU WANT TO OPEN THE NEXT MAGNUM.
KLAUS PETER-KELLER
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