Founders: Lachlin Miller, Tracey Delaney and Chris Tanghe

Lachlin, Tracey and Chris are connected by what makes the wine and drinks world so special; friends, travel, culture and stories shared over, and in pursuit of, great bottles for as many years as the age of some of the greatest vintages (20+ and counting!).

They all met each other at different junctures in the course of travels and life in the circle of friends and familiar cities and over the years. As time went on and the experiences and glasses they shared stacked up, their personal and professional lives unfolded.

Lachlin, an Australia native, had a 15-year career in capital markets in Hong Kong coupled with a sustained love for wine - collecting it, learning about it and gaining his WSET Level 3 qualification. In the years that followed, a move to the USA, an Executive MBA and an entrepreneurial desire to bring together his years of experience, love of wine and observed momentum in the private members club space was the genesis of thinking about a wine-focused private members club. Lachlin’s first call was to Tracey.

Tracey, a New York native with a deep love for Japan from an early age, spent her 20+ year career in management consulting and at American Express working across Tokyo, New York and London. Over the years she coupled her love of Japan and the wonderful world of hospitality to train as a sake sommelier and become a co-founder of The Sparkling Sake Brewery in the UK. With her passion for wine, sake and hospitality, and leadership roles at American Express, a premium brand with one of the world’s most established and successful membership models, Tracey immediately joined Lachlin to see what they could create.

As Lachlin and Tracey worked through ideas, concepts and iterations (and names) of what they would soon call Maison V, they kept coming back to that friend of Lachlin’s. That friend was Chris and not just any friend, the guy that on first meeting Lachlin in Sydney blew his mind because he knew more about wine than any of his most erudite wine friends. Of course, this all made sense when he found out Chris was one of the world’s very few (274) Master Sommeliers. The next call that was made was to Chris and he joined Lachlin and Tracey to bring Maison V to life with his incredible wine and hospitality vision.

Chris isn’t just someone who has mastered wine though, he’s a long pedigree and passion in hospitality. Chris is a New England Native who made his foray into hospitality at 13 years old. He started as a dishwasher at a country club and eventually attended the Culinary Institute of America in NY. It was during the wine course that the magic of pairing food, wine and its rich history drew Chris in. His career then took him to restaurants all over the US, attaining coveted wine qualifications culminating in the penultimate achievement, Master Sommelier (MS) in May 2013. Following this achievement, he was awarded Food & Wine’s Sommelier of the Year and continued to expand his career and relationships heading up distribution teams and as Director of Education at GuildSomm. Chris most recently launched Upwell Wine and Coffee and Walter’s Wine (named after his incredibly cute and loveable dog Walter) in Seattle. To no one’s surprise after just a few months they have received accolades and acclaim. 

As founders, it’s not just what we have done, it’s what we will be creating and doing to make Maison V the most exceptional and inspired place for wine, sake and the world and culture that surrounds it. We want to cultivate memories and connections that will lead to incredible things in the same way that it brought us together.

Learn more about us:

Chris Tanghe

• Profiles: Meet The Master Sommeliers Profile , Decanter Judge Profile 
• Featured in: The Washington Post, Washington State Wine Commission, 
• Celebrated for: Upwell’s Wine Bar in The Seattle Times 

Tracey Delaney

• Featured in : Sake on Air ,  Evolve Commerce Club, Marketing Asia, Yamato Magazine, and The Times
• Sake and Brand Expert Contributor to Canvas8 Insights PlatformTell people who's involved and where you're based.

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