Meet iDealwine’s Sales & Consignment team, the people who respond to your estimation requests, offer advice about the market and organise auctions. Raphaël, Alice, Nicolas, Sophie, Marion and Mathilda are the fine wine market experts advising you when you wish to consign your wine.
Their tasks: Organise auctions and advise on reselling wine
Before we introduce you to the team, we’re going to start by having a quick look at the Sales & Consignment department’s main tasks. They are the first people you’ll speak to when you request to sell your wine through iDealwine. The team are by our client’s side from the initial request for an estimate to the final payment and offer advice about how the auctions work, the consigning process, starting prices, etc. This is also the department that organises iDealwine auctions. They work closely with our appraisal team, who appraise each bottle that is sold on the website. Their greatest asset? They know the fine wine market by heart!
Most wine sold at auction on iDealiwne is sourced from France but the company is procuring more and bottles located in Italy, Germany, and other European countries. It falls on the Sales & Consignment team to organise how these wines arrive at iDealwine whether they are picked up by the Appraisal team or shipped in packaging adapted to transporting wine. The key thing to bear in mind if you wish to consign your wine with iDealwine is that the bottles have to be stored within the EU for tax reasons.
A fine team with Raphaël and Cyrille at the helm
The Sales & Consignment team is naturally led by Cyrille, our CEO and certified auctioneer, who knows the auction market like the back of his hands. Meanwhile, Raphaël is head of the department and leads the team, organising the daily tasks. The Bordeaux-native has a solid background in wine and joined iDealwine back in 2015. Being part of the Purchasing team as well, he possesses amazing knowledge about market prices and so is well-placed to advise clients about the best solution for reselling their bottles whether that’s through consigning or outright purchasing. Validating purchasing offers and the team’s estimations are both tasks that fall on his shoulders.
Come and meet iDealwine’s Sales & Consignment team
Alice’s title is Key Account and Sales Coordination Manager. She organises the auction calendar and ensures that communication between the different departments is ship-shape so we can continue with our high rhythm of auctions (48 in 2023).
Being a superb communicator, she took a central role in iDealwine’s largest project of the past few years – the new version of the website – in her stride.
Alice also uses all her experience and the three years she’s spent working in the company to train the new recruits and to help our consignors with large collections.
A fun fact: Alice will do anything not to miss a team breakfast in the cafeteria.
And what are her favourite wines we hear you ask? They would be those from Chablis and those crafted using the Chenin grape variety.
Marion is a Consignor Account Manager. Newly qualified with a masters in wine and spirit management, Marion joined the team last December. Her humour and energy quickly helped her integrate into the team.
A fun fact: Marion is the team’s official lunch tester, and you’ll often see her trying the meals from a well-known French shop specialising in healthy, frozen meals.
And what are her favourite wines? Why those from Domaine Vaïsse!
Sophie has been part of the team since 2019. She has conquered the fine wine auction market and has now specialised in the world of fine spirits. Nowadays, she holds the role of Business Development Manager for Fine Spirits Auction, our website dedicated the world of spirit auctions in partnership with the French company La Maison du Whisky.
A fun fact: Sophie often has laughing fits from around 5pm onwards, lightening the mood at the end of the day.
Her favourite spirits? She loves Chartreuse but she is always on the lookout for gems from independent bottlers such as those from Signatory Vintage with a particular soft spot for Glentauchers 11 Year Old that was distilled in 2012 and matured in an Oloroso barrel.
Mathilda is a Consignor Account Manager and the latest member to join the team, having arrived in May of this year. But she’s wasted no time settling in and getting stuck in at the deep end. You’ll find her picking up the phone, guiding consignors through the process of selling their wines, using all the knowledge gained from her previous position in the world of wine.
A fun fact: She’s quickly bonded with other employees and never misses an after-work drink.
What is her favourite wine? Her first love was a bottle from Alsace, a Pinot Noir by André Ancel, whose winery is located in Kaysersberg.
Nicolas is the Business Development Manager for the Sales & Consignment department. Having arrived at iDealwine at the end of 2021, he works alongside Alice, making sure that consignors have everything they need and that iDealwine’s auctions run smoothly. While also training the new recruits, he ensures that the company meets its growth targets and develops new partnerships with other service providers.
A fun fact: Nicolas owns a large collection of colourful socks to add a splash of colour whenever the weather is dull and grey.
His favourite wine? He adores mature Chenin from the Loire such as 2010 Montlouis Les Bournais Franc de Pied from François Chidaine.
