FOUNDER

After attending college on the East Coast, the Puerto Rican native relocated to Portland in 2003 where he dove headfirst into the food and beverage scene, studying at Le Cordon Bleu’s Western Culinary Institute then taking a job as the wine director at the popular Peruvian tapas bar, Andina. From there, after some time in personal wine buying and work with the then-young spirits market, Oben decided to bring a taste of home to the Northwest with his rum, 7 Sirens launched in 2013. Today William is the founder and owner of Proof Spirits and Wine in Downtown Portland, and after rapid growth, William decided to spend more time with his true passion, wines, with the launch of Cru & Domaine, his specialty and rare wines shop and online store.

GENERAL MANAGER / SOMMELIER

David Hunter is the Sommelier and General Manager for Cru & Domaine. David joins us with over 6 years of Michelin Star restaurant experience, working with some of the highest awarded wine programs in the Country. In 2020, he was a West Coast Regional finalist for the Chaîne des Rôtisseurs Young Sommelier Competition. In 2021, he was a national semi-finalist in the Best U.S Sommelier competition. Driven by the constant pursuit of self-betterment and sincere love of all things fermentable, David is excited to unite his experience in fine dining with fine wine retail. When not studying wine theory, you can find him playing guitar for his local rock band, or eating and drinking his way through the PNW.

SOMMELIER, DIPWSET LEVEL 4, ADV SOMM, CSW

Marissa has an unyielding love for all things grape-related. Her dedication and relentless pursuit of knowledge led her to earn multiple certifications with the Wine and Spirits Education Trust, the Society of Wine Educators, and the Court of Master Sommeliers—and she is currently pursuing her Master Sommelier accreditation.

Marissa shares her passion with others and as a self-proclaimed “wine nerd” will gladly talk about any topic you could think of. She loves to teach educational courses with the talent of making wine approachable and enjoyable for all levels of enthusiasts.

Beyond her work at Cru & Domaine, Marissa stays active in the wine community by mentoring others in their wine certification pursuits, helping with CMS programming in Portland, and encouraging everyone to try new bottles!