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Florida Life - Lifestyles
Florida Oenophiles
Wine aficionados in Florida combine business with pleasure.
Business and Pleasure
Jamie McDonnell, 47
Founder, CEO / Pro-Lab; CEO, American Restoration Services -
Weston
 [Photo: Dave Decoteau] |
Jamie McDonnell likes to buy businesses. In addition to founding Pro-Lab, a manufacturer and distributor of home safety testing kits, and American Restoration Services, a mold remediation and restoration company, he's made a name in the retail game in south Florida. Three of the businesses he owns testify to his appreciation for fine wine: Libation the Love of Wine in Weston, That Wine Place in Pembroke Pines and the Las Olas Wine Café in Fort Lauderdale.
Price points: "We need our prices to be competitive with Total Wine, or people won't shop with us," McDonnell says, "but we also offer some hidden gems."
The name game: "A lot of people buy for the label," he says. "They see the sensual side of a wine named Ménage à Trois or Little Black Dress. We sell a ton of it."
Favorites: At home, where he has his own wine cellar, McDonnell prefers a Merus Cabernet Sauvignon. "My second choice would be Caymus."
