As a three year starter at NCAA Division 1 powerhouse Boston College, Paul Zientek was one heck of a soccer player, and for many years, thought that would be a vehicle that would propel him forward in life….that is until he discovered wine!

Born in Central New Jersey, Paul went to St. Joseph’s high school in Metuchen and graduated (and still proudly cheers) Boston College. Soccer was always a driving force in Paul’s life, but like any aspiring college student, Paul needed money and got a part-time job at a suburban Boston fine wine shop. Besides excelling in school and in soccer, Paul learned early on that he had a tremendous aptitude and passion for the wines that he was selling. Upon graduation, it was Paul’s passion for wine, and some advice from Ed Lauber that steered him to the wine business and landed him his first post-graduate employment opportunity.

With his degree in hand, Paul packed his bags and headed to St. Louis where he learned more about the wine business as a salesperson for a St. Louis wine wholesaler. After two successful years in St. Louis, Paul returned to his New Jersey roots where he was the first ‘non-family’ employee at the then ‘upstart’ Lauber Imports. Paul spent fourteen very successful years building and growing Lauber Imports operations in New Jersey and New York, during which time he met Neal Snydman, who would in 1980 go off and open his own importer/distributor, called Vintage Imports..

Paul joined Vintage Imports in January 1998 as a Vice President to help improve sales and continue to grow the company. Since that time, Paul has worked tirelessly to make sure that the job, whatever it may be, gets done right. In 1999, with his wealth of knowledge and experience, he spearheaded the initiative to launch Vintage’s New Jersey operations.  Paul became a partner in the company in 2004, and in 2014, Paul completed the purchase of Vintage Imports from its founder, Neal Snydman.

Fast forward to 2019, he decides to add New York as an additional market as well as create a Trucking and Storage business, VTS (Vintage Trucking & Storage). To this day, Paul continues to be an invaluable cog and driving force in every facet of the business.  As the guy at the head of the table, Paul is focused on honest, organic, steady growth.

Born in Central NJ, John began his journey into the wine world earlier than most.   While still in high school, John began working at Carduner’s Fine Wines in East Windsor, NJ, as well as a stint at KKD Trucking & Storage (Lauber Imports) during the summers.   John attended  Marymount University in Arlington, VA, where he tended bar at a popular Washington D.C. nightspot, ultimately culminating in a degree in Sociology in 2002. It was also during his years at Marymount that John met his future wife, Kristin.   After graduation, John began a career in the mortgage industry, although it became readily apparent to him that he was not passionate about the choice or the industry.

In 2003, opportunity came knocking and he began working at Vintage Imports.  Starting on the ground floor with a small sales territory on our relatively new (at that time) New Jersey team,  John was able to learn, build and grow with his accounts ascending to the top and anchoring our New Jersey efforts for many years.   In 2014, John was promoted to NJ Key Account Manager, followed by a promotion to General Sales Manager, Vice-President of Sales and ultimately, the 2021 promotion to President.  John’s genuine and personable demeanor, along with his focus on excellent customer service, have been a great asset to the company. Owing his own success to a strong work ethic and tireless and true customer-focused attention to detail, he has been successful leading with respect and teaching by example and is thankful for the countless friendships and relationships he has made in the wine industry.

John currently resides in Bucks County, PA with his wife Kristin, and 3 daughters, Madeline, Morgan, and Addison and dog, Dusty.  In his personal time, John enjoys following sports, golfing and spending time with his beloved family.