Hillard Donner, Owner
Hillard Donner, started Mills with his Father, Joseph. Returning from his tour of service in the Navy following WWII, Hillard eagerly set about establishing a fine wine shop that focused on wines from all over the World. That was back in 1946.
He has since received numerous awards and distinctions for his knowledge of wine that spans over six decades of wine retail experience. Mr. Donner has been a member of the prestigious Commanderie de Bordeaux and has earned a reputation for being one of the most knowledgeable experts on Bordeaux wine.
In addition to his unequalled knowledge of wine, Hillard is known throughout the Annapolis community for his charitable spirit. In addition to his gifting of dozens of non-profit organizations annually, Mr. Donner has been a main donor to the Hospice of the Chesapeake, Anne Arundel Medical Center and the U.S. Jewish Naval Chapel.
Hillard regularly comes into the store during the week sometime between the hours of 1:00 PM and 3:00 PM. Rarely does a day go by that someone doesn’t mention Mr. Donner and reminisce about earlier days when they came into Mills with their own father or grandfather. Now 85, Hillard daily spends time at the store greeting his old friends and customers from Annapolis and from around the world. He would love to have you come by and see him.
Peter Finkelstein
Peter Finkelstein is a third generation member of the fine wine ‘family”. His Grandfather lobbied against prohibition in Washington, DC, before repeal and went on to own the Krystal Wine Company in Chicago. Peter's dad grew up in the business and went on to represent California vineyards in the early 1960s eventually becoming the wine director of a major Maryland wholesaler. Peter started in the wine business at age of 16 and became the youngest master sommeliere in the USA in 1968! He then went on to start the wine department at Washington Wholesale Liquors, when he left them 10 years later he had built the nation's Capital’s most important wine department! For the next 15 years Peter was the U.S. VP for the second largest Bordeaux Negociant in the world. Peter then went to one of the most prestigious Importers, World Shippers and Importers, where he served as their National Sales Manager for 7 years. As a long time Annapolis resident he decided to stop traveling every week and came back to retail, and we are delighted to have him as our primary wine buyer at Mills! You can email Peter at Peter@millswine.com
Rick Breza
Mr. Breza has been with the professional Mills’s staff since 2004. His strong background as an Executive Chef trained in French cuisine serves as a reminder to our clientele that Mills provides professional expertise in food and wine pairings, particularly from the Bordeaux and Burgundy regions. Rick comes to us from Winter Park, Florida, where he was an avid follower of good wine and good golf. Rick is also the Manager of our Spirits Department and is clearly a lover of high-end single malts, vodka, rum and bourbon. Rick has the uncanny ability to chase down the rarest of spirits and can give you the scoop on what spirits and liquors are the hottest items on the market. If you have a special request for the unusual, give Rick a call or send him an email
Benjamin Wiser
Ben Wiser was taught the wine trade in California. However, he was discovered by Mills while employed as the wine manager at the Columbia Palace Wine and Spirits in Columbia, Maryland.
After watching noted San Francisco chef Ron Siegel defeat Hiroyuki Sakai on the Japanese television show Iron Chef, Ben was determined to become a chef. However, during his tenure at Culinary School, Ben was side-tracked by his love of fine wines. What followed was his taking a crash-course in wine and food pairing at the wine cellar in San Francisco Chronicle's celebrated Food and Wine department. The rest was history in the making – Ben’s metamorphosis into a senior food and wine pairing expert at Mills. A graduate of the California Culinary Academy, his background experience includes management responsibility at Vinfolio in San Francisco; and the Wine Club, Santa Clara. Ben was also the Wine and Cheese Manager at Sigonas Farmers Market in Redwood City, California and an assistant editor at The Wine Appreciation Guild.
In addition to his love of good wine, Ben is also a freelance writer, author and music collector. He lives in Columbia with his wife Melissa, and their daughter Susannah. You can reach Ben at Ben@millswine.com
Cheryl Stephenson
Mills is delighted that Cheryl has joined our team. Having graduated from Eckerd College in 1997 with a degree in English, Cheryl has a way with words that translates the taste of wine from the palate into understandable language. Ten years ago Cheryl started working for a local restaurant, Lewnes, where her love of wine was originally nurtured. Her knowledge of fine wines further evolved at Constantine, a Maryland wine distributor. Cheryl’s everyday routine at Mills involves helping people pair fine wine with food or simply helping customers locate an everyday wine to take home for lunch or dinner. She is in the right place to do both. Send her an email
Mary Mulvihill
The newest team member, brings to Mills a literal “sense of terroir” for France, New Zealand, Australia, and Italy wine regions, and a French Wine Scholar (FSW) certification. This certification is from the French Wine Society trade program endorsed by the National French Wine Office. Mary attained a certification score that authorizes her to teach the FSW program, which fits well with Mills plans to offer wine classes in the near future. Her “sense of terroir" stems largely from extensive bicycling through most of France’s wine regions, and also touring through major wine regions in south New Zealand, south Australia, and Italy. While living and working in France, Mary was the only non-French member of a bike touring club that took weekend trips to the Loire Valley, Burgundy, and other fine wine regions. This experience inspired her to do an independent, six-week bicycling trip through other parts of France, with a focus on the Bordeaux, Languedoc, Cotes de Rhone, and Alsace wine regions.
Mary is happy to call Annapolis her new home after years of international development work with assignments in France, Sri Lanka, Kosovo, and East Africa. Come say hello to Mary at the store—she would enjoy helping you add a “sense of terroir” dimension to your next wine buying experience. Email Mary.
Gary Reiner
Gary Reiner has been at Mills since 2003. His current position as Director of Operations places him in charge of all matters of personnel, budgeting, wine purchasing and promotion. Before coming to Mills, Gary was the President of the USWine Auction Company in Delaware. His current role is to oversee the modernization of Mills, including the introduction of new technology, advertising methods, merchandising and buying and selling strategies. His look into the future is the transforming of Mills into a popular residential and tourist haven in which people daily gather to consume Mills products on the premises as a prelude to their wine purchases. Gary can be reached at the store or by email at Gary@millswine.com
