ABOUTAlex & The Own Rooted Team
Own Rooted was built on the belief that the best wine brands aren't discovered. They're strategically placed, consistently represented, and backed by people who genuinely believe in what's in the bottle.
Our story
I first saw it while working in wine retail: the wines that sold were the ones people already knew. Great wine wasn’t enough on its own. Small, incredible producers were making some of the best bottles on the shelf, and they rarely had the time, team or reach to become known for them. So I built Own Rooted to close that gap. I personally taste every wine and study the story behind it before we take on a brand partner, and then we put our relationships, our palates and our advocacy behind them.
Hospitality is our anchor. We’ve bought, sold and poured wine everywhere from World’s 50 Best dining rooms to neighborhood wine shops and festival fields, so we know what makes people feel welcome and what makes a wine memorable.
There was something else, too. Fine wine has room for far more people than it has traditionally welcomed. Through education, events that welcome everyone in, and championing brands we genuinely believe in, we’re working to open it up.
And the name? Own-rooted vines grow on their own roots. They’re rare, a little risky, and completely true to their soil. That’s who we back. Big risk, big reward.
Background
Alex Sarovich is the founder of Own Rooted Hospitality. An Advanced Sommelier through the Court of Master Sommeliers, she was named a Wine Enthusiast Rising Star in 2026 and VinePair’s Sommelier of the Year in 2023, co-hosts the Great American Wine Tour on VinePair, sits on the Bâtonnage board, and has been featured in Forbes, Decanter, Wine Enthusiast, and the North Bay Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 as ‘One to Watch.’
She spent fifteen years inside the rooms where wine reputations are made. As a sommelier at SingleThread and Attica Melbourne, both World's 50 Best, and as Wine Director at Little Saint Healdsburg and part of the opening task force team at Appellation Healdsburg, she developed a firsthand understanding of what makes a wine worth championing and what it takes to build a program around it.
What she brings to every client isn't just a contact list. It's fifteen years of knowing what a story needs to land, which opportunities are worth the investment, and what the market is actually ready for, grounded in data and a genuine obsession with what's coming next in the industry.
Who we champion
We’re a women-owned business, and we prioritize women-owned producers, founders from underrepresented communities (BIPOC, LGBTQ+, first-generation and immigrant founders) and farming-conscious wineries: organic, biodynamic, regenerative and minimal-intervention. So far, every one of our retainer clients has been women-owned, farming-conscious, or both.
“People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel”
- Maya Angelou
The teamThe people in your corner.
When you hire Own Rooted, you're not hiring a one-person shop. You're getting a team of specialists who each bring a level of depth that most boutique firms can't match.
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Lenka
HEAD OF STRATEGY
Master of Wine candidate, formerly of SingleThread (World's 50 Best). Lenka leads all private experiences and event staffing, bringing a three-Michelin-star standard of hospitality to every table she sets.
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Sabrina
OPERATIONS MANAGER
The executor. Sabrina manages client communications, handles wine award submissions, produces email marketing campaigns, and keeps every moving piece on schedule. She's usually the first person our clients hear from.
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Kaila
PR DIRECTOR
Kaila leads media relations and press outreach, backed by deep industry knowledge and a strong network across wine, food, travel, and lifestyle media. She holds a WSET Level 3 Award in Wine and an MBA in Wine Marketing & Management from INSEEC in Bordeaux, and splits her time between New York City and the San Francisco Bay Area..
