St. Helena, Calif.—Laffort USA announced Darren Michaels is the company’s new technical representative for the Pacific Northwest and Matt Brain is its new technical representative for the Central Coast of California. Michaels had been serving clients in Sonoma and Mendocino counties before deciding to move to Washington. Prior to joining Laffort, Michaels was the director of winemaking at Terravant Wine Company. Brain worked in winemaking at Edna Valley Vineyards and Juniper Canyon and is a past faculty member of the Enology and Viticulture Program at California Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo.