In the wake of prohibition, a jumble of conflicting alcohol distribution laws arose across the country, which to this day makes doing business at times confusing and burdensome. For example, Pennsylvania and Utah monopolize all distribution and re

Drinking wine from a box is one thing, but have you ever heard of a wine brick? During Prohibition, which was enacted in 1920, California vineyards used wine bricks to work around federal laws and sell alcoholic beverages. Wineries would ship tigh

First and foremost, we wish to extend our sincere condolences to the families who have lost homes, businesses, and loved ones as a result of the wildfires that are currently ravaging Northern California. Natural disasters have been an all too frequen

Fine wine is one of the top ten gifts for adults in the United States, and with good reason: a bottle of wine is inextricably linked to the vintage in which it was produced, and because of this, a wine from a significant year is the perfect way to ce

WHERE TO START: TRUSTED WINE BROKERS When our clients ask for referrals to other wine brokers to use, this is the list we give them.  They are not the only good wine brokers out there, but they are the ones we can personally vouch for, a

STEP 6: CHECK THEIR FACILITIESThe last step in selecting a broker is to check a their facilities. If possible, you should visit them in person. If you are going to be buying and possibly storing wine with a broker for years, you should ensure they

STEP 5: CHECK THEIR LIQUOR LICENSEAnother thing that you want to double-check is whether a potential broker has a valid a liquor license. If you’re going to physically touch a bottle of wine (in the United States), and you’re going to make it publ

STEP 4: CHECK THEIR REPUTATION AND THEIR CLIENT REFERENCES At this point, you should only have three to five finalists left, for two spots. Now it’s time to dig into the details of their business. A good broker should be able to give

STEP 3: CHECK THEIR PRICESAs you are checking the price trends of the wines your potential wine brokers recommend, you should also be checking the actual prices they are quoting you. As you look up every wine on their lists on Wine Searcher and

STEP 2: TEST THEM TO ASSESS THEIR SKILLSMost wine brokers you come across will pass Step 1, having experience. If they don’t, remove them from consideration immediately.  But once you’ve found five to ten wine brokers who have experience, and th