Distributor Recommendation OR/WA

Cellar Rats (ITB)
#1

We’ve been having trouble finding a good fit for our wine in WA and OR. Anyone have a recommendation for a distributor that might be a good fit for our Pinots? TIA!! [berserker.gif]

#2

Brian,

It is always tough for a California Pinot producer to find distribution up here… We are a provincial sort.

That said, I would recomend Galaxy Wine Company first. They are medium sized well funded and have good coverage of the state. I am not sure what their California book is but I do believe they do Au Bon Climate…

Lemma Wine Company is another to look at, they are simialr to Galaxy in size and run a tight ship.

Other than that, I am not sure…

There are so many new distributors that have entered the market that I don’t know anything about. That said, if you have any pointed questions about someone specific, feel free to get a hold of me. Portland is a small town and I have lived here most of my life and worked in the restaurant industry for half of my life.

BTW, loved your sample pack, I have only had the Shea so far but I am planning on opening the other two with some other winemaker friends afer the open house weekend ends.

Cheers,

#3

Good luck with that Brian! It’s tough out there…

#4

Steve,

You just gotta call the right people. Depending on what you are looking for I can point you in the right direction. (banging your head against a wall hurts.)

Kris

#5

Brian,

I know a good distributor in Oregon, but as John mentioned, the local customers are very provincial, and most CA Pinots just don’t sell that well up here. Over the years I’ve seen a lot of top CA producers getting closed out, and I just think it’s a difficult, limited market for a lot of CA wines here. The other thing to consider is that Oregon is still a pretty depressed market, and most of our customers are more focused on price than ever.

We’ve also had a lot of shakeup here in the distribution market over the past couple of years, and there are a lot of producers & importers who don’t have representation any more. Many distributors aren’t adding new producers at this time, and even though we aren’t one of them, we’re still very picky about what we add to our portfolio.

And Steve, I’m always willing to talk to people who are looking for distribution in Oregon, and we’re always willing to taste a producer’s wines to see if there’s an interest. As I mentioned above, we’re pretty picky (especially with WA, where we already represent lots of top producers like Betz, Buty, Cayuse, K Vintners/Charles Smith, Fidelitas, Januik, Mark Ryan, Va Piano, etc.), but I never tell someone “No, we won’t try your wines!” I prefer to be open and honest, and that involves warning potential suppliers that we’re very selective about what we add to the portfolio, that the economy here is still down, and that movement on items over $20 retail is generally slow. But, if there’s still interest, our minds and palates are open to trying new things.

Marshall
Business Manager
D’Vine Wine Distribution

#6

Let me rephrase that… we’ve done a little looking around for distribution, but not too hard. I think our main problem is that we make a fair amount of syrah and our prices are a little high ($30+), and we don’t have the brand name recognition. I know people that are getting picked up all the time and having good success at getting their wines out there. We’ve chosen to concentrate on our tasting room and it’s been working out pretty good so far. Times are a little tough out there for wines above $20 a bottle (retail), but not impossible… Keep plugging away, you’ll find someone to help you out!

#7

I sell wine here in Oregon. I do sell Pinots from California as well as New Zealand with prices above the $25 retail. It is definitely a tough market out there but I am still seeing some increased movement over the last couple of months. There is a distributor called Vinum that is based in Washington and also sells in Oregon. They have a very good staff.