Distributor of Fine Wine
PDXWine Turns 15!
PDXWine began in 2011 with the hope to give Louis-Dressner the best years ever in Oregon and to be a go-to place for Spanish wine, starting with Jose Pastor and next De Maison later La Luz etc. There was only one fully Spanish restaurant open at the time, but we did not care. More Spanish restaurants opened, and more Spanish wines arrived at PDXWine. Covid killed many of them but we still have 75 Spanish estates in stock today.
PDXWine also wanted to add South America to the portfolio. The opening year project failed which made no sense; Portland at that time was just not ready for a $10 wholesale juicy Malbec LITERS. Luckily Brazos Wines joined a few years later and it wasn't easy either. We had one—yes, one—BTG in the first year. We persisted and have grown significantly in the last few years. It's a giant source for value wine, tasty "Orange Wines," and soon Uruguay Vermut with yerba mate as a base herb.
We have tried to have the most diverse portfolio in Oregon. Currently representing seventeen countries in the portfolio, a long way from the six when we started. Aiming to get to twenty countries soon.
Since I was fully involved in the birth of Oregon wine in NYC in 1985, it was a must to have "The New Oregon" in the portfolio. But when research began in early 2010 it looked like there was no new Oregon, just another chapter in what I jokingly (with love) call "The Pinotstocracy." Finally, one was found when a glass of 2009 10.53 degree Rose by Teutonic Wines was poured for me at Clyde Commons on my way to be backstage w/ Pavement. It was drunk up in seconds—so delicious. And they made Chassalas! OK game on! Later came (I believe in this order) Division, Minimus (later morphing into Limited Addition w/ Bree Stock), Analemma, Ovum, Cowhorn, Johan and more as the years progressed. If there is anywhere where we are the most selective, it's in the adding of an Oregon estate!! PDXWine has an average of 35 different Oregon grapes at any time in the warehouse and yes one is called Pinot Noir. We are very proud of our family of wineries and helping The New Oregon boom.
I will leave with a funny Oregon story. (Torn here – maybe should I tell the one about David Adelsheim telling me “Great you’re moving to Oregon to open distributor #32 in a town that needs 15.” Well, maybe I just did.:>) An old French friend who introduced Kermit Lynch to Lapierre heard I was moving and called me to say: "Michael, the Willamette Valley has it all wrong with the Noir. The grape of the Valley should be Gamay. You would crush it in that hipster town by buying an old milk van and delivering it yourself in clear milk glass bottles. Wheeler's Gamay Noir! I can see the milk truck w/ the logo. Oh, have you learned to drive yet? Gamay is the Oregon future Michael, and only two people bottle it today!"
I had my chance at being cool, oh well…...
Moving here in 2011 and helping create PDXWine with others has been a huge highlight in my five decades working in wine. The mantra for PDXWine has always been; “There are no great wholesalers without great customers.” This partnership is the driver in our relationships with the importers, and wineries we represent. Giant thanks to all the customers joining and helping this adventure! We are eight times bigger now than year one. Wow! Thanks, 2U!
Michael Wheeler Turns 40 & 50!!
Hard for me to even imagine. I started working in my friends’ fathers liquor/wine stores in the summer of 1976 at the age of 15. I stayed on and at 18 I did a year as the wine buyer. This later morphed to working 6 months per year, 80+ hours a week and 6 months traveling the world following the Grateful Dead and visiting many foreign countries. Eventually I settled into wine retail in NYC 1994 at 23. In the end I visited 55 countries and saw the Grateful Dead in 1 of 6 cities they have ever played in in the world.
40 years ago, I was very lucky to start my wholesale career at Winebow. The founder and I still consider each other friends. Winebow changed Italian wine culture in America! It was a blessing to be involved. Joining Skurnik 8 years later at the start of their insane growth period was immense fun. Their old mantra was “The finest estate bottled wines from around the world.”
This is my wholesale DNA.
What a nerd.....