Our roots

The Henry Wine Group Vision

If wine and its industry have a single constant, it is diversity. Just as the world's many varietals have their own distinct character, with variance from vineyard to vineyard and from year to year, each wine market is unique and dynamic. The Henry Wine Group understands this dynamic and recognizes that successfully representing its suppliers' wine in the market demands an awareness of the subtleties of both. In order to keep up with such a diverse industry, we have developed an unprecedented combination of expertise, partnership, and technology; no other distribution company can offer such informed and flexible service. Our commitment to ongoing study and creativity enables The Henry Wine Group to continually advance and grow in step with the suppliers and markets we serve. This philosophy and commitment finds its guidance in an original vision of excellence. The Henry Wine Group traces its roots back to 1985, when Warner W. Henry identified a major shortcoming in fine wine marketing and distribution. He realized that the special needs of fine wine suppliers were not being met by the spirits-driven wholesale companies and decided to offer an alternative. Warner Henry began by founding Vintage House Distributors in southern California and eventually acquired a select group of regional fine wine companies. The merging of this collective formed a company that is now the largest importer, distributor, and broker in the United States dedicated exclusively to fine wines. Founded on a principle of specialization, The Henry Wine Group continues to expand in expertise.

Along with his focus on fine wines, Warner Henry envisioned a distribution company that would view its customers as partners in business. His concept of partnership selling is what defines our business practices, opening channels for communication and collaboration that keep every partner moving forward. Our collective knowledge gained by experience, research, and technology is remarkable in itself, but The Henry Wine Group also takes a unique approach to utilizing it: we share information freely with our suppliers and work continuously to educate our customers. Partnership selling therefore benefits everyone involved. To this end, we declared our mission statement in 1995: Seamless Service from Producer to Customer. 

Upon declaring this mission, we geared the separate functions of the entire company toward this goal with profound results. The Henry Wine Group has earned its claim of attaining the highest level of service found in the industry. Our record of success continues to distinguish the company and has earned us resounding acclaim and industry respect.

The Henry Wine Group is poised to bring our vision and knowledge to market. As we move forward with each and every brand, the founding principles of The Henry Wine Group continue to offer rewards and opportunities for our growing association of partners.

 

Knowledge that runs deep

At The Henry Wine Group, industry knowledge runs exceptionally deep. At all levels of the company our employees continue to establish The Henry Wine Group as the most professional sales company in the fine wine industry. At the management level, we have attracted a distinguished group of professionals whose combined years comprise centuries of wine industry experience. The members of our sales force not only share a passion for wines and a penchant for success, but they also possess a refined academic knowledge of wine and the intricacies of its production. However, understanding vinification and Vitis vinifera is only the beginning for employees of The Henry Wine Group. Our offices are staffed with dedicated people whose skills cover a wide range of experience in brand management, customer service, purchasing, warehousing, logistics, and information technology.

To best develop the talents of our team, we place an emphasis on training in all departments. A formal wine education curriculum that verses each participant in the scholarship of wine and its making plays a significant part in ensuring that The Henry Wine Group's employees continually develop their expertise. Our sophisticated sales and management training programs help hone and diversify the skills of our employees to a degree that few companies in any industry manage to attain.

As a finishing touch, we provide our customers with value-added services such as fine wine education and training for retail and restaurant staff. These services help to reinforce customer relationships and ensure that our suppliers' brands are represented properly all the way to the consumer.