Vintage Select Wines

Buddy Hagner and Vintage Select Wines Buddy has over 35 years experience in the wine and spirits business. A third generation Texan, Buddy got started in the industry in 1973 as a stocker, clerk and delivery driver. He literally started at the bottom and knows the business from the inside out. It wasn’t long before he knew that this was going to be his chosen field. By 1980 he opened his own liquor store in Bryan, Texas. By 1985 Buddy realized that he really wanted to be on the supplier side rather than the retail side and made the change selling his store and joining Accent Wine Company as a sales representative. Accent Wine Company sold out and he joined up with Key Distributors. When Key sold out in 1989, he joined American Wine and Importing Company. By 1990 he had returned to Houston as a sales supervisor and soon took a position with Tarrant Distributing. Having seen that side of the business, he decided to try his hand at brokerage which gave him additional insight into the business. By 1998, he was back on the distribution side with a small company in Houston as their general manager. He was instrumental in growing the business from 8 employees to over 50 and from sales of to over in just 8 years. A new opportunity presented itself when, in 2006, he and several partners founded Calice Wine Company. In late 2007, Calice merged giving both companies statewide warehouse facilities. After the merger, Buddy continued to offer consulting and support and considered retiring …. but the wine business is in his blood. So, in February 2009, with encouragement from wineries and former customers, he decided to found Vintage Select Wines LLC which is a Houston wine distributorship. Buddy’s strong relationships with customers and wineries alike, as well as his extensive knowledge of operations and logistics required in the business, insures his continued success in an industry he is passionate about.