VINTAGE SELECT WINE EXECUTIVES

Buddy Hagner CEO/Partner

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 $1,000,000 to over $18,000,000 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.

In February 2009, with encouragement from wineries and former customers, he decided to found Vintage Select Wines LLC which was a Houston-based wine distributorship.  Being well versed in all facets of the wine distribution business, Buddy’s strong relationships with customers and wineries alike, as well as his extensive knowledge of operations and logistics required in the business, insured his continued success in an industry he was passionate about.

In 2019, Vintage Select Wines took another step forward and obtained its permits at the State and Federal levels to become a Winery while still having the privilege of representing other wineries from around the world and now with the ability to share those wines with customers far and wide.

Trish Hagner CFO/Partner

Trish has an extensive business background with a BBA in Management and Marketing and an MBA in Economics and Finance. She has been a successful business owner in insurance and real estate managing multi-million dollar budgets and staffs from 3 to over 100 employees.

This experience is critical in the development of business plans, budgets and strategies for Vintage Select. While bringing technical expertise to the business, she also enjoys the creative opportunities on the marketing side and finding ways to connect with customers and wineries.

Buddy introduced Trish to the wine world and has been her mentor and encourager. When Buddy thought he was going to retire, it was Trish’s turn to be the encourager and after hearing so many in every part of the wine industry asking Buddy to return, she knew that it was an opportunity for the two of them to build something together and she encouraged him to return to an industry where he had roots so deep it was only natural that Vintage Select Wines should be born.

With mutual respect for each other and their areas of expertise, Buddy and Trish work side by side building a team and a company that reflects their shared commitment and values.  It is that commitment that opens doors with the best customers not only in the State of Texas, but across the USA as well.