Wine Exchange was originally established in Orange, California in 1982 under our previous name, Liquor Exchange. In 1990 we officially changed our name to Wine Exchange, more properly reflecting our wine orientation. Since the beginning our philosophy has been to diligently select the world's finest wines and operate as efficiently as we can, allowing us the opportunity to operate on a much lower margin than our competition. In fact, Wine Exchange was one of the first wine stores in Southern California to adopt a discount format for selling fine wine. The concept was to buy large quantities of wine, taking advantage of discounts available, and pass those savings onto the consumer without abandoning our commitment to service and selection.
Wine Exchange has a multi-page newsletter we call the Stock Report (such as it is), typically 48-64 pages full of original information that has been published every month since February, 1985. We run a wine tasting program based on subjects which we create ourselves to help consumers make valuable comparisons between wines they might purchase in a particular genre, in addition to educational events that teach consumers about various wine categories with which they might not be familiar. We moved to our current location in the Village at Orange in October, 1992, and have operated here continuously since that time. We were also one of the first premium wine stores to have a presence on the world wide web when we debuted www.winex.com in 1994. Our current brick and mortar location is over 10,000 square feet, family owned and operated.
Our basic philosophy has not changed in a quarter century. To us it’s all about the wine. Whether it's for our monthly Stock report or one of our monthly wine clubs, finding the best wines and the best values is our top priority. We have expanded that philosophy to selected food products, glassware, and other wine-related items as well. We serve no one’s agenda but our own in finding the best wines to offer. If we like something that didn’t necessarily play well with the critics, we aren’t afraid to sell it. If something got a big score but we think the wine has some flaws, we’ll pass on it even though we could probably sell it easily. Some merchants probably wouldn’t do that, but our integrity is more important to us in the long run than a quick buck.
We think our wine lineup is one of the best you’ll find anywhere in both breadth and depth, online or at a ‘real’ store. We invite you to browse our selection of wines, spirits, accessories and services. We also invite your questions and comments, and when you are in Southern California, come visit our store! -
