History
The origin of Ireland Family Wine & Spirits was inspired by a trip to Napa and Sonoma, CA, in 1989. The spark that became a dream of owning a business came to fruition on March 1st, 2020. Ireland Family Wines LLC was founded with a vision to produce wine under the Ireland Family name that embodies the flavor of a place in time. Working with winemaker James MacPhail, we secured agreements to purchase small quantities of Pinot Noir grapes from exceptional family growers Dutton, Bacigalupi, and Pratt in the Russian River Valley appellation in Sonoma County, CA, and Peake Ranch Vineyard in the Santa Rita Hills appellation in Santa Barbara County, CA. The world quickly changed. In a vintage marked by a pandemic, political uncertainty, civil unrest, and extreme climate events, fires in Sonoma County disrupted plans to produce a Russian River Pinot Noir. Ireland Family Peake Ranch Vineyard Pinot Noir was harvested September 2nd,2020, crafted into wine, and moved to French oak barrels until bottling in August 2021.
Recognizing an opportunity to develop a portfolio of like-minded producers, Ireland Family Wine & Spirits Co. was founded in September 2021 with a vision to deliver distinct products to the US market with brand stories that spark wonder. Our first producer was Coursey Graves in September 2021, including the brand Works & Days. Tongue Dancer by James MacPhail was added to the portfolio in November 2021. The company shipped its first order of wine in January 2022, launching our portfolio with our first distributor partner Breakthru Beverage Florida in March 2021.
People
Chris Ireland
Born and raised in a working-class family in Cleveland, OH, after high school, Chris joined the US Army. As a student at Kent State University, he began his career bartending to pay for college, graduating with degrees in Economics and Finance. Chris later became a manager at Ken Stewart's Grille in Akron, OH building a Wine Spectator Award-winning wine list.
Over twenty years, he gained experience at various levels in the wine industry, working as a Distributor Sales Representative and Division Manager, to Regional Sales Manager roles with Importers for Nicolas Catena and Click Wine Group. Chris joined The Hess Collection Winery in 2008 as a Regional Manager. He became a Division Manager for the Eastern US in 2012. In 2014 he was promoted to Vice President of National Accounts On and Off-premise, spearheading the company's growth across both channels. In 2016 he was promoted to a senior management role as Vice President of Eastern US, overseeing a team of 11 managing 25 markets with 31 distributors. Chris and his wife Amy set out to realize their dream of owning a winery in February 2020, founding Ireland Family Wines and later Ireland Family Wine & Spirits with a vision to deliver brands that spark wonder.
Our Services
We seek like-minded producers with vision and grit. We provide a seamless set of services using a highly effective and proven system to professionally manage the complexities of distribution networks for the best results. Ask us for more information.