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Our Company
Our Business
Wine Societies is a brokerage service, licensed in the State of California, that provides a direct online channel for sellers of fine wine to sell vintage wine (vintage wine is here defined as red wine at ten years or older and white or sparkling wine at five years or older) to California licensed buyers and re-sellers of alcohol.
Product and monies are exchanged directly between buyer and seller, upon the successful completion of an auction or sale process on this platform.
The Home page of this website provides access to information on how to use this service, and how to contact us for any comments, questions or issues.
Our Advantages
Membership is free. Registration takes less than a minute.
Sellers are able to post their wine, monitor the sale process and find a confirmed buyer first, before ever parting with their wine. Sellers can also manage their portfolio using our online Cellar Management feature. From here, they can obtain current retail prices of the wines in their Cellar, and post (and withdraw) wines directly to (and from) the Marketplace.
Buyers are able to view all active auctions and sales in progress from any physical location. Buyers may purchase partial quantities of offered lots, if allowed by the seller.
Sellers pay a nominal posting fee and directly access Licensed buyers. This enables them to price their wine well below retail, while still being able to profit from the transaction.
Buyers pay the lowest commission rate of any wine auction marketplace. They gain direct access to sellers, who are pricing their wine very attractively for re-sale in the retail market. Even with a nominal commission charge, buyers are able to obtain fine and rare wine, which they can re-sell profitably.
The entire process is simple and efficient. While buyers and sellers are known to each other only by their screen-names, they are still able to message each other, in order to exchange further information regarding the wine, pricing, shipping and payment methods. Only after a sale is final does the system let each party know of the others' contact information.
Although the buying and selling process is conducted online, the Wine Societies team is always available to assist buyers and sellers in any way needed, at all times.
Our Team
Raj Ramamurti
Founder & CEO
Raj has been a wine enthusiast for many years. He combined this with the entrepreneur in him, to start the Wine Societies project.
"The wine industry is going through a very interesting transition in the way wine is bought and sold, and the Internet is significantly influencing it. Wine Societies offers fine wine collectors and licensed buyers an efficient, cost-effective and timely solution to the supply and demand challenges facing the industry today, and in the long term."
Raj attended the University of Pennsylvania, and graduated with a degree in Electrical Engineering from the Moore School and a degree in Entrepreneurship from the Wharton School. In addition to fine wine and wine culture, his interests include global macroeconomic and monetary policies, jazz, opera, literature, travel, windsurfing, snowboarding, endurance training, and yoga.
Director of Marketing & Business Development
Paul is a seasoned wine industry professional with recognized expertise in fine and rare wines, market analysis, and collection management.
Paul got started with wine locally in Virgina and expanded internationally from there. Just after college graduation, Paul rolled up his sleeves to work harvest at a family-owned winery where he learned all about the grape-growing and wine-making process. Curious about the wines of the world, he began a formal course of wine study and traveled widely. Back at home, Paul worked for a local wine merchant, continuing to explore the French and Italian wines and deepening his taste for European grapes.
Lured by the California wine culture, Paul moved to San Francisco to sell fine wines for Premier Cru, where he developed an extensive network of Buyers and Sellers across the world, and helped the company maintain a dominant position in fine wine trading markets. Next, Paul set out to broaden his study of wine through the WSET diploma program and founded 23 Brix, a consultancy and agent to fine and rare wine Collectors. Through 23 Brix, Paul married economics with portfolio theory in servicing Collectors of investment-grade wine, providing advice based on analyses of their collections and market opportunities. Paul managed sales and purchasing on his clients' behalf which solidified his position in the global fine and rare wine markets. To provide a full-service experience, Paul co-founded the Healdsburg Wine Alliance and began offering wine-related events and tutored tastings based on individual and specific needs.
Paul attended the University of Virginia and graduated with degrees in Anthropology and Sociology. He holds a certificate degree in Business Administration from U.C. Berkeley. In addition to the obvious, Paul's interests include gourmet cooking, pre-prohibition era cocktails, cinematography, and American literature.
At Wine Societies, Paul manages fine wine Collector Business Development and relationships.
Director of Marketing & Business Development
"Once, I didn't know what mystified me about wine. I'm still collecting answers and may be able to explain - in about 50 years! The process of moving vinifera to the dinner table has defined my life. Here is an opportunity to question the status quo and embrace a whole new way of being. I encourage you to stop camouflaging spending as marketing. Let this new modality free up capital and destroy the borders of wine choice."
At Wine Societies, Christian manages fine wine Collector Business Development and relationships.
Director of Marketing & Business Development
With 20 years experience in the Wine Industry, JoAnn has worn many hats, starting with the position of Buyer for restaurants and clubs. She then moved to sales & marketing for Distributors, and finally into Management, Brokering and Consulting.
"Clearly recognizing the necessity for progression in how wines are moved in the marketplace, Wine Societies will change how we do business with fine wine Collectors and licensed buyers. Very exciting!"
At Wine Societies, JoAnn manages Social Media Marketing and Public Relations programs.
Director of Marketing & Business Development
"My approach here is informed by my previous involvement within the Distribution system. Additionally, I am appreciative of the many expressions of the arts: literary, visual, and of course, culinary. My love for wine stems from the fact that each bottle has a story, and a life, of its own. Let us be further enabled to listen to these stories, these lives."
At Wine Societies, Lee manages Business Analytics and Infrastructure optimizations.
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