Who We Are

James Cluer, the owner of Fine Vintage Wines, hand picks all wines that are offered by the club.

James Cluer - Bio

It all started in 1985, long before I was legal… My dad let me drink wine at dinner, and then I would sneak some more when he wasn't looking.

By 18 I'd become fascinated with the grape. I started writing wine exams and got my first job working in the wine trade, running tastings for a local importer in Hong Kong.

BORDEAUX, AUSTRALIA, CALIFORNIA

After University in Vancouver I moved to Bordeaux to follow my new passion. I worked for a producer for several years, starting in the vineyards, then making wine, and then gradually became responsible for global exports.

I was lucky. My job was to run around the world selling wine. Good times. I made lots of contacts in the trade. But my real interest was winemaking, and so I worked the harvest in Australia and California, learning from some of the top winemakers.

MASTER OF WINE

I became totally fascinated with wine and spent all my time at tastings, reading, and visiting regions and wineries. The MW was considered the highest credential in the wine industry, with just 29 MWs in North America and 280 worldwide. So I spent 11 years trying to pass the exams. It was a happy day when it was all done. Sales of bubbly spiked.

FINE VINTAGE LTD

In 2005, we started our own business, Fine Vintage Ltd, a company that specializes in consulting to airlines, luxury hotel groups like Fairmont, the B.C. government, cruise lines and retailers. We also started 5 WSET schools in western Canada. I run it with my wife, Sondra, and our 2 young kids who give me better advice than expensive consultants!

FINE VINTAGE WINE CLUB

My goal is to discover fantastic quality wines that you won't find in the liquor store, and to work with a leading retailer so you can easily obtain them at great prices. I use my experience, independence, industry contacts, and tasting ability to pick the wines.

Through our video series, shot by my mate Olaf the German, we take you along for the ride as we visit wineries and restaurants around the world. We're all about passion, adventure, learning, and having a blast doing what we love.