Meet Wilfred Wong
Wilfred (Willie) Wong’s 50-year wine career includes roles as Imported Wine Buyer and Cellarmaster for BevMo!, Chief Storyteller at Wine.com, Wine Judge, and Wine Journalist. His talent for photography and writing is showcased in Beverage Industry News, The Tasting Panel Magazine, Vineyard & Winery Management Magazine, and Wine Country International.
Wilfred is active on social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and others: @willlieboysf, @willieboysf_wineguy, @willieboy12. He lives in San Francisco with his wife Alice and their dog Kaili.
Experience in the Wine Industry
Wilfred’s first memorable wine experience was tasting a Beaulieu Vineyard 1968 red wine and a 1971 German Riesling. That moment took place in a friend of the family’s wine cellar. In 1971, he started managing the beverage inventory at Ashbury Market, his family’s business. He grew the wine business from a typical “mom ‘n pop” grocery store limited selection to extensive hand-picked wine offerings, including some of the first vintages of Caymus Vineyard, Chappellet, Chateau Montelena, as well as a fine selection of imported wines. One can say that the wine bug had bitten him.
In 1995, he joined a six-store chain, Beverages & more (the company changed to BevMo), as the company’s import wine buyer. During his tenure at BevMo, he tasted around 8,000 wines a year.
Wilfred brought his 100-point rating system to the company, and his job changed to Cellar Master, working between the merchandising and marketing departments.
In addition, he became in charge of the company’s wine signage. He left in 2014 to join Wine.com in much of the same capacity and became the company’s first Chief Storyteller.
During his professional career, Wilfred participated in wine competitions throughout the world (France, Spain, Australia, New Zealand, and the United States). In addition, he was Executive Director of the San Francisco Fair & Exposition Wine Competition (later changed to the San Francisco International Wine Competition). Wilfred is now focused on his writing and photography as he brings them together in one cohesive package: Beverages, Food, and Travel.
