Maggie Heile, Founder and General Manager of Vin 7000 in Park City, started the company in the spring of 2019 directly as a result of the limited wine selection and availability of unique, fine wines in Utah.
Vin 7000 is a boutique, independent Utah wine brokerage specializing in limited production handcrafted fine wines that are not widely distributed. “We’re all about the stories behind the wine, the vineyards, the people, and how we met,” says Heile. “Those are the things that make wine great and experiences memorable. My mission has always been to understand what the wine drinkers in Utah want and to find creative ways to navigate the strict liquor laws of this state in order to make those things happen.”
As she left her corporate career in brand management to pursue her next chapter in the wine industry, she was gifted a card that read: “She packed up her potential and all she had learned, grabbed a cute pair of shoes, and headed out to change a few things.” And now she’s known to many as “Utah’s wine curator.”
Thanks to Heile’s work over the past few years, Utah wine drinkers have many reasons to raise a glass.
Park City Home: Tell us about Vin 7000’s portfolio. How many wine regions are represented?
Maggie Heile: I currently work with dozens of domestic wineries and several importers who share my same values and have wonderful portfolios from small family grower producers. Collectively, there are hundreds of wines in the Vin 7000 portfolio from across California, Oregon, Washington, and Idaho domestically. Internationally, I focus on France, though
I’ve been expanding into other regions and also represent some great wines from Italy, Argentina, Chile, and South Africa.
The portfolio is constantly growing and changing to meet the needs of my customers. Many of the wineries I represent are from my own background and experiences. There are also quite a few I have started working with upon request from specific customers – sometimes a restaurant or resort, and sometimes a consumer request.
Park City Home: You specialize in representing small, boutique wineries across the world. Why is this the focus of Vin 7000?
MH: I’ve been incredibly fortunate to have traveled all over the world experiencing many of the great wine regions, discovering fabulous small-batch wines made by fascinating people. From that, I’ve found that these small producers and great wines often don’t make their way to states like Utah and can tend to get lost in a sea of large brands and more mass-produced wines.
Small family wineries put more time, attention, and care into their winemaking. Their hearts and souls go into the making of their wines. Every wine in our portfolio is the highest quality, and that comes from a few important factors like mindful and sustainable farming, minimal intervention winemaking, and the authenticity of handcrafted care and attention.
So, when I started Vin 7000 it was a no-brainer. It’s exactly what they term win-win-win: I have a personal affinity for the small family producers, there was an unmet need in the market for these boutique wines, and I wanted to help give a voice and presence to these small wineries who never would have considered a state like Utah.
Park City Home: How do Utahns find great wine in this state?
MH: That’s the million-dollar question, right? So many people think that they can’t. There really is some great wine to be gotten, you just need to know how to find it. One way to acquire wine, and the predominant way most people go about finding wine, is through the Utah State Liquor Stores. Each store is unique, as they cater to their locale and regional demographic. Wine shoppers tend to have a favorite store where they regularly shop at, whether it be the store that is most convenient for them or the one that offers the type of selection they seek. Unfortunately, the reality is that each of the stores is limited by their size (most are not very big) so they can only have so many items in stock. This can be frustrating, as shoppers can feel a bit “handcuffed” that they are limited to only what’s on the shelves and think that they can’t find great wine here. Fortunately, many of the wines from the Vin 7000 portfolio are in the Park City liquor stores since this is a market that tends to seek these limited production, special wines.
Park City Home: Are special orders worth the hassle in Utah?
MH: I am certainly biased since the majority of wines in the Vin 7000 portfolio are available as special order, but I say absolutely! Only a limited amount of the alcohol available to purchase in Utah is actually in stores. Quite a lot of great wines (or beer or spirits) are available to order and be delivered to the liquor store of your choice. These tend to be higher-end, boutique, and limited-production items.
You can place a special order on the Utah DABS website. The ordering system is for both restaurants and consumers. However, it’s not the most intuitive shopping experience. Because I do so much of my business with private consumers, I help most of my customers place their orders. It’s just so much easier for them to call, text, or email me with what they want (or ask me to pick something out for them) and, once we have their account set up with the Utah DABS, I can take care of it for them.
Special orders typically take about 6-8 weeks to arrive, though Vin 7000 and our partner wineries place a special focus on this and our wines tend to arrive within about 4 weeks.
Park City Home: It seems that the Park City Wine and Liquor Stores have some of the best (and perhaps most difficult to find) wines in the state. Is that true and why is that?
MH: As I mentioned earlier, each store is quite unique. The Park City Store 38 at Snowcreek, which is termed a “Wine Store” is one of the largest stores in Utah. They have one of the most expansive selections of wines that are available in store distribution (Store 41 in Salt Lake City carries every listed wine) and I believe Store 38 in Park City has the second largest selection. In fact, all the wines from the Vin 7000 portfolio that are in stores are at the Snowcreek Liquor Store.
The Park City Store 37 in Kimball Junction is significantly smaller, so they don’t have the same breadth but they do a fabulous job curating specific wines for their store and clientele. They have a wonderful selection of higher end, rarer wines. Pro tip: find Wayne at the Kimball Junction store and he can help you find great wines!
Park City Home: Can you explain the details of Utah’s small winery exemption and why it makes buying some wines so affordable here?
MH: Utah offers a pricing benefit to wineries (and breweries and distilleries) whose production falls under certain thresholds. A winery qualifies as a small producer if it produces less than 20,000 gallons (~8,500 cases) of wine annually. There is an application process and, once granted the exemption, the State takes a significantly reduced markup on these wines. The winery makes the same amount of money, but the shopper pays a lower retail price.
With the Small Producer Reduced Markup, Utah retail prices are lower than winery pricing and there are no shipping costs! Most of the wines in the Vin 7000 portfolio qualify for this reduced markup, and it is wonderful that we can offer such great pricing to wine consumers in Utah.
Park City Home: There’s been some talk about Utah Wine Clubs lately. Is it true that people who live in Utah can participate in wine clubs?
MH: Yes! I am so pleased that Vin 7000 figured out a way to creatively work within the systems of the Utah DABS to offer select wine clubs to Utahns! Vin 7000 developed these first-of-its-kind wine clubs, and we continue to be one of the exclusive sources of wine clubs in Utah.
They work the same as other wine clubs. You sign up to be a member of a particular wine club and receive regular (typically quarterly) shipments of wines in 3- and 4-bottle cases. The only difference is that the wine shipments go to your designated liquor store rather than directly to your home. And, actually, it ends up being more convenient for many people since you don’t need to worry about being home to sign for your delivery.
Park City Home: Please tell us about the benefits of joining the wine clubs that Vin 7000 has put together.
MH: Our wine clubs represent a range of regions, grape varietals, styles of winemaking, and price points. There are many benefits to joining one of our wine clubs:
Convenience: Instead of wandering around the liquor store wondering what to buy, you’ll receive regular shipments to your Utah DABS store of choice with free shipping.
Quality: Each winery is small, boutique, and family-run. Their passion shines through in these small-batch, high-quality, and hand-crafted wines.
Exploration: Once you choose a winery that fits your flavor profile, you’ll receive a curated variety pack with every shipment that might include signature wines, new releases, member exclusive wines, and sometimes even a library wine.
Exclusive Access: Most wines in each shipment are not available in Utah liquor stores.
Member Benefits: As a wine club member, you’ll get exclusive access to special events for Utah wine club members, such as winemaker visits, Utah events and video calls, along with special guest privileges if you visit the winery.
Park City Home: One of your wine clubs, Chester Wines, has a particularly close connection to Park City. Can you tell us about that charitable element?
MH: Chester Wines are made by Russian River Vineyards and are tribute wines to the winery’s rescue dog, Chester. Chester was a very social winery dog and loved to greet guests and accompany them on tours of the estate. In honor of Chester, the winery donates a portion of sales of Chester Wines to local rescue organizations.
When we introduced Chester Wines to Utah, we wanted to establish a local charitable partnership with Nuzzles & Co. Pet Rescue and Adoption. A portion of Utah sales of all Chester wines, including Chester Wine Club orders, are donated to Nuzzles. So you can feel good enjoying great wine while giving back to our local animal rescue and adoption!
Chester Chardonnay and Chester Pinot Noir are in the Park City Snowcreek Store 38. Chester Sparkling, Sauvignon Blanc, and Red Blend are available as special order. The quarterly Chester Wine Club is such a great value with 4 bottles for $99 each shipment.