Earl Cramer Brown: Oral History Interview

This interview is with Earl Cramer Brown, owner of Vertical Wine and Beer. He begins the interview with his philosophy of selling wine, and what challenges and successes he has had over the years. Later, he discusses how the market has changed and how selling wine has changed over time. Earl describes starting his wholesale company, Vertical Wine & Beer, and the specific decisions he has made with his company. Earl explains how he tastes wine to include in his portfolio, and his search to include balanced wines that work with food. He also describes in detail how the distribution process works, and fits into the wine industry. Later in the interview he speaks of the benefit of travel with wine education. He takes a very down to earth approach with his philosophy of wine, beer, and cider. Towards the end of the interview, Earl discusses Covid-19 and the changes he has had to make with his business. Next, he looks to the future and describes some of the changes he has seen in the industry so far. To conclude, Earl gives his advice for joining the wine industry, and reiterates the importance of travel. This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt on January 19, 2021 at Linfield University.