Billy Weiss for more than three decades has been a steadfast presence in fine wine retail and European wine imports. After many successful years as a fine wine retailer in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, Billy in 1999 purchased North Berkeley Wine, based in Berkeley, California. Established in 1979, North Berkeley Wine was a founding name in Berkeley’s gourmet scene, with a retail shop located just a few doors down from Alice Waters’ Chez Panisse on Shattuck Avenue.

Billy expanded North Berkeley’s import portfolio to include select French producers and grower Champagnes, as well as fine Italian wines from leading wine regions. At the same time, he strategically grew the company’s national wholesale network, which today encompasses 26 states.

Billy’s guiding philosophy has remained constant over the years: the company’s grower-partners are the foundation of North Berkeley’s success. He maintains that people are an importer’s most important asset, and the trust built over years of partnership is what keeps a business such as North Berkeley thriving. With more than 40 years in the fine wine business, North Berkeley Imports, with its retail division North Berkeley Imports Wine Shop, represents more than 100 dynamic, talented growers from France and Italy. Billy divides his time between Memphis, Tennessee where he lives with his wife, Jean, and Europe, visiting producers personally in France and Italy.