Charles Finkel
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Charles Finkel (born September 25, 1943) is a designer, entrepreneur, artist and founder of Bon-Vin, Merchant du Vin, and Pike Brewing in
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. Charles began marketing wines from small family owned California wineries in the 1970s and was the first to market the wines of
Washington state Washington, officially the State of Washington, is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is often referred to as Washington State to distinguish it from the national capital, both named after George Washington ...
throughout the country. In an article in Wines and Vines Magazine in 1970, Finkel was the first to use the term ''"boutique wines"'' to describe small, family owned wines of quality. He was the first importer to introduce Belgian beer along with craft beers from England, Scotland, Belgium, France, Norway, and Germany to America through Merchant du Vin. He designed the labels for beers including
Ayinger Ayinger Brewery ( ; ) is in Aying, Bavaria, Germany, about 25 km south of Munich. Ayinger beers are exported to Italy, the United States, and the rest of Europe. Licensed production in UK For some years, a range of beer was brewed under t ...
Celebrator,
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's Celebrated Oatmeal Stout, Organic Chocolate Stout, Imperial Stout and Winter Welcome,
Lindeman's Lindeman's is an Australian wine company, owned by Treasury Wine Estates. It was founded in 1843 by Dr Henry John Lindeman (died May 1881), who planted its first vines at "Cawarra", Gresford, on the Upper Paterson River in the Hunter Valley ...
Cuvée René, and Pike Brewing Company. Charles has received a myriad of awards. In 2025, for his pioneering efforts and influence, Charles was named to the American Craft Beer Hall of Fame. He was married to Rose Ann Finkel, until her death in 2020.


Early life

Charles was born into a
Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
family in
Flushing, Queens Flushing is a neighborhood in the north-central portion of the New York City Borough (New York City), borough of Queens. The neighborhood is the fourth-largest central business district in New York City. Downtown Flushing is a major commercial ...
,
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in 1943 and moved with his family to
Broken Arrow, Oklahoma Broken Arrow is a city in Tulsa and Wagoner counties in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. It is the largest suburb of Tulsa. According to the 2020 census, Broken Arrow has a population of 113,540 residents and is the 4th most populous city in the s ...
in 1947. His father worked for
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in
Tulsa, Oklahoma Tulsa ( ) is the List of municipalities in Oklahoma, second-most-populous city in the U.S. state, state of Oklahoma, after Oklahoma City, and the List of United States cities by population, 48th-most-populous city in the United States. The po ...
. During his youth, he traveled each year, (first class when space was available)from Tulsa to New York, and from Tulsa to San Francisco instilling a sense of adventure and love of the arts. From 1962 thru 1966 he studied design and marketing at
University of Oklahoma The University of Oklahoma (OU) is a Public university, public research university in Norman, Oklahoma, United States. Founded in 1890, it had existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two territories became the ...
. He was first introduced to wineries in
Livermore, California Livermore is a city in Alameda County, California. With a 2020 population of 87,955, Livermore is the most populous city in the Tri-Valley, giving its name to the Livermore Valley. It is located on the eastern edge of California's San Francisc ...
and the
Napa valley Napa Valley is an American Viticultural Area (AVA) in Napa County, California. The area was established by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) on February 27, 1981, after a 1978 petition submitted by the Napa Valley Vin ...
in 1963. During his senior year in college, he managed Mayo Meadows Liquor Store where he distinguished himself in wine knowledge and resultant sales.


Wine industry

In 1966 Finkel moved to New York to work for Monsieur Henri, a wine importer and
wholesaler Wholesaling or distributing is the sale of goods or merchandise to retailers; to industrial, commercial, institutional or other professional business users; or to other wholesalers (wholesale businesses) and related subordinated services. In ...
in NY and visited the wine growing regions in Spain, France, Germany and
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. Finkel met European wine merchants and vineyard owners who visited Monsieur Henri in NY. At age 25, he was named "salesmen of the year". In 1967 Monsieur Henri appointed him S.W. sales manager. Charles relocated to
Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...
, where he met his wife, Rose Ann (née Martin). In 1969 he founded his own wine importing company, Bon-Vin, Inc, with offices in Tulsa and Houston. The
Houston Chronicle The ''Houston Chronicle'' is the largest daily newspaper in Houston, Houston, Texas, United States. it is the third-largest newspaper by Sunday circulation in the United States, behind only ''The New York Times'' and the ''Los Angeles Times''. ...
in September 1971 called Charles and his
business partner A business partner is a commercial entity with which another commercial entity has some form of alliance. This relationship may be a contractual, exclusive bond in which both entities commit not to ally with third parties. Alternatively, it may be ...
, Robert Conley, the ''"whiz kids of the wine world."'' Bon-Vin imported to America the wines of Chalonaise including Chateau de Chamirey,
Mercurey Mercurey () is a commune in the Saône-et-Loire department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region of eastern France. The village dates from pre-historic times and is the most widely recognized and important wine village of the Côte Chalonnais ...
, Clos Solomon Givry, Le Vieux Chateau Montagny and Veuve Amba sparkling Rully. In
Bordeaux Bordeaux ( ; ; Gascon language, Gascon ; ) is a city on the river Garonne in the Gironde Departments of France, department, southwestern France. A port city, it is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the Prefectures in F ...
, they represented Descas Père et Fils, and pétits châteaux including Caronne Ste. Gemmme-Haut Medoc, Caillon-Grand Cru Classe Barsac, Milon- Pauillac, Lescours, Laniote,
La Serre La Serre (; ) is a commune in the Aveyron department in southern France. Population The GSSP Golden Spike for the Tournaisian is in La Serre, with the first appearance of the conodont ''Siphonodella sulcata''. In 2006 it was discovered ...
and Le Chatelet-St. Emilion, Junayme- Fronsac, Millet- Graves, La Rame- St. Croix du Mont, and Bourseau-Lalalnde de Pomerol.
Vineyard A vineyard ( , ) is a plantation of grape-bearing vines. Many vineyards exist for winemaking; others for the production of raisins, table grapes, and non-alcoholic grape juice. The science, practice and study of vineyard production is kno ...
s from other French regions included Huet-Vouvray, La Noe- Muscadet, Maucoil and St. Pierre- Chateauneuf du Pape, Jan Bourdy-Jura, Bodegas Matines Laquesta-Rioja, Delafoce–Porto. In 1973 Bon-Vin acquired Robert Philips Wine Importing Company of Stamford, Connecticut adding the wines of George and Ludwig Schmidt-Rhine wines, Blondel-Marchal-Champagne, J. Vidal Fleury-Rhone and Henriques and Henriques-Madiera. In 1969 Bon-Vin became the exclusive agent for Ste. Michelle, now known as Château Ste. Michelle, in
Washington state Washington, officially the State of Washington, is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is often referred to as Washington State to distinguish it from the national capital, both named after George Washington ...
. During this time Charles convinced the
winery A winery is a building or property that produces wine, or a business involved in the cultivation and production of wine, such as a wine company. Some wine companies own many wineries. Besides wine making equipment, larger wineries may also feat ...
to change the
appellation An appellation is a legally defined and protected geographical indication used to identify where the ingredients of a food or beverage originated, most often used for the origin of wine grapes. Restrictions other than geographical boundaries, s ...
from ''"American"'' to ''"Washington State"'' and added a back label to bottles that shows the latitude of Washington State in comparison to the European wine growing regions. In 1970 Bon-Vin and Finkel began representing emerging California wineries in Napa Valley, Sonoma, and Mendocino counties including Dry Creek, Z.D., Sutter Home, Ficklin, Kenwood, and Fetzer. In 1974 Bon-Vin was acquired by U.S. Tobacco as part of their purchase of
American Wine Growers American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...
, which included Ste. Michelle. Charles and Rose Ann moved to Seattle, Washington where Finkel was Vice President of Marketing at Château Ste. Michelle, part of the team that built the
château A château (, ; plural: châteaux) is a manor house, or palace, or residence of the lord of the manor, or a fine country house of nobility or gentry, with or without fortifications, originally, and still most frequently, in French-speaking re ...
in
Woodinville Woodinville is a city in King County, Washington, United States. The population was 13,069 at the 2020 census. It is a part of the Seattle metropolitan area and is east of Bothell. Woodinville has waterfront parks on the Sammamish River, a wine ...
, Washington. Because he had an interest in architecture, and had spent considerable time around French chateaux, Charles contributed the chateau design which was followed by architect Chester Lindsay.


Craft beer


Importing

In 1978 Finkel founded Merchant du Vin, a wine and beer importing company, based in Seattle, Washington. He was the exclusive agent for states west of the
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for D.G. Yuengling brewery of Pottsville, Pennsylvania. As the exclusive U.S. importer, Merchant du Vin acted as the sole United States agent for English breweries
Samuel Smith Old Brewery Samuel Smith Old Brewery, commonly known as Samuel Smith's or Sam Smith's, is an independent brewery and pub operator based in Tadcaster, North Yorkshire, England, established in 1758. It claims to be Yorkshire's oldest brewery. It is known fo ...
and Melbourn Bros; German breweries Brauerei Ayinger and
Pinkus Müller Pinkus Müller is a German brewery based in the Northern Germany town of Münster. The Pinkus-Müller brewery traces its origins to the arrival of Johannes Müller (1792–1870) in Münster from his hometown of Hildebrandshausen in 1816. After ma ...
and Belgian breweries
Orval Orval may refer to: Places * Orval, Cher, a commune of the Cher ''département'' in France * Orval, Manche, a former commune of the Manche ''département'', in France (now merged with Montchaton into Orval-sur-Sienne) * Orval-sur-Sienne, a commune ...
, Lindemans, St.Bernardus, and Rodenbach. According to
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in Ultimate Beer, ''"Portland and Seattle are the top two craft-beer markets in the world. Perhaps because the beer-importer Merchant du Vin was located in Seattle, that city's restaurants were among the first in the nation to add specialty beers to their menus."'' Pioneer brewer
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wrote in his autobiography, The Ale Master , ''"Give Charlie some credit for importing all those wild beers. He sort of primed the pump so that when the microbrewed beers showed up, people were prepared to taste something different."'' Market Watch Magazine called Merchant du Vin ''"America's most impressive specialty beer importers."'' The book ''Brewing in Seattle'' notes, "An entire book could be dedicated to the influence Charles Finkel and his wife, Rose Ann, had over not just Seattle's brewing culture but the entire American craft brewing industry. Before establishing Pike Place Brewery in 1989, the two had already created America's first boutique wine importing business and later a beer importing company that first introduced America to many of the most popular beer styles in craft brewing today."


Pike Brewing Company

Charles and Rose Ann founded Pike Place Brewery (now known as Pike Brewing) in 1989, tapping the first keg, along with Franz Inselkammer, Brau Von Aying, on October 17, 1989. The brewery originally shared space with Liberty Malt Supply Co. at 1432 Western in the LaSalle Hotel building in
Pike Place Market Pike Place Market is a Marketplaces#Types, public market in Seattle, Washington, United States. It opened on August 17, 1907, and is one of the oldest continuously operated public farmers' markets in the United States. Overlooking the Elliott B ...
. Liberty Malt Supply Co., purchased from John Farias, was a
home brewing Homebrewing is the brewing of beer or other alcoholic beverages on a small scale for personal, non-commercial purposes. Supplies, such as kits and fermentation tanks, can be purchased locally at specialty stores or online. Beer was brewed dom ...
and
wine making Winemaking, wine-making, or vinification is the production of wine, starting with the selection of the fruit, its fermentation into alcohol, and the bottling of the finished liquid. The history of wine-making stretches over millennia. There is ...
shop and mail order retailer established in 1921. The tile, copper and stainless steel brewery had a four barrel copper kettle hand-crafted by Seattle's Alaskan Copper and Brass and Jason Parker was the Head Brewer. Original beers brewed included Pike Place Ale and Pike XXXXX Extra Stout. At the time Charles sold the brewery, they had brewed IPA longer than any other American brewery. Pike Place Brewery and Liberty Malt Supply moved to 1415 First Avenue, Seattle, WA in 1996, a three-story gravity-flow 30 barrel steam brew house adding The Pike Pub and Microbrewery Museum. The brewery's name was also changed to Pike Brewing Company. Pike Brewing Company, The Pike Pub and Liberty Malt Supply, as a part of Merchant du Vin, were sold in 1997. The pub and brewery continued but Liberty Malt Supply was closed. Charles and Rose Ann Finkel reacquired Pike, including The Pike Pub and brewery, on May 1, 2006. After Rose Ann's death, Charles sold a majority of Pike to Seattle Hospitality Group under Howard Wright. He left Pike in 2025, and now spends his time working on Charles Finkel Design, creating graphics, writing, and painting.


Personal life

Charles met Rose Ann Martin at a wine tasting in Houston, Texas in 1968, they were married in 1969. They had two adult children, Andrew Finkel of Everett, WA and Amy Finkel of Beacon, NY. Together they were the Seattle Slow Food Convivium Leaders from 1999 to 2004, and served on the national board of The
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during the same period. Charles judged the Slow Food Awards in Bologna, Italy in 2001 and in Torino, Italy in 2003 and has served on the boards of Planned Parenthood of The Great Northwest and Hawaiian Islands and The Epiphany School in Seattle. Rose Ann is memorialized with the Rose Ann Finkel Diversity in Brewing Scholarship at Washington State University. She was named posthumously as a Woman of Influence by the Puget Sound Business Journal in 2021, and, along with her husband, Charles, to the Craft Beer Hall of Fame in 2025.


Charles Finkel's Awards

1997 – Lifetime Achievement Award at the Midwest International Beer Expo's Legends of Beer dinner. Master of ceremonies was the beer authority, Michael Jackson. He described Finkel as "one of the most influential people in the beer marketing world." 1998 – Recognition Award from the Brewers Association 2011 – Named one of '10 Beer Innovators' by DRAFT Magazine 2012 - Keynote speaker at National Homebrew Conference, Bellevue, WA 2014 – Named a 'Culinary Trailblazer' by Puget Sound Business Journal 2015 – Pellegrini Foundation Award winners, 2016 – Named to 'Seattle's Food & Beverage Hall of Fame' by Seattle Magazine


Writing

2000 – Published The Brewer's Companion by Randy Mosher 2011 - Art Curator for Oxford Companion to Beer 2024 - Forward
Distilled in Washington: A History
2024 - Outstanding Graduate, Broken Arrow High School, Broken Arrow, Oklahoma 2025 Inducted into the integral group of 13 individuals, including Rose Ann Finkel, forming the American Craft Beer Hall of Fame


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Finkel, Charles 1943 births Living people American brewers American designers People from Broken Arrow, Oklahoma People from Flushing, Queens University of Tulsa alumni