Anniversary Festival (Party) - "Let's open something phenomenal!"

Twenty years ago, Waterford Wine & Spirits opened its doors with a simple, ambitious belief: that Wisconsin deserved access to the world’s great wines, not as distant trophies, but as living, shareable experiences. Bottles meant to be opened. Stories meant to be told. Tables meant to be gathered around. Two decades later, that belief has grown into something far richer than a cellar or a price list — it has become a community built on curiosity, trust, and the joy of discovery.

This festival tasting is our way of saying thank you — and of throwing the kind of party we love most. A little whimsical. Deeply generous. Filled with wines that matter not because they are rare for rarity’s sake, but because they are expressive, soulful, crafted and chosen with intention. These bottles speak clearly of whence they come — and are wines meant to be tasted together, debated over, revisited and remembered.

At our core, Waterford exists to educate, to share, and — yes — to sell wine. But always with purpose! We strive to discover, collect and offer the greatest wines in the world at a meaningful level of value. Over 20 years, that pursuit has taken us far beyond what once seemed possible for a small Wisconsin wine shop. From Bordeaux and Barolo to Santiago and Santorini, from the Willamette Valley to the Wachau, our shelves reflect decades of research, travel, conversation and conviction. And if the wine you’re dreaming of isn’t here yet, we’re always happy to hunt it down.

Founded in 2005 by Ben Christiansen, Waterford has grown into a jumbled extended family of wine professionals, sommeliers, wander‑ust imbibers, garagista winemakers, second‑career cashiers, cheerful shelf‑stockers and a few lovingly named mascots. Wine lovers all — and almost always willing to share a glass. What binds us isn’t uniformity, but a shared belief that wine is at its best when it’s generously shared in good honest company.

Which brings us to what matters most: you.

Over the years, our clients have become our friends, our drinking buddies  and sometimes even our colleagues. You’ve shaped our selections, challenged our assumptions and furnished our livelihood. Waterford simply wouldn’t exist without the remarkable community that it calls home. This anniversary belongs to you as much as it does to us!

To celebrate our first 20 years, we’re bringing in some of the world’s most revered wineries and top regional distillers and putting them right where they belong — at the tasting table with you. No velvet ropes. No pedestals. Just great bottles, thoughtfully chosen, poured with enthusiasm and priced with the same care we’ve always taken. We work hard to keep our pricing among the most competitive in the industry, and if something ever feels off, we want to know — because every wine purchased at Waterford should feel like an exemplar joy in a bottle.

So come raise a glass with us. Taste broadly. Ask questions. Revisit old favorites and discover new ones. This is a celebration 20 years in the making — and of all the shared moments, past and future, that make wine worth loving.

In vino veritas — and cheers! -Ben

P.S. - as my (a)vocation has taught me - beware the ides of the March. 

Wines to be tasted - this is a partial list of wines:

NV Aubry Brut Champagne $89.99
2018 Smith Madrone Riesling $53.99
2024 Au Bon Climat Santa Barbara County Pinot Gris / Pinot Blanc $37.99
2023 Nikolaihof Hefeabzug Gruner Veltliner $57.99
2025 Banyan Gewurztraminer $23.99
2023 Folk Machine "Closer to the Bone" Pinot Noir $49.99
2024 Arnot Roberts Rose $59.99
2022 Ghostwriter Santa Cruz Mountains Pinot Noir $49.99
2023 Ridge Geyserville Zinfandel $87.99
2022 Hedges Estate Red Wine Red Mountain $55.99
2022 Honig Cabernet Napa Valley $77.99

NV Chiquet Brut Tradition Champagne $83.99
NV Mousee NV Eugene Extra Brut Champagne $103.99
2023 Inama Soave Classico Vigneti di Foscarino $49.99
2024 Gobersburg Gruner Steinsetz $77.99
2021 Leeuwin Art Series Chardonnay $164.99
2024 Ingrid Groiss Rose Ried Hasenhaide $31.99
2024 Lapierre Beaujolais "Le Beaujolais" $45.99
2024 Domaine de la Chanteleuserie Bourgueil "Les Alouettes $26.99
2023 Gachot Monot Cotes de Nuits Villages $75.99
2021 Vietti Barolo $107.99
2021 Marchesi di Gresy Barbaresco Martinenga $111.99
2021 Mas Doix Les Crestes Priorat $57.99

Larmandier Bernier Latitude $144.99
2024 Colli di Lapio Fiano di Avellino $42.99
2023 Claudie Jobard Rully Blanc Montagne La Folie $74.99
2022 Tre Monti "Classe 33" Romagna Sangiovese Serra $50.99
2022 Evesham Wood Pinot Noir Le Puits Sec Estate Vineyard $80.99
2023 Domaine Berthelemot Beaune 1er Cru Clos des Mouches Rouge $172.99
2020 Altare Barolo Classico $128.99
2022 Giornata Gemellaia (Super Tuscan) $88.99
2022 Snowden Cabernet Sauvignon The Ranch $94.99

2024 Cavalchina Bianco Custoza $24.99
2023 Tavignano Verdicchio di Castelli di Jesi 'Misco' $33.99
2023 Tyler MAE Estate Chardonnay $110.99
2020 Bhilar Rioja Phincas $44.99
2022 Lemelson Pinot Noir Stermer Vineyard Yamhill Carlton $76.99
2023 Le Potazzine Rosso di Montalcino $72.99 
2018 Podere Il Palazzino Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Grosso Sanese $84.99
2021 Fratelli Seghesio Barolo Castelletto $65.99
2022 Altos las Hormigas Malbec Reserve $46.99
2022 Domaine des Escaravailles Rasteau La Ponce $40.99
2023 Stringer Cellars Metal Bender Napa Valley Cabernet $80.99

2024 Domaine de la Pepiere Muscadet "Briords", Loire Valley, France $38.99
2024 Ermes Pavese Blanc de Morgex et La Salle, Valle d'Aosta  $63.99
2024 Ameztoi Txakolina Blanco, Basque Country, Spain  $31.99
2023 Do Ferreiro Albarino, Rias Baixas, Galicia, Spain  $46.99
2023 LIOCO Chardonnay, Sonoma County $37.99
2022 Domaine Overnoy-Crinquand Arbois-Pupillin Trousseau, Jura, France $63.99
2020 Domaine de Pallus Chinon "Pensees de Pallus", Loire Valley, France $44.99
2023 Etienne Becheras Saint-Joseph, Northern Rhone, France $51.99
2022 DeForville Barbaresco, Piedmont, Italy $56.99
2012 Lopez de Heredia "Vina Tondonia" Rioja Reserva, Rioja, Spain $89.99

Ticket price credited towards a case purchase, no cash value. 

—Image is a rendering of Waterford's first home, a 600-square-foot downstairs apartment on Milwaukee's bustling East Side. We now have parking! And three locations in southern WI!