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London’s traditional wine merchants were an inspiration for the early visions Michael had for a business that he would later grow as Prince Wine Store.  After completing degrees in Journalism and Industrial Relations at Deakin and Melbourne Universities respectively, Michael moved to London where he worked with UK independent wine retailer Odd Binns at the height of its popularity. Returning to Australia, he worked across wine retail and importing, moving into the role of Imported Wine Buyer at Philip Murphy Wine & Spirits where he met future business partner Alex Wilcox.  The two bonded over a shared vision in growing the customer base for high-end wines such as Bordeaux and Burgundy beyond the elite.  His time as a partner at Italian wine wholesaler Trembath & Taylor refined his vision, but it was his buy-in of the Prince Wine Store in 2003 that allowed him to explore the potential of a retailer growing beyond its scope. Michael has played a key role in the group’s growth beyond its humble beginnings, and into the bigger picture it projects today. Now with retail stores in Melbourne and Sydney, Michael is passionate about growing the group’s impressive portfolio of producers, and profiling these in their Melbourne wine bar, Bellota and its upcoming Sydney equivalent.

Law school didn’t stand a chance with Alex Wilcox, when a cycling trip through the vineyards of Europe during university sent Alex off in a new direction towards what would become a lifelong career in the world of wine. Whilst completing an Honours Degree in Agricultural Economics at the University of Sydney, with a year spent at California’s UC Davis focusing on Wine Trade, Alex worked wine vintages in France, Tuscany and Western Australia. Realising he wasn’t destined to inherit a European vineyard, Alex followed his future wife to Melbourne where he went onto work across all aspects of wine trade, including service, retail and importing. It was during his time working at Phillip Murphy Wine & Spirits in the late 1990s that Alex met future business partner Michael McNamara; a partnership that was formalized when the two bought into the Prince Wine Store a number of years later. Over the last 13 years, Alex has been instrumental in the growth not just of the group and its breadth of offerings, but of lesser-known, quality wine producers he has worked with Michael to source and develop. With stores now in Victoria and NSW, Alex looks forward to expanding the Prince Wine Store’s customer experience to Sydney and beyond.