WHO IS VINOHERCK?

Vinoherck was officially founded in 1944 but the company's roots date back much further. In 1909, the Van Herck family owned a refuge/café in the Port of Antwerp. Their clients were mostly men who worked at the docks and crew members of the numerous ships that came by Antwerp. The idea of this refuge/café was that the dock workers needed protection from rainfall, storms, cold, ... . In the refuge/café of the Van Herck family, called "In 't Verbrand Stapelhuis" ("The burned warehouse", named after a great fire in the port during that period), they could find some shelter and in the meantime drink a glass of wine or eat a snack.

It was from this place that one of the founders of Vinoherck, Mr. Edmond Van Herck, started to import wines in bulk, mostly in oak barrels. This activity began at a very modest scale, but it grew very rapidly. In 1944 Edmond Van Herck made a partnership with the co-founder of Vinoherck, Mr. Armand Van den Bergh, who owned a distillery. Together, they bought a building in the centre of Antwerp with enough room for bottling and storage and so Vinoherck was born. Vinoherck celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2004. Over the years, the company developed into an important player on the Belgian market of wines and spirits with a growing presence on the international market.

Vinoherck as importer

Every wine that Vinoherck offers to its clients, comes directly from the producers in their country of origin. There is no exception to this rule, so clients can be sure that they will get the best prices possible. In 1953, Vinoherck was the first company to import large quantities of wine in bulk by ship. The growth of the activities continued and eventually the warehouses in the centre of Antwerp became too small to bottle and store bulk wines. In 1972 Vinoherck took over the building and equipment of another wine merchant in the Port of Antwerp and created its daughter company, Eurovino. Since then, Vinoherck benefits from a unique situation in the heart of one of the largest ports in the world. Step by step, the equipment and the buildings were modernised and expanded. Today, the Eurovino plant in the Port of Antwerp occupies a surface of 4.000 m².

Vinoherck imports wines from all over the world, in bulk as well as bottled in their country of origin (mise d'origine). For many products, Vinoherck has the exclusive import rights for the Belgian market. In the Port of Antwerp, Vinoherck has a total storage capacity for bulk wines of approximately 3.500.000 litres. For loading and unloading train wagons, the company disposes of a link to the public railroad network. An underground tube system makes the loading and unloading of ships directly into the wine tanks, very practical. The wine tanks are made of inox and have a storage capacity between 3.500 and 100.000 litres each. For the selection of the wines, Vinoherck maintains a very strict buying policy. After their importation, the evolution of the wines is constantly monitored by a team of professionals. Vinoherck especially recruited a maître de chai from Villefranche-sur-Saône (Chablis area) and a technician from Bordeaux to join its Belgian staff as full time employees. Besides the bulk wines, Vinoherck has a permanent stock of approximately 500.000 bottles.

Vinoherck as supplier and distributor

Vinoherck develops its commercial activities mainly towards specialised stores and independent stores. Our position is situated between the producers and the Belgian wholesale wine merchants. Thanks to the import of wines in large quantities, the bottling activity and the unique situation in the Port of Antwerp, Vinoherck can offer its wines at extremely competitive prices. We maintain a complete distinction between the products delivered to specialised stores on one hand, and to the supermarkets on the other hand. Our wines are instantly delivered from our stock on demand of the clients, whether it is in bottles, in bulk or in Bag-In-Box. The situation in the Port of Antwerp, right in the very heart of the European gastronomy, creates many opportunities to export the imported and bottled wines to other countries within the European Union and abroad.

Vinoherck as bottler

Vinoherck disposes of an automatic bottling installation that is used for its own products as well as for products of third parties. Since September 2004, Vinoherck also fills its wines in Bag-in-Box, a market that is expanding very rapidly. The company has its own labels, but also works with the clients' label on demand.

Vinoherck as storage specialist

Vinoherck also stores bulk wines and liquors for third parties in the best possible circumstances. Our warehouses are climatised and the wines are kept in inox tanks under nitrogen to prevent any contact with the atmosphere. They remain under the constant supervision of our team of experts. The tanks are monitored and every treatment is automatically registered.

Vinoherck as customs office

Vinoherck handles all administration towards the Belgian customs regarding excises. There are two tax free warehouses: one in the Port and one in the centre of the city of Antwerp. The goods inside are free of excises until they leave the warehouse. However, Vinoherck can deliver goods free of excises, when the proper documents accompany the goods and when the client also has a registered tax free warehouse.

Vinoherck as producer

Vinoherck is also a producer when it comes to aperitif wines and liquors. We produce for our own clients with our own labels as well as for third parties, who have their private labels.