Photo: the Pellegrini family, owners of Villa Corniole. Photo credit to Villa Corniole.
A pandemic and a trade war turned my launch plan upside down…and I effectively doubled down on it. The result: I’m excited that we will soon have more wines and producers available for you!
Somehow, we managed to limit the delay in our commercial launch to about 3 months from the timing of our original business plan…which was developed before the pandemic. Now that we are in market, we are accelerating our expansion ahead of the spring season. Our commercial launch was executed differently than what I expected…which delayed launch, but was also the catalyst to a faster expansion.
The difference, and the catalyst, is launching as a self-wholesaler in Maryland. Making this decision, and hiring Staci, put us in the position of needing to broaden our portfolio faster.
In March 2021, we will be launching seven new producers, in addition to the two we already have in market, Audarya and Pietro Nera. This expansion will help us to better serve our retail and restaurant partners by providing a broader offering with which to serve them.
We will now represent producers from all over Italy, in 8 of its regions and including both islands. And we will also be launching our first producer from Spain!
A summary of the producers and products we’re excited to add:
- Villa Corniole, run by the Pellegrini family in the Trentino region, with views of the Dolomites. We will be carrying their Pinot Grigio and a Pinot Grigio Ramato, an orange version.
- Ghiga, run by brothers Enrico and Davide, who have a passion for high quality wines from the Asti region of Piemonte. We look forward to their Barbera d’Asti DOCG, Monferrato Dolcetto DOC, and the effervescent Moscato d’Asti DOCG.
- Luciano Landi, now in its 3rd generation of the Landi family. They produce wonderful value wines, including two versions of Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico DOC (a very up-and-coming varietal), and the lesser known (but WOW) Lacrima di Morro d’Alba, a red wine with a brilliant purple hue and a burst of fresh cut violets
- Marzocchi, a 4th generation producer in Chianti run by Mariangela, Francesco, and Giuseppe. We will be launching their Chianti and Chianti Riserva DOCG wines, both excellent expressions of local terroir
- Hiso Telaray, from Puglia. Affiliated with the Libera Terra co-op, assisting farm based businesses operating on confiscated mafia lands, Hiso Telaray is making exciting, high quality and good value wines, including both red and rosé versions of Negroamaro, and a wonderful Primitivo.
- Centopassi, from Sicily. Also affiliated with the Libera Terra co-op, Centopassi is located near Palermo, and making Nero d’Avola and Catarratto wines that have gained recognition with Gambero Rosso, the important Italian wine and food publication.
- Celler Jan Vidal, from the Catalunya region of Spain. A family winemaker who has operated for over 60 years, we are looking forward to launching a white and rosé Cava DO, perfect for celebrations any time of year.
We look forward to telling you about these producers, in the coming weeks. And we can’t wait to have them in market!
Today, in the US we celebrate Martin Luther King Day, in remembrance of the struggle for civil rights and equality. I deeply admire Dr. King’s conviction and relentless pursuit of equal rights, all the while not only embracing, but insisting upon non-violent protest, even in the face of violence from the other side. Thanks to his work, civil rights and social justice have taken a big step forward, and while it has improved since his days, it has not done so fast enough or thoroughly enough. Our perspective on social justice is that it is a matter of right versus wrong, and not right versus left; we will listen and understand and look for ways to be part of its advance, here in the US and everywhere.