News Alert: Italy’s Marchesi Antinori Forms Napa-Based Import Company, Vinattieri 1385

One of Italy’s foremost wine companies, Marchesi Antinori, has opened a new wholly-owned import company in the U.S. market called Vinattieri 1385. Based in Napa, Vinattieri 1385 will handle the Antinori, Prunotto, and Tormaresca wines in the U.S. market, effective immediately, and will also be in charge of marketing the wines of Napa Valley’s Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars, which Antinori acquired in full last year.

“This is one of the most important chapters in our history, together with the acquisition of Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars,” said Piero Antinori, honorary president at Marchesi Antinori. Vinattieri 1385 refers to the year Antinori’s direct ancestor Giovanni di Piero became a member of the Arte Fiorentina dei Vinattieri, the Florentine Vintners’ Guild.

Including Antinori’s Italian wines as well as Stag’s Leap, Vinattieri 1385 will have approximate U.S. volume of 500,000 cases and a little over $100 million in sales. Renzo Cotarella, CEO of Marchesi Antinori, told SND that Vinattieri 1385 will continue the company’s national partnership with Southern Glazer’s, which began under former Antinori importer Ste. Michelle Wine Estates. The new import unit is led by industry veteran Paolo Battegazzore as CEO, who previously held the same role at Folio Fine Wine Partners.

“Now is the time for us to invest in the U.S. market with our structure and try to really promote and market our wines,” said Cotarella. “The (Stag’s Leap) acquisition helped a lot in terms of gaining the right critical mass that will allow us to establish an import company.”

Cotarella explained that due to the complexities of both the U.S. market and the Antinori portfolio, it’s important that the company become more precise in its marketing—particularly as it introduces newer bottlings—and felt obliged to bring its wines in-house in the U.S. to further that goal. “We think that there is a lot of room for us (to grow) in terms of quality of distribution, in terms of quantity as well,” he said.

“We are a 27-generation company, and we need to work for the 28th, 29th, and 30th generations,” Cotarella added. “It’s not a matter of adding profitability tomorrow or the day after. We need to take a long view and think about the future.” —Daniel Marsteller

Tagged : Marchesi Antinori, Prunotto, Stag's Leap Wine Cellars, Ste. Michelle Wine Estates, Tormaresca, Vinattieri 1385

GET YOUR FIRST LOOK AT 2025 ESTIMATES AND 2030 PROJECTIONS FOR THE WINE AND SPIRITS INDUSTRIES. ORDER YOUR 2025 IMPACT DATABANK REPORTS. CLICK HERE.