News Briefs for November 28, 2018

•The Tommasi winery of Italy’s Veneto region has purchased a significant share in Fattoria La Massa, an estate in Panzano in Tuscany’s Chianti Classico region. The deal was signed Nov. 23. The percentage of shares and the price were not disclosed. Ermen Minari, an Italian entrepreneur, also invested in the deal. La Massa owner and founder Giampaolo Motta will retain ownership of the remaining share of the company. Wine Spectator has the full story.

•Vineyard Brands is launching a new Portugal-sourced wine label from Symington Family Estates, Quinta do Ataíde. The brand includes a DOC Douro Red ($23) and a Vinha do Arco DOC Douro Red ($35). Both are grown in the arid Vilariça Valley of Portugal—a subdivision of the Douro Valley—and made from organic grapes. The DOC Douro Red is a blend of Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Barroca, Tinta Roriz, and Tinta Cāo, while the Vinha do Arco is 100% Touriga Nacional.

•Vision Wine & Spirits, a division of Martignetti Companies, is adding Puerto Rico’s Ron del Barrilito rum to its import portfolio. Ron Barrilito’s U.S. offering will include 2 Stars ($27) and 3 Stars ($35) rums, which are both at 43% abv. The brand has also produced 2,500 bottles of a new 35-year-old luxury rum, 5 Stars, which retails at $750. Vision’s spirits portfolio also includes Benromach, Gordon & Macphail, and Douglas Laing Scotch whiskies, Ron Centenario rum, Pizcadores sotol, and Rock Rose gin, among others.

•David Driscoll, the long time head spirits buyer at retailer K&L Wine Merchants who left that job earlier this year for a Silicon Valley healthcare startup, is returning to the drinks industry. In January, Driscoll will join California-based Pacific Edge Wine & Spirits as director of sales. Pacific Edge is a marketer of artisanal spirits and the importer of Springbank, Wolfburn, and A.D. Rattray single malt Scotch whiskies, Frapin Cognac, and Chateau DuBreuil Calvados, among numerous other labels. It also handles California distribution for Kentucky Bourbon Distillers, Barrell Bourbon, Leopold Brothers, Haus Alpenz, and a host of other brands.

Tagged : Martignetti Companies, Pacific Edge Wine & Spirits, Tommasi, Vineyard Brands, Vision Wine & Spirits, Wine Spectator

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