Can You Scale Up Fine Wine?
Tuesday 5th December 2023 – 4PM BST- Online – Register now
Fine wine has always relied on rarity and scarcity to establish its appeal. Fine wine thrives on the idea (real or perceived) of small scale, artisanal, never-changing production.
But are these models still viable in today’s economy? If scaling-up increases the survival rate of businesses, shouldn’t all fine wine businesses be looking at growth?
In other words, does one need to be small to be scarce? Is there a limit to how big a fine wine business can be?
Join us on December 5th to explore how and why fine wine businesses scale up, the main challenges they face and the skills and resources it takes to grow.
We are pleased to welcome the following panellists:
Joao Gomes da Silva, Chief Commercial Officer, Sogrape
João Gomes da Silva has a degree in Economics and a PhD in Agricultural Economics from the University of Reading (United Kingdom). He made an international career in Europe and Latin America in the Food Distribution and Textile sectors. Since 2014, João Gomes da Silva is the Sogrape Director, leading the Global Marketing and Sales functions for the group’s Portuguese wine portfolio, which is present in the Douro, Vinho Verde, Dão, Lisbon and Alentejo regions, including compelling names, such as Mateus, Sandeman, Casa Ferreirinha and Porto Ferreira, among others.
João Gomes da Silva is also Vice President of ViniPortugal, the Interprofessional Association of the Portuguese Wine Industry.
Vianney Gravereaux, Sales and Marketing Director, Ornellaia & Masseto, Italy
After starting his career at Arthur Andersen, Vianney Gravereaux has gained a vast international experience in fine wine while working for globally renowned estates such as Champagne Philipponnat and Champagne Salon.
He studied Economics, English, Political Philosophy and Geopolitics, is French by birth and multilingual by vocation. He is Sales and Marketing Director for Ornellaia and for Masseto since 2021.
Ivan Massonnat, Owner, Belargus, France
Nothing predisposed Ivan Massonnat, happy in his Parisian life, to become a winegrower if not his passion for wine. This passion was born in the Savoie region, in his grandfather’s vineyards. Ivan’s winelover journey was built on his passion for Burgundy wines, capable of expressing an infinite variety of expressions from a single grape variety.
By rooting his family in Chinon in 2006, Ivan discovered the great terroirs of the Loire Valley and started to dream of changing his life to become a vigneron.
After years of looking for “diamonds in the rough”, Ivan fell in love with Anjou in 2018, the historical home of Chenin Blanc. Thus was born “Domaine Belargus”, named after a blue endemic butterfly.
Dan Petroski, Winemaker, Massican, USA
Dan Petroski was born in Brooklyn, NY. After attending Columbia University, he went to work for TIME magazine before the Wall Street Journal tried to poach him. Dan took a moment to reflect. He jettisoned to Sicily for a year, where he interned at Valle dell’Acate. Later, a harvest brought him to California. After harvest, Petroski was hired as Larkmead’s cellarmaster, ultimately claiming the winemaker title in 2012. Petroski spent nearly 15 years at Larkmead, but during that period he launched a white wine only brand called Massican, an ode to the Mediterranean and Petroski’s time spent living in Italy. Petroski’s approach and ability to craft wines as diverse as Cabernet Sauvignon and Tocai Friulano earned him the recognition as San Francisco Chronicle’s Winemaker of the Year in 2017 and Food & Wine magazine’s Drinks Innovator of the Year in 2022. In 2023, E. & J. Gallo purchased Massican. Growing and developing Massican to become California’s greatest white wine brand is Petroski’s primary focus now.
This Insight Series is free and open to all. Register using the button below: