Part Two: Can You Scale Up Fine Wine?

Tuesday January 30th – 4PM GMT- Online

It’s a common saying in business that, for a variety of reasons, you either grow or die. In fine wine, the subject of growth is a particularly complex one, requiring producers to balance quality, brand strength and price as they scale up.

In December, Areni Global hosted an Insight Series webinar on this topic. Experts had so much to share about why to scale up that we’ve decided to run a second session. In January, we’re calling panelists back to discuss how to scale up. 

We’ll explore:

  • What is the ideal production size and why?
  • What is the ideal price for your wine? How do you get there?
  • How can you grow while still maintaining a sense of exclusivity?
  • How will your production evolve in the coming 15 years?

We are pleased to welcome back the following panelists:

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.

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.

Registration for this event are now closed. You can find the main takeaways of the conversation and the recordings of the session here: