I really believe that, like grapevines, who we are is ultimately the result of the constant interaction between our innate qualities and the environment in which we grow: I was born in New York City and I grew up in Palermo (Sicily), in a Family that has taught me Entrepreneurship as way of life in which hard work, continuous learning and self-improvement are daily activities.
Thanks to my Family, I have had the opportunity to be exposed to both cultures, American and Italian, and I committed myself to absorb the best that they both have to offer.
I moved my first steps in Italian Wine back in 1997 when I attended my first Vinitaly as “cellar rat” and “glasses washer” at my Uncle Leonardo’s Winebow. Thanks to that first experience, I was introduced to iconic producers like Bruno Giacosa, Gianfranco Soldera, Emidio Pepe, Roberto Voerzio and many others. I guess those wines worked some kind of magic on me, as I decided to spend all my following college summers interning at Winebow, and after those, to officially join the Company in 2003, starting from the Warehouse, as the assistant to the VP of Operations. In the following 13 years, I had the opportunity to work in various positions, learning every aspect of the National Import and Distribution business, from Brand and Portfolio Management to Sales Management and Marketing. In 2008, I decided to strengthen my business knowledge and managerial skills, enrolling and completing the MBA program at Fordham University, while managing a team of 6 sales-reps in Westchester and Queens. It has been an amazing learning experience, for which I will always be grateful.
Fast forward to 2017, a year full of new developments and change: in February, together with Ludovico Bongini, a Cross-Border M & A lawyer, and with the patronage the Italian Trade Agency (ICE), I co-authored "Il Mercato Del Vino Negli USA" (published by Diacron), a book concerning the best practices for Italian wineries wishing to export to the US. In April, the desire to go back to the classroom led me to attend Vinitaly International Academy’s course with Ian D'Agata and Stevie Kim, becoming an Italian Wine Ambassador. In May 2017, my dedication to the native grapes of Italy and to Italian wines eventually evolved into my new business venture as I founded “Selezioni Varietali” an Import & Market Management Agency.
I founded my Agency with the intention to combine my knowledge of the US Market and experience in managing distribution networks with my commitment to the native grapes of Italy, thus offering to my Wineries a novel approach to the distribution and promotion of their wines.
It is therefore a great pleasure to introduce you to the Vintners that I have personally selected and which I am proud to represent in the USA: thanks to these talented and committed winemakers, I was able to assemble my very own Portfolio of Italian native and traditional grape varieties, my “Selezioni Varietali”.
Giuseppe LoCascio