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Importers of Fine Wines Since 1919 | Resources for the Trade |
BANFI VINTNERS TO IMPORT BOLLA AND FONTANA CANDIDA
OLD BROOKVILLE, NY, FEBRUARY 2, 2009 - Banfi Vintners, America's oldest family wine importer, celebrating its 90th anniversary this year, has been appointed sole US importer and marketer for the internationally renowned Italian wines of Bolla and Fontana Candida. The agency agreement with Gruppo Italiano Vini (GIV), owner of the Bolla and Fontana Candida wineries, takes effect March 1, 2009.
"We are very proud that ownership of the Bolla and Fontana Candida brands now returns to their birthplace, where the soundest winemaking decisions can be made and authenticity of the wines exalted," commented Emilio Pedron, CEO of GIV. "At the same time, our partnership with Banfi Vintners facilitates a keen and valued insight into the tastes and desires of US wine consumers."
"These brands, now under the proven guardianship of GIV, are true, timeless Italian classics," stated James Mariani, co-CEO, Banfi Vintners. "In the current economic climate, the US wine consumer has shown a growing predilection for brands that reflect real heritage, trust and reliability."
Bolla, founded by Abele Bolla in 1883, has long enjoyed a high-profile reputation in the US as the leading pioneer of wines from Italy's Veneto region. Fontana Candida is internationally famed as the foremost producer of Frascati, the celebrated white wine native to the Roman province of Lazio. GIV, Italy's leading wine producer, is wholly owned by the co-operative Riunite & CIV.
Banfi Vintners, wholly owned by the Mariani family of Long Island, NY, was founded in 1919. In addition to the new affiliations with Bolla and Fontana Candida, Banfi Vintners represents Castello Banfi, Vigne Regali, Cantine Cooperative Riunite, Maschio Prosecco, Cecchi Family Estates, Sartori di Verona and Florio Marsala from Italy, as well as Concha y Toro and Vinedos Emiliana in Chile, Trivento in Argentina, Wisdom & Warter Sherries from Spain, and Stone's Ginger Wine (UK).