Compagnia del Gusto expands into the wine sector: it acquires Cantine Romagnoli and sets its sights on Winelivery
Compagnia delle Vigne, the business unit dedicated to wine, is undergoing a phase of expansion: the acquisition of a major distributor in the United Kingdom is also nearing completion
Key points
Compagnia del Gusto Holding is pressing ahead with acquisitions. Whilst announces the acquisition of Cantine Romagnoli, a historic winery in the Colli Piacentini region founded in 1857 in Villò di Vigolzone, another deal is already in the final stages: the acquisition of the Milan-based wine e-commerce platform Winelivery.
This was revealed by Sergio Albarelli, chairman of the holding company. “We are interested in Winelivery for three reasons,” he explains. “The first is the opportunity to integrate our wine portfolio into the platform’s catalogue. The second is the network of physical Bar&Enoteca outlets – currently over a dozen, comprising both company-owned and franchised outlets – where we will be able to distribute not only our wines but also all the group’s food products, and where we can test new products and receive immediate feedback from the market. The third is the strength of digital marketing.”.
Winelivery, in fact, has a community with over 1.6 million downloads of its app and a technology business unit dedicated to the development of software and artificial intelligence applications, which will help to integrate and coordinate the various entities that make up the group.
Founded in 2016, Winelivery ended 2024 with a turnover of around 5 million euros (source: financial statements filed with the Chamber of Commerce) and operates ahome delivery service for wine and drinks in over 60 Italian cities.
Albarelli also hints at a third deal currently being finalised: the acquisition of , a major wine distributor in the UK. “In the UK market, a licensed wine distributor can also distribute food products, thereby opening up a direct channel for Compagnia del Gusto to market its own premium food products,” he explains.
The wine portfolio
The acquisition of Romagnoli strengthens Compagnia delle Vigne, the business unit dedicated to wine. The winery brings with it over 45 hectares of vineyards, a production focused on native Piacenza grape varieties – Barbera, Croatina, Ortrugo and Malvasia – and an established reputation for Metodo Classico wines. “We have identified in this business all the characteristics we look for in companies joining the group: history, regional authenticity, production quality and significant growth potential,” comments Ettore Nicoletto, CEO and partner of Compagnia del Gusto Holding.
