History

Winebow: A Dynamic Leader in Wines, Spirits and Sake

In 1980, Winebow embarked upon a mission to become the leading fine wine wholesaler and importer in New York and New Jersey. By the mid-1980’s, the company began importing and selling exceptional Italian wines in other states as well. Winebow expanded its distribution territory, adding Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C., Connecticut and Massachusetts.

Today, Winebow’s portfolio contains over 4,000 wines from around the world. These are distributed to over 4,000 fine wine shops in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C., Connecticut and Massachusetts. Winebow is a renowned importer of almost 400 choice wines from the estates of approximately 75 high-quality Italian producers. This exceptional Leonardo LoCascio Selections (LLS) as well as the Winebow Brands International (WBI) portfolios are distributed throughout the United States.

Begin your journey here to learn more about Winebow’s history:

1980 ~ Operations begin out of Leonardo LoCascio’s home

1981 ~ New York office opens

1983 ~ Upstate New York office added

1985 ~ First bottle of wine sold outside of New York and New Jersey

1986 ~ New York office moves to current location

1988 ~ Major expansion of New Jersey facility, upgraded computer system

1989 ~ First Annual Vintner’s Harvest Tasting

1990 ~ Winebow Celebrates 10 years in the industry

1998 ~ Leonardo LoCascio named, “One of the most influential wine
              personalities of the last 20 years” by Robert M. Parker of
              The Wine Advocate.

1999 ~ Winebow introduces The Vini D’Italia Tour of 9 cities

2000 ~ Winebow celebrates its 20^th anniversary

2002 ~ Leonardo LoCascio purchases 130-acre property in Bolgheri.
              First wines expected in 2005

          ~ New Jersey Business Magazine names Winebow one of the 25
              finest privately held companies in the state

2003 ~ Corporate headquarters relocate to Montvale, NJ

2004 ~ Partnership with Freeman Spogli, about 35 employees become
              shareholders

2005 ~ Winebow celebrates its 25^th Anniversary

          ~ Winebow Brands International, a new division of Winebow, Inc.,
              is created. Under the WBI brand, Winebow has begun importing
              wines from Spain, Chile, Argentina, whisky from Scotland, and
              cachaça from Brazil.

2006 ~ Winebow acquires Wallingford, CT based Mid-State Distributors,
               LLC in the company’s effort to expand their distribution markets
               and portfolio. This marked the first act under Winebow’s “Buy and
               Build” strategy, which seeks to bring fine wine distribution to more
               US markets.

           ~ The acquisition of Boston Wine Company, Ltd. Expands Winebow’s
               distribution network into MA. The acquisition further builds upon
               Winebow’s continuing “Buy and Build” strategy.

2007 ~ Winebow opens a new 200,000 square foot warehouse in Pine
               Brook, NJ. This state-of-the-art facility is able to better
               accommodate the growing needs of the company’s expanding
               business.

2008 ~ Leonardo LoCascio receives the US/Italy Friendship award from the
              National Italian American Foundation for his contribution to the
              cultural and social ties between Italy and the US.

          ~ WBI starts importing wine from Portugal and sake from Japan

          ~ Winebow, Inc. and Click Wine Group announce merger. Winebow
              acquires Click and all its company owned brands, including
              Fat Bastard, Root:1 and Clean Slate.

To check out Winebow Accolades, click here!