Leonardo LoCascio
President & CEO Winebow, Inc
Named one of the most influential wine personalities of the last 20 years by Robert M. Parker, Jr. in 1998, Leonardo LoCascio is America’s foremost authority on Italian wines. As president and CEO of Winebow, Inc., America’s leading importer of premium Italian wines and a major importer and distributor of wines and spirits from around the world, Mr. LoCascio’s masterful knowledge of the wines of Italy is unsurpassed.
In 1980, Mr. LoCascio left a successful career in corporate finance to become a wine entrepreneur, giving up a position as a vice president at Citibank – a position he attained at age 30 – to launch Winebow. Prior to his four years at Citibank, he worked in corporate finance at Rockwell International and as a management consultant for McKinsey & Company.
For 28 years, Mr. LoCascio has been selecting wines for his portfolio with the same care he once brought to corporate finance. Along the way he has earned a reputation for uncovering the best wines of Italy, often looking beyond the obvious wine regions of Tuscany, Piedmont and the Veneto to discover hidden gems worthy of importation. He is especially proud of having introduced Americans to the great wines of Italy’s southern regions.
Mr. LoCascio makes frequent trips to Italy throughout the year, scouring the countryside for undiscovered treasures. His meticulous selection process is geared to finding wines that combine high quality and good value. The result is dozens of wines turned down for every one selected. The process tends to favor small to mid-sized wineries, often independent and family-owned.
Today, Winebow’s Leonardo LoCascio Selections, with over 60 prized Italian producers, is widely considered the most impressive Italian portfolio of any importer in the U.S. Indeed, the Leonardo LoCascio Selections logo on a label has become the de facto seal of approval for Italian wine enthusiasts.
Born in Palermo, Sicily, Mr. LoCascio has spent most of his adult life in the United States, aside from his time spent traveling among the vineyards of Italy. He graduated cum laude from New York University with a BS in International Business and holds an MBA from the University of Chicago.
In 2009 the Italian Trade Commission inducted Leonardo LoCascio into their Distinguished Service Hall of Fame, which recognizes individuals who have devoted their professional lives to the appreciation of Italian wine in the United States. Mr. LoCascio also received the prestigious US/Italy Friendship Award by the National Italian American Foundation in 2008 for his contribution to the cultural and social ties between Italy and the United States. Leonardo LoCascio was also honored with the 2008 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award in New Jersey.
